History

The origins of cooperation in New Brunswick

From the first deposits, worth a few cents, to cumulative assets of $2.7 billion, the 200,000 members of the Mouvement des caisses populaires acadiennes have collectively shaped the profile of New Brunswick’s francophone and Acadian communities, building together a strong, prosperous and aggressive Acadie, while helping the movement realize it’s mission.

Fore more than 70 years, the caisses populaires and the cooperatives have been part of everyday life for Acadians and New Brunswickers. This popular movement is without a doubt the best accomplishment of New Brunswick’s Acadian people, who have come together to create solid institutions thanks to their commitment.

History of a significant project

The cooperative idea was firmly entrenched in Acadian communities at the end of the Great Depression of 1929, which was a grave disturbance that had an impact on all social and economic sectors. The agriculture sector was affected by a drop in prices, the demand for pulp and paper at the expense of the demand for lumber perturbed the forestry sector, and the fisheries sector, which was controlled by Jerseyan business, saw the demand for fresh and frozen fish skyrocket, at the expense of the demand for salted and dried fish. Because of this social and economic imbalance, banks were hesitant to lend money based solely on good faith. People in need then turned to loan sharks for credit and many lost their livelihood.

In 1927, the economic situation of Acadians is catastrophic. The federal government decided to create a royal inquiry commission, the McLean Commission, to assess the fisheries situation in the Maritimes, the area that was most affected. In 1929, the Commission presented its report and recommended that an adult education system be established and that financial help be awarded to fisherman to organize themselves. The federal Fisheries Department awarded financial help to St-Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, in Nova Scotia, to perform its role as facilitator for the fisherman.

Led by Moses M. Coady and James Tompkins, a group of priests from that university wanted to improve the quality of life in the Maritimes and created a society rebuilding program called the Antigonish Movement. This social facilitation method not only allowed to identify social and economic issues, but also encouraged participants to share their experiences and to try to find solutions in order to create a “nice quality of life for everybody”, as this was their slogan.

The Antigonish Movement was based on the creation of a popular adult education program to foster the development of individual creative skills. Since this was a new movement and nobody knew how it worked, a study circle was organized to educate people and introduce the operation of cooperative institutions. Widely known as the father of cooperation in New Brunswick, father Livain-J. Chiasson introduced the cooperative ideology in our area through this study circle. He was strongly supported in his work by clergymen and hundreds of volunteers who agreed to take part in the creation of cooperative organizations, as members, administrators or founding pioneers.

The study circle meetings were held either in a public venue like a classroom, in the church rectory or in a private residence. Many people took part in the project because there weren’t many winter leisure activities at the time, which was called the “dead season”. Bringing together tens of participants, these meetings were facilitated by a group leader that had to distribute documents that were handed to them, including the most popular entitled Les caisses populaires, which was translated in 1936 by Henri-J. Soucy, and Le Catéchisme des caisses populaires by reverend Philibert Grondin, published in 1910. At those meetings, the discussion and refection process was fostered by asking questions like: How does cooperation give purchasing power back to the people? Do you believe it is necessary in America to have a system solely based on cooperation? Do we have all we need to create a caisse populaire? The organizers of that era also used the press to broadcast their message. By publishing general interest articles in the daily L’Évangéline, the weekly Le Madawaska, and the monthly Le Fermier acadien, as well as French articles in the bi-weekly The Maritime Co-Operator, they explained and simplified cooperative principles, presenting cooperation as the only way to spread the wealth.

Study circles were spreading like wild fire. In New Brunswick’s Acadian regions, there were 200 study circles in 1936, 400 in 1937, 565 in 1940 and 744 in en 1941. In other word, over 7,000 people were contributing to the educational process. According to statistics published by New Brunswick Agriculture Department, 60 caisses populaires and 78 credit unions were created between 1936 and 1941. The first francophone caisse populaire in New Brunswick was established in Richibouctou in August 1916, without much success. The oldest caisse populaire to be a member of the Fédération des caisses populaires acadiennes, the Petit-Rocher caisse populaire, was established in December 1936. The caisse populaire celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1986, hosting cooperators from all over the province who came to celebrate the success of the Mouvement des caisses populaires acadiennes.

Among other promoters of the cooperative formula, there were aerologists who used their influence and their prestige during the various farmers circle meetings and agricultural associations throughout the province. At their insistence, a motion suggesting the promulgation of an act regulating the creation of caisses populaires was adopted by farmers associations in Madawaska and the South-Eastern region of the province in the summer of 1935. In August 1936, a credit union division is created within the Agriculture Department, the provincial legislator deciding it should be controlled to the province’s clerk, known as a registrar. Wilfred Keohan was the first person to perform these duties.

The foundation of the Fédération des caisses populaires acadiennes ltée

Created in 1938, the New Brunswick Credit Union League was mandated to offer services to the savings and loans credit unions, services like enhanced management services, bookkeeping, acquisition of office supplies and stationary, and the establishment of reliability insurance policies. Furthermore, the League promoted cooperation and represented the caisses with government.

The League was trying to bring together the province’s caisses populaires and credit unions. It took its role very seriously and created an education committee in 1941. The francophone caisses populaire grew quicker than expected, so Acadians reflected on their role in that field.

The language issue caused problem to Acadians in the League, because their meetings were usually held in English. Often, francophones had to speak English or ask somebody to translate deliberations for them. Also, no Acadian was ever elected to the presidency of the League. When the League was lobbying to be affiliated with the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), Acadians started the process that resulted in the creation of the Fédération des caisses populaires acadiennes ltée in 1946.

This significant event was followed through the years by the creation of various cooperative and corporate service organizations, meeting the increasing needs of the caisses populaires, cooperatives and societary members of the network, which is now made up of about 100 organizations, with $2.8 billion in assets and 86 points of business in New Brunswick.

Thanks to this collective accomplishment, we can now look to the future to go " higher, further together " !

Important historical milestones