Participate in local development projects in the South as a partner organization. Canadian Partners
Who are our Canadian partners ?Agriculture and rural development
Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture – NSFA has represented the interests of Nova Scotia’s agricultural community since 1895. The Federation ensures a competitive and sustainable future for agriculture, and a high quality of rural life in Nova Scotia through building farm businesses that are financially viable and ecologically sound as well as socially responsible. The NSFA reviews all legislative and regulatory issues that impact the competitiveness and sustainability of the agricultural sector. It lobbies the government for changes to existing legislation, regulations and public policy. It also develops and delivers programs and services to meet the needs of the farming community. www.nsfa-fane.ca/
Nova Scotia Agricultural College – NSAC is an internationally respected teaching and research institution providing quality education. It is a small, vibrant university that offers students courses in applied life sciences and related fields. www.nsac.ns.ca
Coady International Institute / St. Francis Xavier University. Established by St. Francis Xavier University, the Coady International Institute is a world-renowned centre of excellence in community-based development. It is a learning organisation dedicated to identifying, developing and disseminating knowledge on effective development practice. The Coady Institute is committed to working on the ground with partner organizations around the world. This commitment strengthens their ability to educate and train local development workers and provides programs for young Canadians to become active global citizens, as well as develop a global shared-learning network of development organizations. www.coady.stfx.ca
Acadia University is an undergraduate institution in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. The University provides a personalized and rigorous liberal education, and promote a robust and respectful scholarly community. This inspires a diversity of students to become critical thinkers, lifelong learners, engaged citizens, and responsible global leaders. www.acadiau.ca
BC Community Forest Association – The BCCFA promotes and supports the practice and expansion of sustainable community forest management in British Columbia. The Association is a network of rural and community-based organizations that are engaged in community forest management, as well as those seeking to establish community forests. The BCCFA is a part of a global movement committed to culturally, ecologically, and economically sustainable forestry. www.bccfa.ca
The Women’s Economic Equality (WEE) Society is a registered non-profit provincial organization in Nova Scotia. The Society promotes the economic well-being of women in Nova Scotia, by facilitating programs and services that support women’s full participation in the social and economic development of the province. Its goals are to ensure that women of diverse backgrounds are included in Community-based Economic Development (CED). http://weesociety.ca
Nova Scotia Co-operative Council is the provincial development arm of the co-operative and credit union system, which is governed by a volunteer board of directors. It encourages co-operatives of all types, to work together to form a strong co-operative movement in Nova Scotia. The council also stimulates as well as promotes, and supports the creation of new co-operatives across all sectors in the province. It advocates for the co-operative movement's interests to all levels of government; enhances the profile of a 'co-operative identity', ensures innovation; and creates new ways of financing to support development opportunities. www.nsco-opcouncil.ca/
Just Us Coffee is a coffee cooperative that roasts fair trade coffee. It aims to serve the interests of Fair Trade producers by developing personal and long-term relationships that will adhere to the basic principles of Fair Trade. It also strives to help the indigenous communities move above the poverty level and to be a viable and leading progressive Fair Trade business that serves as a model for community ownership, as well as social and environmental responsibility. The organization serves customers by giving them the best possible value, service and information and aims to develop relationships among co-op members, employees, business associates and the broader community. Through honesty and respect the organization aims to maintain an ongoing commitment to education, innovation and collaboration. www.justuscoffee.com
Atira Women’s Resource Society is a non-profit organization committed to the work of ending violence against women. This is accomplished by providing direct services, as well as increasing awareness and education around the scope and impact of violence against women and children in our communities.www.atira.bc.ca
Veterinarians Without Borders – VWB/VSF Canada is a charitable, humanitarian organization who support the initiative to promoting the health of animals, people, and the environment. Its members are veterinarians or anyone with animal-health related skills. The organization engages in activities around the world related to the health of farm animals (aquaculture and land-based), urban domestic animals and wildlife, in addition to public and ecosystem health. www.vwb-vsf.ca
Private sector development
Compagnie F is a Montréal based organization who aids low-income women of all origins, in obtaining professional and financial autonomy using an entrepreneurial approach. Based on the principles of sustainable and human development, Compagnie F was born out of the necessity to develop networks and build programs that take into account the needs of women wishing to acquire more professional and financial independence. www.compagnie-f.org
Social and solidarity economy
The Chantier de l’économie sociale du Québec promotes the social economy as an integral part of the socio-economic structure of Quebec, and the recognition of the plural nature of Quebec’s economy. More specifically, it works to support the creation, development and consolidation of social economic enterprises and organizations within various economic sectors. Collectively, these enterprises provide a unique response to the needs of the community to create sustainable jobs. www.chantier.qc.ca
The Groupe d’économie solidaire du Québec – GESQ provides Québec with an international network for social and economic solidarity. www.uqo.ca/ries2001/rubriquegesq/accueilgesq.html
The Canadian CED Network – CCEDNET enhances the scope and effectiveness of community economic development in Canada. Through supporting organizations and individuals in emphasizing the use of local resources, it helps create solutions adapted to local needs. www.ccednet-rcdec.ca
Économie solidaire de l’Ontario is an independent network of organizations that promote solidarity amongst individual and collective players within Ontario’s French-speaking economic community. www.economiesolidaire.ca
The Réseau québécois du crédit communautaire – RQCC is a vital network with expertise in the areas of community and micro-credit, and is dedicated to advocating a cooperative initiative for responsible entrepreneurship. www.rqcc.qc.ca
The Comité sectoriel de la main d'oeuvre en économie sociale et de l'action communautaire – CSMO-ÉSAC promotes collective action and partnerships in order to resolve common labour problems in social economic businesses and organizations. www.csmoesac.qc.ca
Fair trade
Ten Thousand Villages (www.tenthousandvillages.ca) and Dix mille villages/Mond-Équitable (www.dixmillevillages.com) are independent, non-profit fair trade businesses. They buy and sell craft and agricultural products from organizations based in countries with weak economic conditions. By doing this, they supply consumers with products that are fairly purchased and promote economic sustainability.
