History
Over the years, in response to the needs of communities and entrepreneurs, support programs and entities have evolved to better assist and support local and regional economic development actors, ultimately leading to the creation of the Réseau des SADC et CAE that we know today.
The Foundations
By the end of the 1960s, there was a rise in unemployment in various regions of Quebec, due to a widespread economic slowdown affecting all countries. It was then that many strategies emerged from the community. The federal government decided to support these strategies by injecting funds for the implementation of programs aimed primarily at workforce development in struggling regions. Gradually, the idea of equipping rural communities with tools to take charge of their local development took shape.
In the wake of the Local Initiatives Program (1971 to 1977), the Local Employment Creation Assistance Program (1972 to 1983), and Canada Works (1977 to 1980), the Ministry of Employment and Immigration Canada enlisted “street workers” to find solutions to urgent situations. This idea originated from Mr. Lloyd Axworthy, then a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, who faced issues in his riding and decided to address them. In fact, it was the PACLE program that inspired the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to create the international LEED program in 1982, along with the OECD’s division responsible for local development.
From these initiatives arose another idea in 1978-79, to attempt a completely new experience: providing communities with the necessary funds to bring together leaders within a small corporation and equipping this structure with an investment fund to finance projects for small businesses deemed interesting and financially viable for the community. The project, named ADEL for Local Economic Development Assistance, promotes community empowerment and the notion of bottom-up intervention by the state in local development
The first community program
Launched in 1980, the Local Economic Development Aid Program (ADEL – 1980 to 1983) became a true precursor to the Community Development Program (PDC). In 1979, two pilot communities first tested the measure: Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and Gainsborough in Nova Scotia. The initiative was very successful and, due to demand, six other pilot projects were rolled out in 1981 in regions facing high and persistent unemployment. In Quebec, the agency ADEL Haute-Gatineau inc. was the first to be established on February 16, 1981. ADELIM of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine followed by signing a contract on March 24, 1981. Other projects in Canada include Bouctouche (New Brunswick), Kirkland Lake (Ontario), Battleford (Saskatchewan), and Hay River (Northwest Territories). A year later, on June 3, 1982, a third project was launched in Quebec with the creation of ADER of the Matapédia inc.
The local employment Growth Society
The success of these initiatives is such that the newly elected government decides to extend the program to struggling communities. Its development is entrusted to the Local Employment Creation Assistance Program (PACLE) under the name of Local Employment Growth Society, better known as CLE Society. In 1983, the Local Employment Growth Program (CLE) permanently replaces the ADEL Program. From 1984 to 1986, 30 CLE societies were established in Quebec. These societies are mainly composed of local entrepreneurs, members of financial institutions, and resources dedicated to economic development. For the first time, communities and their representatives are given the autonomy to make decisions. This is unprecedented!
Five areas of intervention in local economic development are highlighted and can be prioritized according to local needs:
- A fund for community initiatives.
- The purchase of training in the form of vocational training courses.
- Assistance with relocation and job searching.
- Establishment of a Business Assistance Center (BAC).
- Encouragement of self-employment through the self-employment development program.
Quickly, a conclusion emerges: the development of the business cannot take place in a cultural and social desert. CLE societies play an important role, but their medium- and long-term impact is limited since their development strategy does not account for the major issues facing communities (lack of opportunities for young people and their exodus to larger centers, quality of services, disengagement of leaders, and lack of infrastructure). A comprehensive development vision and strategic planning become necessary. This dimension is what the CADCs will bring.
A broader vision for development
Building on the experience gained from the PACLE, ADEL, and CLE programs, the government, also interested in the functioning of the community development system initiated in Europe in the 1970s, decides to launch a program aimed at creating Community Development Assistance Committees (CADCs). The CDACs would provide communities, individuals, and organizations in the area with information, planning, and action services regarding local socioeconomic development. By creating the Community Future Program (CFP), Employment and Immigration Canada aims to address the gaps in previous programs by involving and integrating all economic and social actors across all sectors of the communities. This quote from the program’s first version encapsulates the government’s intention at the time:
“Indeed, the CFP was intentionally designed by EIC to guide the government’s role towards being a participant in a local process of analysis, accountability, and sustainable development rather than a government management process, while promoting the independence of communities through strengthening local ownership and reducing state intervention to a partnership contribution.”
From 1986 to 1995, 55 CADCs were implemented in Quebec, along with 28 other CLE Societies.
Network Forces Unite
The CLE companies are therefore included in the new Community Future Program (CFP) alongside CADCs, under the name of Business Development Centers (CBDC). Each operates within a specific niche relevant to its purpose: CADC focuses on local development, while CBDC emphasizes employment development and business services. However, there is a constant link between BDC and CADC, as project and client referrals occur continuously between the two. Thus, after several years, a merger becomes inevitable, and in 1995, the transformation of the 55 CADCs and 61 CBDCs into Community Development Assistance Societies (CDAS) comes to fruition. “The pooling of resources,” as the Human Resources Canada (HRC) calls it, which then manages the program, takes place at the end of 1995. It is a significant event in the history of the CFP. The CBDCs merge with the CADCs, except for a few organizations that have no counterpart in their area.
Subsequently, the CFP is transferred to the Federal Office for Regional Development for Quebec, which later becomes Canada Economic Development Canada (CED). It is also in 1995 that the Association of CBDCs and the Conference of CADCs merge to become the Network of SADC and CAEs of Quebec. Since then, the Network has continued to play its role as a unifier among the SADCs/CAEs, ultimately bringing together its 67 members in 2003 to cover the entire rural territory of Quebec and work towards its local economic development.
The SADC and CAE have been working for more than 40 years for the economic development of the regions of Quebec.
More than 400 professionals and 600 volunteers support innovative projects and businesses for thriving communities.
57 SADC
10 CAE
SADC IN QUEBEC
BUSINESSES
LOCAL PROJECTS
CAE IN QUEBEC
