Hon. Amina Gerba: Honourable senators, I would like to speak to Senator Moncion’s inquiry marking the one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary of the Desjardins Group in 2025. As we just heard, Desjardins is a major cooperative institution that has had an impact on both our past and our present.
In light of Senator Moncion’s remarks, I believe it would be entirely appropriate to highlight a complementary aspect of the cooperative’s success: Desjardins’s international commitments, particularly in the area of inclusive finance.
Since its earliest days, Desjardins’s founding principle has been the simple but powerful idea that finance should serve people. This vision contributed to the economic and social development of both Quebec and Canada and has now gone international.
Through Desjardins International Development, the group puts its cooperative expertise to work for partners in nearly 60 countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia. Its work focuses on concrete, strategic levers, such as providing technical support for local financial institutions, investing in inclusive finance, and strengthening people’s long-term economic empowerment. These initiatives have one basic objective: to expand access to secure financial services designed specifically for people who are too often excluded from them. The economic empowerment of women is of particular importance.
I’d like to share a personal anecdote.
In my previous career, I had the opportunity to visit several African countries where Desjardins International Development was operating.
In Burkina Faso, I met with female shea butter producers who were organized into cooperatives and supported by financial institutions backed by Desjardins. I saw very concrete results there: Women had access to credit for the first time, they could open secure savings accounts, and their financial literacy markedly improved thanks to training tailored to their specific circumstances.
Beyond the numbers, these initiatives directly contribute to strengthening economic self-sufficiency, community resilience, and women’s ability to play a greater role in the development of their communities.
Honourable senators, as we mark Desjardins’ one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary, we recognize not only the strength of a financial institution that was founded in Quebec and has grown to serve clients around the world, but also the impact of a cooperative model that has demonstrated, for over a century, that economic performance and social inclusion are not mutually exclusive.
The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Senator Gerba, I’m sorry to interrupt. Honourable senators, it is now seven o’clock. Pursuant to rule 3-3(1), I am obliged to leave the chair unless honourable senators agree not to see the clock. Is it agreed, honourable senators?
Hon. Senators: Yes.
The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: So ordered. You may continue, Senator Gerba.
Senator Gerba: Please join me in marking this milestone anniversary and wishing the Desjardins Group continued success. Thank you.