Vaudreuil-Dorion resident Colette Lebel won the 4th degree of the Ordre du Mérite coopératif et mutualiste québécois 2024 and was honored last night at the Conseil québécois de la coopération et de la mutualité (CQDM) annual gala.

The Ordre du Mérite coopératif et mutualiste québécois is awarded to any person who has rendered exceptional services that have had a significant impact in a region or sector of activity, and who has promoted the influence of the Québec cooperative and mutualist movement.

The 4th degree is the highest and is awarded to individuals who have achieved international recognition in their work. She was nominated by Sollio Groupe Coopératif, for whom she worked for nearly three decades, initially as an advisor, then as Director of Cooperative Affairs.

Among other things, Colette Lebel organized three international educational missions for Sollio Groupe Coopératif, in addition to sitting on the Board of Directors of the Association des éducateurs coopératifs (ACE) from 1996 to 2017, assuming the presidency in 2003. Her influence extended beyond our borders when, in 2004, she delivered a lecture on Québec cooperation at the University of Chile in Santiago.

CQDM congratulated Ms. Lebel on her exceptional career and her contribution to raising the profile of cooperation. Colette Lebel told us that although this recognition was not the crowning achievement of her career, as she remains active, she considers that “ it is greatly appreciated after 30 years of working with conviction and passion in the cooperative milieu ”.

She sums up: “ I've traveled, I've had all the tools; with the cooperative milieu, you build what you need, you give yourself the services you want. With global challenges, I don't think we'll have a choice but to work on a small scale, to get together. Cooperatives belong to communities, they're rooted in the living environment, they take care of the territory ,” she emphasizes.

One of Colette Lebel's most striking achievements is undoubtedly the publication in autumn 2023 of her collection, Plaidoyer pour la coopération. Her book is aimed at both cooperators and the general public, as it addresses “ cooperation as a strategic behavior in everyday life ”.

Last year, she officially launched her book at the same annual gala. In it, she argues, through her reflections and posts, that a more widely adopted cooperative posture would be highly beneficial for the future of humanity.

A reminder of Madame Lebel's background:

Locally, she is, among other things, a member of Coop-CSUR, a multi-service solidarity cooperative located in Les Coteaux, where she buys local organic produce and occasionally contributes as a volunteer.

At the provincial level, her involvement is remarkable. Among other things, she has played an important role in the Institut de recherche et d'éducation pour les coopératives et les mutuelles de l'Université de Sherbrooke (IRECUS), serving on the Board of Directors from 1993 to 2021 and assuming the presidency in 2021. Since 2022, she has sat on the Board of Directors of the Réseau de la coopération du travail du Québec (Réseau COOP), helping to strengthen cooperative ties and values across the province.

Semi-retired since 2021, she works as a part-time freelancer on several projects, and gives lectures and training courses. In a few months' time, she will be taking part in a mission to Côte d'Ivoire for Sollio, in conjunction with the Société de coopération pour le développement international (SOCODEVI).

She continues her training and contributes to the advancement of her knowledge. Currently, she is part of a research project at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) on Bohm's dialogue, a group discussion method designed to foster open, in-depth exchange between participants.

You can read Colette Lebel's columns by doing a Web search for Magazine Coopérateur and Colette Lebel.