Montreal (Canada) will host the 35th CIRIEC International Congress from 5 to 8 October 2026, one of the leading international events dedicated to the study of the social economy, the public economy and economic democracy.
The congress, organised by CIRIEC-Canada together with CIRIEC-International, will have the theme “Caring for the world: the essential contribution of the social economy and public enterprises”. The event will take place at the Centre Mont-Royal and is expected to attract close to 1,000 participants from thirty countries.
The aim of the congress is to promote exchange between researchers, policymakers, professionals and representatives of enterprises and organisations. One of CIRIEC’s distinctive features is precisely the intense and open dialogue between academia and business and institutional practice.
The main topics of the Congress include the response of public and social economy structures to the multiple crises currently facing society, the socio-ecological transition, public policies, the housing issue, the need for responsible artificial intelligence, and the challenges of democratic governance and citizen participation. Issues related to solidarity-based and sustainable financing models will also be addressed, as will the role of public and social economy enterprises in strategic sectors such as energy, transport and infrastructure.
The congress also aims to bring together different territorial practices. This edition will place particular emphasis on exchange between the experiences of Quebec and other international territories, as well as on dialogue between the public economy and the social economy.
Among the speakers is Julia Cagé, Professor of Economics at Sciences Po Paris and a specialist in political economy, media and the financing of democracy. Also taking part will be Jérôme Dupras, Quebec’s Chief Scientist and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fonds de recherche du Québec, and Jimmy Jean, Chief Economist and Strategist at Desjardins Group, Canada’s first cooperative financial group and one of the largest in the world, with nearly eight million members and 60,000 employees.
The congress is taking place at a time when social economy organisations are facing issues such as the climate transition, an ageing population, housing, inequalities and technological change. At the same time, public enterprises are becoming particularly relevant in debates concerning sovereignty and the quality of essential services.
The Montreal event will provide an opportunity to share research and experiences on how to respond to these challenges through economic models geared towards the general interest. It will also help strengthen CIRIEC’s international networks and pave the way for new debates on the role of the social economy and public enterprises in the coming decades.
