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2010 National Summit on a People-Centred Economy


Summit Documents
Videos from the Summit
Summit Presentations
Media Coverage

Revised Issue Papers
Special Events
National Summit Steering Group


May 30 - June 1, 2010

Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario

From cooperatives that have existed for more than a century, to the latest innovative social enterprises, citizen-led efforts to build a people-centred economy are rich in their history and diversity. 

In the face of recent economic turmoil and growing ecological crises, these approaches are more relevant than ever. 

The 2010 National Summit on a People-Centred Economy was an unprecedented gathering of over 340 leaders and representatives of the community economic development, cooperative and social economy sectors to build a common agenda and mobilize action for a secure, sustainable economy that puts people and the planet first.

The Summit focussed on six themes:

  1. Finance and Investment
  2. Enterprise Development 
  3. Local Revitalization
  4. Organizing the Social Economy Marketplace 
  5. Strengthening the Movement
  6. International

Summit Documents

Read the Summit Declaration, which outlines the Summit participants' determination and commitment to building a people-centred economy.

Click here to download a summary of the Summit recommendations for building a people-centred economy.

To download a copy of the Summit Program that was provided to participants at the event, click here.

Some last minute additions were made to the program prior to the Summit, too late to change the file above.  The complete and accurate program is presented in this Program Overview.


Videos

Click here to view more videos from the 2010 National Summit on a People-Centred Economy including:

  • Keynote Speakers: Raj Patel and Ken Delaney & Michael Peck
  • Political guests: Michael Ignatieff, Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Gilles Duceppe, Tony Martin, Gary Goodyear
  • Opening Address: Ted Jackson
  • Portrait of the People-Centred Economy: Nancy Neamtan and, Ian MacPherson
  • Cross-Sector Perspectives: David Berge, Susan Tanner, Ray Wanuch
  • Presentation of the Proposed Declaration

Note: all videos are in the language of the presenter


Presentations

Portrait of the People-Centred Economy
Nancy Neamtan, Executive Director of the Chantier de l’économie sociale - "Towards a citizen-based movement at the heart of the economy"

Ian MacPherson, Principal Investigator and Co-Director of the Canadian Social Economy Hub and co-operative historian - "Knowledge, Research and the People-Centred Economy"
**For the full text of Mr. MacPherson's presentation, please click here.**

Carlos Amorín, International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations – Latin America - "Intercontinental RIPESS, Latin America & Caribbean"

Cross-Sector Perspectives in Action

Susan Tanner, Canadian Environmental Network "Eco What?"

Concurrent Workshops on Six Summit Themes:

Finance and Investment

TIm Dramin, SiG/Causeway  "Finance and Investment"


Media Coverage

Summit blog
Canadian Co-operative Association

Building the triple bottom line: People-centred economy values people and planet as highly as profit.
Straight Goods

Blog posting from SEE Change magazine:

See Tweets from the Summit by the National Film Board of Canada's GDP Project participants.
National Film Board of Canada

Interview with John Anderson: The Time is Ripe for a People-Centred Economy
Axiom News


Revised Issue Papers

The issue papers on each of the six Summit themes were revised based on the input provided through the engagement activities leading up to the Summit.  See the Summit Engagement Activities page to view the papers.


Special Events

L'Union culturelle des Franco-Ontariennes (UCFO), PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise, the Canadian Centre for Community Renewal and the Women's Economic Council offered a special pre-Summit session on Applying a Gender Lens to the People-Centred Economy.


Members of the National Summit Steering Group

The following networks/organizations were engaged in the national steering group: