BURNABY, B.C. – The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) applauded Desjardins, Canada’s largest credit union federation, for its announcement that it will continue to fund pipeline and other energy projects.

“This is welcome news for an industry that is under a lot of pressure and is often unfairly vilified,” said Chris Gardner, ICBA president. “We congratulate Desjardins on making the right call and supporting Canada’s responsible resource development industry, the billions of dollars it generates, and the more than 400,000 Canadians it directly employs.”

Earlier this year, Desjardins caved into pressure from environmental activists and announced it would stop funding pipeline projects.

ICBA was Canada’s first and loudest voice opposing Desjardins’ original decision. ICBA president Chris Gardner penned two nationally-published op-eds, and ICBA supporters used its #Get2Yes web platform to send nearly a thousand e-mails to Desjardins CEO Guy Cormier asking him to reconsider. ICBA also used social media, including Facebook videos and posts, to spread the word.

Most importantly, ICBA was putting its money where its mouth is and committed to moving its insurance clients away from Desjardins to companies which support responsible resource development and Canadian energy companies.

“This was always about more than just Desjardins – it’s a message to the world that Canada supports responsible development of our natural resources,” said Gardner. “If we expect the wealth, innovation and investment that flows from harnessing Canada’s resources to grow, we need people standing up for Canadian energy, Canadian jobs and made-in-Canada decisions that benefit us all.”