CCIC (now Cooperation Canada) was established in 1968 in Ottawa, under its first executive director Angus Archer, and with a clear mission statement: to end global poverty and to promote social justice and human dignity for all.

The organization focused its first steps on establishing clear networks with the government and membership partners through publications, meetings and consultations. Many of the activities concentrated on events ran by the humanitarian agencies of the United Nations, as well as public engagement. The goal was to engage the government delegations who attended those conferences through direct lobbying on site, while running public advocacy campaigns in Canada.

One of Cooperation Canada’s successful public engagement campaigns was “Miles for Millions,” originally introduced in 1967, in which a group of student volunteers visited local schools and gave presentations on international development issues. The purpose of this project was to raise awareness among youth and to inspire young Canadians to get involved with the NGO sector in Canada.

Having received its first generous grant of $80,000 in 1971, Cooperation Canada funded the Development Education Animateurs Program (DEAP) for four consecutive years. The idea was to send a number of enthusiastic participants across the country to run educational development activities for Canadians nationwide, an initiative that allowed Cooperation Canada to establish its first provincial offices.

CCIC faced a major financial crisis in 2008 and 2009 when the newly elected government withheld funding of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and stopped supporting environmental and human rights projects. As a result of this, Cooperation Canada was deprived of its dominant revenue stream and had to halt the majority of its programming.

In order to recover from the crisis, a total restructuring of Cooperation Canada took place, including the nomination of Julia Sánchez as the President-CEO of the organization in 2011. Eager to bring Cooperation Canada back on its feet, Julia recovered relations with the government, improved the organization’s corporate image, and established a brand-new membership system that satisfied members and circumvented dependency on government funding. The organization changed its name to Cooperation Canada in October of 2020.

Cooperation Canada is proud of the achievements and the immense impact it has been able to make globally. With the support of its passionate and determined team, its loyal member organizations, and its engaged partner organizations, Cooperation Canada looks forward to celebrating another 50 years of collaboration and co-operation in international development.