In order of importance, the credit union system consists of the following elements:
- Individual members who own the credit union. In other financial institutions, these are "customers."
- Individual, autonomous credit unions, which, through their branches and online technology, provide financial and other services to their members.
- Provincial credit union centrals, which are owned collectively by the individual credit unions within a province. They provide financial, trade association and other services to their member credit unions.
- The national credit union central facility, Credit Union Central of Canada, which is owned collectively by the provincial centrals. It provides trade association and other services to the provincial organizations.
- Affiliates and organizations, including government agencies, that complement and support the system.
