Marie Michael Library

An Educational Institute of Untold Value"; The Evolution of The Co-operative College of Canada; 1953-1987

Crewe, Jodi

The co-operative movement in postwar western Canada was in the midst of rapid expansion, with significant growth in the number of credit unions, agricultural marketing co-ops, and particularly retail co-ops. While this direction offered prosperity and growth, there were other implications that slowly began to take shape throughout the western provinces. Maintaining a successful business practice gradually took precedence over the preservation of co-operative ideology, and co-op leaders realized that although an economically successful co-operative retailing system was beginning to develop, a thorough understanding of co-op philosophy had diminished.