Le Café Nelligan/Les services adaptés Transit is a business who plans, develops and manages business activities that create employment for disabled people and provides them with optimal working conditions. (http://www.letransit.com/cgi-cs/cs.waframe.index?lang=2)
The École de joaillerie de Québec (www.ecoledejoaillerie.ca) and the Centre des métiers du cuir de Montréal (www.cmcm.qc.ca) both train professional Québec artisans in jewelry production and in leather craft respectively.
The Société d’agri-gestion Delapointe is a Québec business that imports and distributes shea butter that is certified fair trade and organic. http://www.karitedelapointe.com
Basic education
The Regroupement des groupes populaires en alphabétisation du Québec – RGPAQ, promotes and develops grassroots literacy and literacy groups, in addition to defending the collective rights of individuals whose rights have been infringed upon because of their literacy level. www.rgpaq.qc.ca
The Fédération canadienne de l'alphabétisation en français – FCAF is a pan-Canadian non-profit organization that has developed a network of over 400 French literacy organizations across Canada. www.fcaf.net
Health and nutrition
The Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology – CAWST is a registered Canadian charity that has been a catalyst for independent, community-driven water sanitation projects. It provides professional services, education, training and technical consulting in water sanitation to organisations operating in developing countries. www.cawst.org
The Réseau québécois des intervenants et intervenantes en action communautaire – RQIIAC is a non-profit organization with a mandate to unite and represent community stakeholders working in local community service centres and health centres. The organization also works with numerous local institutional and university partners to advance matters in regards to bringing together individuals and social forces to improve community living conditions. It encourages the “empowerment” of individuals and communities, and through active social change, combats exclusion, poverty and social inequalities. www.rqiiac.qc.ca/site/
The Regroupement des cuisines collectives du Québec – RCCQ is a non-profit organization aimed at the promotion and consolidation of emerging collective kitchens in Québec. The RCCQ provides training with regard to starting up collective kitchens as well as workshops on economic and political realities, social issues and other related topics. The RCCQ champions the principal of food self-sufficiency. www.rccq.org
The Réseau des étudiants de l’Université de Montréal pour la recherche et la promotion du bien-être des populations en Afrique – AFRICASUM is a non-partisan and non-profit association created by the University of Montreal graduate students. The association brings together students from various countries and disciplines such as humanities, social sciences and health-related fields, who have a common interest in Africa. http://www.africasum.org
The Réseau québécois d’action pour la santé des femmes – RQASF is a multidisciplinary organization whose primary concern is women’s health and welfare. It is a solidarity network that works from a feminist perspective. It promotes the rights and interests of women in health matters on various levels through collective and political action. It aims to adopt and promote a global approach to women’s health by bringing together women as well as organizations concerned about women’s health. www.rqasf.qc.ca
Mères et Monde is a resource centre for young mothers. It works to improve their living conditions, avoid isolation and promote social, academic and professional integration. To accomplish this, the centre has created a self-administered subsidized housing program that provides a location for mutual assistance, and training focussed on creating a goal-oriented life. www.mereetmonde.com/
SOS Water Coalition Eau Secours! is an independent non-profit eco-citizenship organization that attempts to prevent the effects of polluted water on health, and to halt the disappearance of Québec’s underground water reserves. The goal of the Coalition is to promote the responsible management of water on several fronts such as: public health, equitable distribution, accessibility, defending rights of the people, sustainable development, and collective sovereignty over this vital and strategic resource. www.eausecours.org