“I hope the GICS helps our movement reclaim the ambition to think big.”
J. Benoit Caron is a recognized leader in Quebec’s cooperative movement, with nearly 35 years of experience in organizational development — including 30 years dedicated specifically to cooperatives. He is the founder and Director General of the Consortium de coopération des entreprises collectives, a central player in Quebec’s social economy, known for his expertise in cooperative creation, organizational recovery, and shared services. He also heads the Réseau de coopération des EÉSAD, a key network providing home support services across Quebec. Named a “Trusted Leader” by the ICO and Ipsos, he serves on several major cooperative and social economy boards.
Through the Consortium, he helped found the International Cooperative Innovation Network (ICIN), which he has supported since its inception. He will also speak as a panelist at the Global Innovation Coop Summit (GICS) 2025 in Portugal.
We had the privilege of speaking with him for this interview, where he generously took the time to share his journey, his vision for cooperation, and the ambitions he holds for the movement—especially as we look ahead to GICS 2025.
1. How did you enter the cooperative movement, and what has kept you engaged?
I’ve always had a strong desire to support organizations that make a tangible difference in their communities. Through my early work in management and advisory roles — particularly within a Coopérative de développement régional (CDR) — I discovered the richness of collective dynamics and, more importantly, the empowerment that cooperation offers. It transforms people from passive recipients into active participants. That sense of agency, of shared ownership and responsibility, left a lasting impression on me.
This journey led me, in 2000, to become Director General of the Confédération québécoise des coopératives d’habitation (CQCH) — a defining moment where I fully immersed myself in the cooperative movement. What I found there convinced me to stay: a people-centred economy, democratic governance that empowers, and a model that offers sustainable solutions to real needs. Since then, my commitment has never wavered. Cooperation, for me, is a concrete way of building differently — and collectively.
2. What motivated you to create the Consortium, and what was your initial vision for the cooperative?
The Consortium was born from a very real need expressed by several federations and cooperative networks I was supporting at the time: access to specialized services delivered by professionals who truly understand the reality of collective enterprises — and at a fair, appropriate cost.
That’s what led us, in 2011, to launch the first version of our shared services centre. Today, it has grown into a strong and thriving cooperative, collectively owned by nearly 300 networks, cooperatives, and nonprofits across Quebec.
My vision then — and still today — is to pool resources so that every collective enterprise, regardless of its size or sector, can grow, professionalize, and more effectively fulfill its social mission. We’re talking about legal, accounting, management, communications, and HR services, all provided by professionals who speak the same language as our members. The Consortium is a capacity builder — a collective tool to build stronger, together.
3. How does the ICIN fit into that vision today?
The International Cooperative Innovation Network (ICIN), which oversees the GICS, is a natural extension of this mutualization logic — but at a global scale. The Consortium has had the privilege of supporting the ICIN since its founding and has been its official service provider ever since.
For us, it’s a concrete way to share and showcase Quebec’s model of intercooperation, to support the emergence of similar initiatives elsewhere — and to learn in return. The ICIN embodies the idea that cooperation shouldn’t be confined within borders. On the contrary, it thrives on dialogue, ambition, and cross-ecosystem exchange.
4. What role do events like the GICS play in the evolution of the cooperative movement?
Cooperation is, first and foremost, about human connection. Events like the Global Innovation Coop Summit are essential to forging those connections, breaking silos, confronting perspectives, and discovering inspiring solutions from elsewhere. These are key moments where new partnerships, collective projects — and sometimes systemic transformations — can emerge.
But they shouldn’t remain isolated moments. It’s up to us, the participants, to turn encounters into action, ideas into lasting structures, and energy into tangible intercooperative initiatives.
5. What do you hope the GICS can inspire or trigger within the cooperative movement?
I hope the GICS helps our movement reclaim the ambition to think big. Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking small, of settling for a marginal role in the economy. But cooperation can — and must — be at the heart of today’s major transitions: social justice, ecological transformation, artificial intelligence, economic sovereignty, and essential public services.
I also hope the GICS inspires other ecosystems to do what we’ve done in Quebec: pool resources, foster cooperation between cooperatives, and build structures that amplify our collective impact. And above all, I hope every participant leaves with an idea, a connection, or a spark that makes them want — like we do at the Consortium — to build differently. And together.
True to his journey, J. Benoit Caron’s reflections remind us that when driven by conviction, cooperation can turn shared challenges into powerful levers for lasting change. As we look ahead to GICS 2025, his call to “restore the movement’s boldness to dream big” resonates deeply. It’s an invitation to move beyond the familiar, to think collectively, and to act together—making cooperation a true engine for transformation.
