As the fog rolls through the harbour in St. John’s Nfld. it has not obscured the view for over 400 Canadians gathered here.These Canadians are members of co-ops or credit unions. In fact they are like 1 in 4 Canadians, millions of us belong to credit unions and cooperatives.

They are gathered here at the annual Canadian Cooperative Association national congress. Harnessing the Hidden Potential was the theme of the conference. Catapult Media was here presenting a workshop on how the cooperative movement could implement a public engagement campaign to raise its profile in communities across the country.

Probably many Canadians have no real idea of the central role that cooperatives and credit unions play in local economic development. Credit Unions and Cooperatives are profitable enterprises yet service and community involvement is how they measure their bottom line. They see clearly how credit access, micro-finance and local ownership is the lifeblood of small business, entrepreneurial enterprises and community development.

How the Canadian cooperative movement harnesses this potential is the big question in a world of big banks, corporate mergers and increasing globalization.