Climate justice, access to housing, care for vulnerable people, resilience of our food systems. The challenges facing Quebecers are collective. And yet, too often, we hear that it’s up to citizens to recycle, to save, to make an effort. The size of the challenges seems so great to us that one wonders if the individual gesture counts when the problem seems so large.
The great advances of our nation have taken place through collective action: in agricultural cooperatives, CPEs, village community grocery stores. And in the face of contemporary challenges, we must find new collective solutions to bring Quebecers together, break isolation, and give us the power to act for our future.
In collective entrepreneurship—the social economy—there is a path to a way of operating that is both rooted in Quebec tradition and ready to meet new challenges. This is why the Chantier is so proud to announce the launch of its major national tour, heading towards the Social Economy Summit in 2025.
The Chantier was founded more than 25 years ago with the objective of participating in the construction of an economy that does not seek to maximize profits for shareholders, regardless of the cost to society and the environment, but rather an economy that meets the needs and aspirations of communities. An economy whose starting point is what lives in us, and which relies on the territorial vitality and dynamism of communities across Quebec.
Today, the Chantier de l’économie sociale is leaving for Gaspé, embarking on a tour that will take us to all regions of Quebec, to ask questions of the players in the social economy who, at this very moment, are setting up solutions to the great challenges of our society.
Our objective is simple and ambitious: to highlight the great achievements of these economic players who are rethinking the logic of traditional development and putting it at the service of the Quebec state.
This nearly year-long tour, which will bring together local entrepreneurs, business networks, mayors, MLAs, and workers across the province, will culminate in the spring of 2025. At this time, we will deploy collective solutions throughout Quebec, and will seek to work with the government to transform the laws, regulations and public policies that govern several sectors in order to implement solutions.
Throughout this national tour, the Chantier de l’économie sociale will invite Quebecers to think about the changes and social projects they want to build. An opportunity to create a vision for our common future.
The commitment of the Chantier de l’économie sociale, at this starting line, is therefore to listen, to consult together, to activate the best ideas to arrive at concrete solutions, in co-construction with the State, to deal with glaring problems. And we ask provincial and municipal governments, citizens, entrepreneurs and workers to be prepared to receive these ideas and these models. To participate in the construction of the next major transformation project for Quebec society. To develop the collective reflex.