Investissement Québec’s mission is to contribute to the economic development of Québec in accordance with the economic policy of the Government. Its goal is to stimulate the growth of investments and support employment in all regions of Québec.

In order to carry out its mission, the Company supports the creation and development of enterprises of all sizes through adapted financial solutions and investments, in a complementary fashion with its partners.

Thus, Investissement Québec has been supporting the development of collective entrepreneurship businesses for more than 35 years. A pioneer and expert in the funding of cooperatives, The Company also supports the growth of not-for-profit organizations through funding solutions that meet their specific needs.

CAP Finance is a group of financial institutions based on social economy and solidarity finance created by the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins, the Fiducie du Chantier de l’économie sociale, Filaction, Fondaction CSN, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, the Réseau d’investissement social du Québec and the Réseau québécois du crédit communautaire. Researchers and other associate members have been added to its founders: Margie Mendell, economist and professor at the Concordia University, the Association des centres locaux de développement du Québec (Association of Québec’s Local Development Centres), the Réseau des CDEC du Québec and Investissement Québec.

The originality of CAP Finance resides in the complementarity of its financial institutions and in the willingness to adopt practices coming from socially responsible finance. With this in mind, CAP Finance has set as its mission to promote and develop solidarity finance and development capital, to develop the expertise of the professionals of the Réseau and to promote responsible investment among the general public and the different stakeholders.

The Chantier de l’économie sociale has created 2 financial tools expressly designed to meet the specific challenges of financing of social economy enterprises (SEE). In 1997 the first venture capital fund aimed at the SEEs was created, namely the Réseau d’investissement social du Québec (RISQ -Social Investment Network of Quebec) followed in 2006 by the Chantier de l’économie sociale Trust, first patient capital fund. The RISQ offers pre-start,-up financing, seed funding, consolidation and expansion financing. For its part, Fiducie offers patient capital loans to support business operations and real estate investments. These two funds have innovated with financial products specially designed to support the capitalization of social economy enterprises. The range of financial products offered throughout a 20-year period has been conceived to support the promoters of “from idea to action” namely from the conception to the growth of their social economy enterprise.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the CSN (Confederation of National Trade Unions) has decided to conceive of its trade union action within a wider vision for the transformation of society. At the end of the 1960s, it started to build collective economic development tools in the context of the adoption of the second front strategy. The Caisse d’économie solidaire, MCE conseil, Bâtirente, Développement solidaire international, Fondaction, Filaction, etc. are all tangible achievements that have had an impact on the economic development of Montréal, of Québec and of the world. All these organizations share a common vision of building a positive, more human economy. The presentation will allow for a better understanding of the motivations that have led CSN to move forward, to understand the role of each organization and finally to measure their contribution to the economic development of Québec.

The Fonds de solidarité FTQ and its regional and local network contribute to Québec’s socio-economic growth by encouraging workers’ savings for their retirement while supporting the creation, maintenance and protection of jobs through investmentsin Québec businesses of all sizes, in every sphere of activity. Economic training provided to their workers promotes constructive dialogue within these businesses. The Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ (FTQ Real estate fund) invests in profitable and job-creating real estate projects. A part of its investments is allocated to the construction of social, community or affordable housing given their benefits on social diversity and cohesion. In cooperation with social economy enterprises, this enables low-income households to have access to quality and safe housing. Together with its stakeholders, the Fonds and its network contribute to the creation of more wealth and prosperity.