Today, the 14 cooperatives of Nunavik are celebrating their federation, founded on May 20^th, 1967. It is with a great feeling of pride that the 11 000 members look back on their cooperative movement’s journey. 

“Ilagiisaq and the cooperatives, this is the economic development of Nunavik for and by Nunavimmiut” resumes Mrs. Mary Johannes, the first female president of the federation. Since its inception, the cooperative movement has generated hundreds of millions of dollars to benefit the communities. Today, it is the largest private employer in Nunavik with more than 1 100 employees, of which 800 are in the North. From Ungava Bay to Hudson Bay, it’s in Inuktitut that we work and serve our clients in the cooperatives. “All this was unimaginable only 60 years ago” observes Mrs. Johannes, highlighting that Ilagiisaq’s history is one of empowerment and resilience.

Many assets for endurance

This year’s pandemic is a new test for Nunavik’s cooperative movement, which is doing well despite the circumstances.

“The diversity of our activities is one of our best assets” explains Mrs. Johannes, before enumerating the various industries in which are involved the cooperatives, their federations and its subsidiaries: distribution of goods, cable television, transport, petroleum products, hotels, construction, art trade, etc.

The President emphasises that the quality of personnel is amongst the strengths of the cooperative movement – as much at Ilagiisaq, which counts many experienced employees – as in the cooperatives, which has been a testament to proactivity since the beginning of the crisis. She rejoices “I am proud of the commitment and solidarity exemplified by our teams”, while ensuring that this is the best guarantee of sustainability for the cooperative movement.

About Ilagiisaq-FCNQ

Founded and managed by Nunavimmiut since 1959, the 14 cooperatives of Nunavik offer a multitude of services to the community: general store, hotel, gas station and fuel distribution, post office, cable TV, restaurant, etc.

Created in 1967 to supply the Nunavik cooperative movement with effective means of ensuring its growth, the federation, Ilagiisaq, supports its member cooperative through: purchasing, training, mechanical maintenance, technical and management support. It is also active in various economic sectors such as marketing of Inuit art, tourism, logistics management, construction, energy and transport.

The Nunavik cooperative movement is made up of over 11 000 members and 1 100 employees, of which 800 work in the North.

Visit the federation’s Facebook page for the latest news: https://www.facebook.com/FcnqIlagiisaq/

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Information :

Caroline Mailloux
Communications and Public Relations
Ilagiisaq – Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec
caroline.mailloux@fcnq.ca
514 457-9371 ext. 436

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