On Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 8:59 PM, Becky Lentz, Dr. <[email protected]>wrote:

Montreal, November 12th, 2010 – The Chantier de l’économie sociale is happy to announce the organization of the 2011 International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy (FIESS) that will take place from the 17th to the 20th October in Montreal. During the press conference, the president and director general of the Chantier de l’économie sociale, Mrs. Nancy Neamtan, expressed how proud she was that the actors of the Quebec social and solidarity economy will host partners from every continent who share the same commitment to promoting and developing social and solidarity economics in their respective territories. The participation of numerous representatives of government, such as the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy and the Minister for Agriculture, Fishing and Food Mr. Laurent Lessard, the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity Mrs. Julie Boulet, the Minister of Social Development, Solidarity and Elderly People of the Republic of Mali Mr. Sékou Diakité and the mayor of Montreal Mr. Gérald Tremblay, will undoubtedly contribute to the success of this ambitious event.

The government of Quebec is pleased to contribute to this international event to the amount of 200,000$. The ministry of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy will contribute 150,000$ within the framework of the Fonds de développement de la métropole. In addition, the Ministry of Employment and Solidarity will contribute 50,000$ to the Chantier de l’économie sociale to the organization of the 2011 International Forum on the Social and Solidarity Economy.

« *Through its commitment to financing this Forum, the government recognizes the importance of the social economy as a motor of development for the whole of Quebec. This is why we are working to increase the impact of this sector of the economy given our interest in the dynamic occupation of the territory* », declared the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy, Mr. Laurent Lessard.

« *Our government cares about sustaining development in communities that emphasize solidarity. From this perspective, the support of the ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity to this major event will certainly contribute to publicizing the competencies of Quebec in matters related to the social economy, the support for employment integration and territorial intervention linked to the fight against poverty and social exclusion* », affirmed the Minister for Employment and Social Solidarity, Mrs. Julie Boulet.

*The social and solidarity economy – a movement that’s gaining strength on every continent * This international forum will certainly be a privileged moment to recognize the increasing importance of the social and solidarity economy in the development strategies of countries in the South and in the North. The creation of public policy in favour of its development has accelerated in Latin America, in Europe and in Africa. In this sense, Mali is an inspiring example of development of the social economy as the government has been working to create innovative public policy in this sense. It’s equally important to mention the increasingly significant role played by cities and municipalities in the development of the social and solidarity economy. The support of the city of Montreal, the Federation of Quebec Municipalities (FQM) and of the REVES network – the network of European cities and regions of the social economy- for the 2011 FIESS is a testament to their implication.

The social and solidarity economy is also being discussed within international organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), both of which are notable strategic partners in the preparation of the 2011 FIESS. All over the world, new networks of national, continental and intercontinental actors of the social and solidarity economy are being built. New forms of investments allowing private capital to yield both financial and social benefits are being developed and are supported by international networks. All of these actors of the social and solidarity economy have accepted to participate in an important and significant way to the organization of the Forum, in addition to organized labour and other social movements that are increasingly associated with the evolution of this social economy that creates wealth and solidarity within the economy.

On the international scene, Quebec has become an actor renown as much for the dynamism of its social economy as for the constructive partnerships that have been created here between public actors and civil society on national, regional and local levels. A result of these partnerships, the organization of this international Forum will allow the government of Quebec, the city of Montreal, all of the regions of Quebec and the partners in civil society to highlight their best practices and also to learn those of others. With its participative and interactive approach, the 2011 FIESS will be a privileged space to discuss and be inspired by the methods and practices in diverse countries of the North and South that facilitate this co-construction of public policies which favor the emergence of enterprises of the social and solidarity economy and foster social and economic development.

As underlined by the president and director general of the Chantier de l’économie sociale, Mrs. Nancy Neamtan, « *in the current economic context, having only recently emerged from an economic and financial crisis that affected most countries in the world, it is more than ever important to recognize that the social economy represents an efficient and strategic alternative for socioeconomic development, an important motor for job creation and a space for unparalleled social innovations, with a constant concern for sustainable development *».

The diversity of the partners associated with the organization of the 2011 FIESS illustrates this interest and the necessity for reinforcing the dialogue between civil society and public powers. To this day, the financial and supportive partners are:

▪ The Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy (MAMROT)

▪ The Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity (MESS)

▪ The City of Montreal

▪ Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST)

▪ The Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) and the UNITERRA program

▪ The Intercontinental Network of Promotion of the Social and Solidarity Economy (RIPESS)

▪ The International Labour Organization (ILO)

▪ The International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

▪ The Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet)

▪ The Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins

▪ The Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN)

▪ The Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (CSD)

▪ The Quebec Federation of Labour (FTQ)

▪ The Karl Polanyi Institut

▪ The J.W. McConnell family Foundation

***

In Quebec, the social economy encompasses around 7,000 companies, cooperatives and non-profit organizations that operate in 20 different economic sectors (arts and culture, collective housing, communications the environment, food, information technologies, leisure and tourism, medias, manufacturing, retailing, services to individuals, etc.). It employs over 125,000 people and generates profits of over 17 billion dollars annually, which represents around 8% of the Quebec GDP.

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For further information: Martin Frappier, Responsible for strategic issues, 
Chantier de l’économie sociale (514) 899-9916, ext. 236 or (514) 973-7470

Sources: Sylvain Bourassa, 
Press attaché for the
Cabinet of the Ministry of Municipal and Regional Affairs and Land Occupancy and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing and Food (418) 691-2050

Nicolas Murgia, 
Presse
attaché, Cabinet of the Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity and Minister responsible for the Mauricie region (418) 643-4810

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