A common economic language: People come first

Nipawin - March 2, 2001 - by: Mario deSantis

participative language
Little by little we have been writing articles on social and economic issues, and we have

realized of the need of a new common language, a participative language to which we all

can relate. Businessmen and politicians talk of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), of the

Bank of Canada's interest rate, of the governmental debt, of a governmental balanced

budget, of governmental surpluses, of globalization of the economy and so forth.

employment
But what is more important than this specialty vocabulary is the opportunity for people

to be healthy and active participants of our communities. The health of people is not

dependent on the growth of the GDP when this growth doesn't translate in the

employment of people; and the health of people is not dependent on maintaining higher

interest rates to fight inflation at the expense of employment; and the health of people is

not dependent on the reduction of the governmental debt when such reduction is

accompanied by higher unemployment.

economic
language
What I want to say is that we must change our economic language and emphasise the

social growth of people rather than the growth or steering of the GDP. People are

healthy when they are active participants of our communities' life.

aboriginal
population
In Saskatchewan, we have young people and able workers leaving the province, while

at the same time we have a growing aboriginal population which has been written off,

either because they have been put in jail or because they have been disenfranchised as

citizens. Yet, our government prides itself of having balanced the budget and of having

the lowest unemployment rate across the country.

people
come first!
Now that honourable Janice MacKinnon has announced that she will be quitting politics

this coming Spring, Premier Lorne Calvert praises her for her critical role in our

government fighting to balance the budget and for bringing the Synchrotron to Saskatoon.

We remind Premier Calvert that people come first! People come before a balanced budget,

and before the Synchrotron.


Nipawin - March 2, 2001 - by: Mario deSantis

participative language	Little by little we have been writing articles on social and economic issues, and we have
	realized of the need of a new common language, a participative language to which we all
	can relate. Businessmen and politicians talk of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), of the
	Bank of Canada's interest rate, of the governmental debt, of a governmental balanced
	budget, of governmental surpluses, of globalization of the economy and so forth.

employment	But what is more important than this specialty vocabulary is the opportunity for people
	to be healthy and active participants of our communities. The health of people is not
	dependent on the growth of the GDP when this growth doesn't translate in the
	employment of people; and the health of people is not dependent on maintaining higher
	interest rates to fight inflation at the expense of employment; and the health of people is
	not dependent on the reduction of the governmental debt when such reduction is
	accompanied by higher unemployment.

economic language	What I want to say is that we must change our economic language and emphasise the
	social growth of people rather than the growth or steering of the GDP. People are
	healthy when they are active participants of our communities' life.

aboriginal population	In Saskatchewan, we have young people and able workers leaving the province, while
	at the same time we have a growing aboriginal population which has been written off,
	either because they have been put in jail or because they have been disenfranchised as
	citizens. Yet, our government prides itself of having balanced the budget and of having
	the lowest unemployment rate across the country.

people come first!	Now that honourable Janice MacKinnon has announced that she will be quitting politics
	this coming Spring, Premier Lorne Calvert praises her for her critical role in our
	government fighting to balance the budget and for bringing the Synchrotron to Saskatoon.
	We remind Premier Calvert that people come first! People come before a balanced budget,
	and before the Synchrotron.