The Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec

The Fédération is the organization that supports the Desjardins caisses in Québec. Its mandate is to provide the caisses with the services they require and to coordinate the efforts of all other Desjardins Group components, some of which report directly to the Fédération, such as Caisse centrale Desjardins, Capital Desjardins and Desjardins Trust. There are also four institutions related to the caisse network with specific vocations: Fondation Desjardins, Société historique Alphonse-Desjardins, Développement international Desjardins and Fonds de sécurité Desjardins.

The Fédération includes four business units: Desjardins Card Services (VISA Desjardins), Desjardins Electronic Access and Payment Services, Desjardins Point-of-Sale Financing Services and Desjardins Payroll and Human Resources Services.

Integrated with the Fédération, the Desjardins Bureau for Financial Monitoring and Enforcement is the component that ensures that caisse member assets are well protected. Its audit and inspection service assesses the caisses and all affiliated companies based on recognized financial sector standards and practices. The Bureau is also responsible for the ombudsman.

A service organization that cares about democracy

The Fédération's presence in the field is bolstered by many Regional Executive Divisions and one provincial office for group caisses (credit unions). Each of these units supports a number of caisses in their daily activities.

This network is reinforced by 17 councils of representatives, 16 for the caisses populaires and 1 for the group caisses. Cornerstone of the Desjardins democratic process, the council of representatives represents the caisses of a region with the Fédération and the community. Among other roles, the council ensures that the concerns expressed by the region's caisses are taken into account by the Fédération.

Each council of representatives is made up of 10 volunteer officers and 5 caisse general managers, for a total of 255 members from the entire network elected by management of their regional caisses. The 17 concil presidents are all members of the Fédération's Board of Directors, which also includes 4 general managers, elected by the council of representatives members, and the President of Desjardins Group, for a total of 22.