Cooperatism is an ideology that believes that putting cooperatives in place can limit social inequalities. A cooperative is an association that shares resources and any surplus (profits) among its members.
Agriculture developed rapidly in the early 1900s, new agricultural technologies were expensive and it was hard for farmers to borrow money. Their solution to this problem was to come together, combining their capital and sharing resources, materials and more. They founded cooperative companies in which each member would benefit from the contributions of the cooperative as a whole.
The government wanted to oversee the growth of these cooperatives by passing the Cooperative Syndicates Act in 1906.
The Mouvement des caisses Desjardins (Desjardins Group today), founded by Alphonse and Dorimène Desjardins in 1900, is an example of a financial cooperative.
The Union catholique des cultivateurs (UCC) was founded in 1924 to solve the farmers’ problems and defend their common interests.The union worked towards the electrification of rural areas and granted loans to farmers. In 1972, the UCC became the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA).
For many, cooperatism was the best way for French Canadians to take control of their economy. Economist Esdras Minville as well as many newspapers also promoted cooperatism, including the Coopérateur agricole, founded in 1948.