The honourable Elini Bakopanos : Elini Bakopanos

Pro- moting the concept of the social economy is her first task, and her second is to identify and dis- mantle the federal government policy barriers which hamper social entrepreneurs. [...] It offers a means of entry to prosperity and community involv- ement which is an alternative to the market activities of business and the social program- ming activities of government. [...] The government recognized the role of civil society in development issues Roots of the social economy when it created the Labour Market Partners Commission in 1994. [...] Established throughout the 1900s on the Economy and Employment, which in pockets across the country, they include grain culminated in the establishment of a working group transportation co-operatives in western Canada, led by representatives of civil society – Chantier people’s banks (caisses populaires) in Quebec de l’économie sociale (the Social Economy Task and fishing, housing and banking co-o [...] It’s very important to this initia- The Quebec social economy owes much tive to have a thorough knowledge of the govern- of its success to the continued participation of ment financial mechanism.