The Great Canadian Reset: Why Co-Ops Are the Right Choice for Canada’s Future

In this wide-ranging book, Ludovic Viger explores how we can thrive when the economy slows down and even shrinks. We are facing a period of degrowth because the time of Cheap Oil, which has fueled our economic growth since the Industrial Revolution, is over. What’s more, our current high-consumption lifestyle is making energy demands that will soon outstrip the capacity of the environment to renew itself. It’s an ecological overshoot, the hallmark of many declining civilizations throughout history. WHY CO-OPS ARE THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR CANADA’S FUTURE So what are we supposed to do now? We’ll need to consume less and conserve more. But it is possible to thrive in this world, and there’s a proven model that shows how: co-ops. They’ve been successful in many spheres of life, from agriculture to housing to finance, and they’ve succeeded even in bad times. This is a book that provides a workable solution to the problems of our time, solutions that can be embraced by thinkers and policy-makers across the political spectrum.

While living in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, LUDOVIC VIGER built a successful export/import agency to support Canadian enterprises with interests in China. Then he returned to Canada in 2010 and developed his keen interest in cooperatives and permaculture. His profound understanding of world politics, combined with his environmental and social views, prompted him to call into question our current national policies in the face of global concerns. He now lives in Ottawa, where he is a strong advocate for sustainable and ethical business models.