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Caisse annual general meetings

Attend your caisse’s annual general meeting (AGM) to learn about its achievements and financial results over the past year.

Make your voice heard!

Caisse AGMs are held in March and April. Once the AGM is over, you have 4 days to vote on the allocation of annual surplus earnings, member dividends and for new board members.1

For more details about the AGM, visit your caisse’s page.

Why attend your caisse’s annual general meeting?

By voting at the AGM, you contribute directly to the caisse’s decision-making process. When you take part in your caisse’s democratic life, it shows that you embrace solidarity and mutual assistance, which are core values of the cooperative movement.

Attend online or in person

Your caisse will choose whether to hold its AGM online, in hybrid mode or in person. Here’s what that means for you.

  • Online

    Attend online, using your preferred device.

  • In person

    Take part in person at the location chosen by your caisse.

  • Hybrid mode

    Participate online or in person at the location chosen by your caisse.

How do caisse AGMs work?

All members are invited to their caisse’s AGM.

Board of directors

  • Present the highlights
  • Disclose the caisse’s financial results
  • Share which projects were supported through the Community Development Fund, donations and sponsorships

Members

  • Vote on surplus earnings (member dividends) and the amount paid into the Community Development Fund
  • Elect members to the board of directors1
  • Vote on changes to your caisse’s articles or bylaws

2 ways to vote

Once the AGM is over, you have 4 days to vote on the allocation of annual surplus earnings, member dividends and for new board members.1 You can vote at your caisse voting station when available or on AccèsD.

FAQ

What’s an annual general meeting?

At an AGM, members can learn more about the caisse’s achievements and have a say in certain priorities.

In addition to annual general meetings, caisses may hold special general meetings to decide on important issues such as caisse mergers.

Who can participate and vote at an annual general meeting?

All members are invited to attend their caisse’s AGM. However, members2 must be at least 18 to vote and meet certain requirements, such as being a member of the caisse for at least 90 days before the date of the meeting.

What’s the time limit for calling the AGM?

Your caisse AGM is held every year, no later than 120 days following the end of the previous fiscal year. Members are invited to attend 20 days before the general meeting takes place.

Are all members required to attend and vote at their annual general meeting?

Although members aren’t required to attend or vote at their caisse’s AGM, we strongly encourage you to attend, voice your opinion and help shape your caisse’s decisions and priorities.

Does the caisse pay member dividends?

Member dividends are paid out if Desjardins Group has the financial capacity to do so. Members must also vote in favour of the allocation of annual surplus earnings at their caisse AGM. The dividend is then calculated and paid out to members.

Learn more about member dividends

Caisse members can also choose to pay back a portion or all the surplus earnings to the Community Development Fund to support meaningful local projects.

How can I attend the AGM online or watch a recording of it at a later date?

You can attend the meeting online using the link on your caisse’s web page. You’ll find the link under The annual general meeting (AGM) at a glance in the Democratic life section of your caisse’s web page.

Find a caisse or credit union

You can also watch a recording of the meeting on AccèsD. Recordings are available for 3 months. However, you can only vote in the 4 days after the AGM.

What happens to my caisse during a caisse merger?

If your caisse is merged with another caisse, you'll receive a letter explaining the changes to come a few weeks ahead of time.

Your caisse will provide you with all the information you need, including your new account number. Usually, the caisse adds a number between 100,000 and 900,000 to your existing account number. If, for example, your account number was 12345 before the merger and the Caisse decided to add 100,000 to your new number, your new account (folio) number would become 112345.

It's important to note that you will no longer have access to statements of account for your previous account on AccèsD. It will be as if you were a member of a new caisse.

Check out our resources and tips

Learn more about your cooperative

You can vote on who will be elected to the board of directors if your caisse holds an election.A Desjardins member is a person or business with an account at a Desjardins caisse. Members must have paid a qualifying share to access all caisse services.