Honourable senators, I rise today to highlight Co-op Week, held from October 13 to 19 on the theme, “Innovating the Co-operative Way.” Co-op Week is a chance to celebrate the cooperative business model, which endorses a mission and values based on collective wealth, solidarity and sustainable and responsible socio-economic development. It’s also an opportunity to recognize some of the notable changemakers who have chosen to be inspired by this business model.

I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize a woman whose unique trajectory made her one of the greatest trailblazers in the realm of cooperatives, the social economy and Ontario’s francophonie. That woman, Ethel Côté, passed away last week at the age of 66.

Ethel served as the founding chair of La Nouvelle Scène, former executive director of Impact ON, owner of mécènESS, and associate professor at the Université de l’Ontario français. Over the course of her long career, she developed remarkable expertise in organizational management, the cooperative system, women’s entrepreneurship and the social economy.

Ethel was awarded the Ordre des caisses populaires de l’Ontario, the Order of Ontario, the Order of Canada and the 2017 Saphir woman of the year award. In 2015, she was selected as the UN champion of women’s economic empowerment. Because of her passion for the social economy, she was invited to speak about social innovation on every continent.

She possessed visionary leadership, and she knew how to inspire people. She made it her mission to help women who demonstrated the values, principles and know-how needed to support community development.

I met Ethel in 1979, when we were embarking on our careers. At the time, she was working on organizing a forum called “Savoir, c’est pouvoir,” or “knowledge is power,” the first of its kind, which would lead to the creation of Ontario’s francophone economy.

Our paths often crossed after that, whether we were working on cooperative development, innovation or social economy issues, on projects to fund community-based initiatives, on representations to various levels of government or at meetings of associations that we were both involved in. We shared a common vision of the social economy that includes values, principles and know-how that seek to put a human face on the economy and see collective work as a way of reducing poverty.

Nelson Mandela said that poverty is manmade and that it can be overcome. Ethel made that her mantra. Throughout her life, she helped to improve the living conditions of everyone she came into contact with who called on her knowledge, skills and expertise. Her passion and vision were a source of inspiration. Ethel was a true role model of commitment and leadership.

Rest in peace, dear Ethel, knowing that you left us all with the memory of an ordinary person who did extraordinary things.

I offer my deepest condolences to your family and to everyone who is mourning your loss. You will always be a champion to all of us.