The evolution of broad-based employee ownership in Canada
Abstract
Inspired by the recent national policy framework establishing the Canadian Employee Ownership Trust, we survey the landscape of broad-based employee ownership (BBEO) in Canada, focusing on the two prominent forms: worker co-operatives and broad-based employee share ownership. We conceptualize BBEO based on two inclusion criteria: the percentage of shares held by employees and the breadth of access to ownership opportunities. We also draw attention to two other relevant factors: the extent of employee control rights and degree of equality of share allocation. We then discuss the evolution and prevalence of the two forms of BBEO in Canada, utilizing limited available data and supplementing with illustrative examples. Finally, we call for an integrated and comparative research and policy agenda that bridges worker co-operatives and broad-based employee share ownership models.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Cooperative Studies and Economics
Labor Movements and Unions
Labor market dynamics and wage inequality
Publication details
- Journal / source
- International Review of Applied Economics
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 40
- Issue
- 3-4
- Pages
- 520–541
- Publication date
- 19 February 2026
- Language
- EN