Economic decisions are too important to be left to economists. That’s the big lesson I’m taking away the GDP Project as I clean out my desk and prepare to move on.
It’s been a year to remember – documenting the worst economic crisis in our lifetimes as it plays out in communities across Canada. Before I turn out the light, a few final thoughts…
The financial press tells one story – the story of a national economy that’s done pretty well, all things considered, especially when compared to trouble spots like Ireland, Greece or even the USA – where over 30 million people now have to use food stamps, evoking memories of depression-era breadlines. Canada has exited the recession sooner than most countries, we’re told, and the corporate and financial sectors are back in business. And although we’re being told to expect hiccups along the way to full recovery, there’s a general sense within mainstream media that things are getting back to normal.
But the people we’ve encountered over the last year present a more complicated picture. “The crisis may be over for big companies – but not for people like us,” says Mylene in the final episode of Inner City, speaking for people whose concerns rarely merit a mention in the business pages. Despite talk of recovery, about 1.5 million people across Canada are still out of work, and the bulk of them are not eligible for employment insurance. Despite attempts to reassure, more and more of us are living in poverty.
We see evidence of this insecurity in any number of our GDP stories. We see it in Timmins, where a food bank manager talks of a massive increase in demand; in Dolbeau-Mistassini, where a company town has just lost its key employer; in Sudbury, where mine workers have had to relinquish hard-won benefits: and in Toronto, where the recession has made life harder for hotel workers and new immigrants. We see another kind of instability in places like Alberta, where controversial changes in federal immigration policy seem to be creating a whole new class of impermanent and insecure foreign labourers.
At the same time, we’ve also seen evidence of innovative leadership and collective action. In Fields that keep feeding, the forward-looking people at the Association of Ontario Food Banks have revived the ancient practice of gleaning. With Stuart and Pauline, we see a couple embarking on a daunting career change with support from friends and family. In Full Steam Ahead, Alberta farming communities have organized in the face of hostile market forces.
Stories like these will inform how I think about economics from now on. As I hear politicians debating austerity vs. stimulus, I’ll think of Lawrence fights back – and reflect upon who will feel the impact. When I hear panicked talk of Canada’s aging population, I’ll remember Bea Speaks – the example she sets and her vision for a caring society.
Above all, I come away from the GDP Project with a new awareness of how economic decisions affect us in all aspects of our lives. They determine the communities we choose to build, the relationships we want to have with each other, the way we inhabit this crowded and over-taxed little planet, the values we want to put into practice.
I’m happy to have been part of the National Film Board team that brought this documentary project to fruition. I’m grateful to have worked alongside such stimulating and generous colleagues, and I’m especially indebted to those who trusted us with their stories and the many others who shared the web experience with us.
Time to turn off that light. Goodbye and thank you.
Philip Lewis, writer-researcher
©2009 Le blogue PIB / The GDP blog
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