Media advisory - More than 300 expected at National Summit on a
People-Centred Economy

OTTAWA, May 26 /CNW Telbec/ - More than 300 people from across Canada will gather at Carleton University in Ottawa on May 30-June 1 for the first-ever National Summit on a People-Centred Economy.

Two years in the making, the Summit will bring together practitioners from the co-operative, social economy, non-profit and community development sectors as well as economists, academics, government representatives and others interested in creating a fairer, more sustainable economy.

The Summit is organized by a wide range of organizations, including the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet), the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA), the Chantier de l'économie sociale and the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships (CSERP).

Speakers at the Summit will include best-selling author and internationally-recognized food security expert Raj Patel; the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister of State (Agriculture); the Honourable Michael Ignatieff, Leader of the Opposition and David Berge, senior vice-president for community investment at Vancity, Canada's largest credit union.

There will also be a presentation by Ken Delaney of the United Steelworkers and Michael Peck of Mondragon International, the world's largest employee-owned co-operative, about their joint efforts to establish worker co-ops in the U.S. and Canadian manufacturing sectors.

Summit participants will have an opportunity to participate in workshops on a variety of topics, including enterprise development, local revitalization and social finance. The Summit will conclude with the launch of a declaration and action plan

A team from the National Film Board of Canada will also be at the Summit, gathering material for their web documentary GDP - Measuring the Human Side of the Canadian Economic Crisis.

All Summit activities, except for the workshops on the afternoon of May 31, will take place at Carleton University's Alumni Hall and Sports Centre.

An overview of the Summit program, with times and locations, can be downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/SummitOverview.

Media representatives are welcome to attend all Summit sessions.

The Canadian Co-operative Association is a national association for co-operatives in Canada, representing more than nine million co-operative and credit union members from over 2,000 organizations. CCA members come from many sectors of the economy, including finance, insurance, agri-food and supply, wholesale and retail, housing, health and the service sector. CCA provides leadership to promote, develop, and unite co-operatives and credit unions for the benefit of people in Canada and around the world.

For further information: about the Summit and assistance in arranging interviews, contact: Michael Toye, Executive Director, Canadian Community Economic Development Network, [phone], [email protected]; John Anderson, Director, Government Affairs and Public Policy, Canadian Co-operative Association, [phone], ext. 228, [email protected]; For information on the Social Economy and Social Economy research, contact: Ian MacPherson, Professor Emeritus, University of Victoria, Principal Investigator and Co-Director, Canadian Social Economy Hub, [phone], [email protected]