Sunday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Alex Hunsberger writes that the CERB may be a flashpoint in determining whether the cost of the coronavirus pandemic will be borne primarily by people who can afford it, or people who merely can't avoid it. Alison Pennington highlights how Australia's government - like so many others - has chosen to use the pandemic to reverse decades of progress for women. And Jamelle Bouie points out the importance of combating economic inequality in order to make any progress against systemic racism.

- Levon Sevunts reports on polling showing a majority of Canadians in support of a 30-hour work week. And Joe Jones looks to the activism of the 19th century as a precedent in pushing for reductions in working time.

- David Climenhaga writes about the need for Alberta to start providing support for research aimed at something more than propping up a dying oil and gas sector. And PressProgress highlights the Sask Party's trumpeting of an anti-worker oil lobbyist as the type of "entrepreneur" they see representing the province. 

- Graham Thomson discusses the cynical political calculations behind the UCP's push for government-controlled referenda. And Charles Rusnell reports on the UCP's gutting of any review of legislation which transferred total power into the hands of its cabinet.

- Finally, Josiah Mortimer notes that the UK's first-past-the-post system has resulted much of the country being written off for electoral purposes.

Asked and answered

The problem with basing a party's rhetoric on theories which can be directly and obviously disproven by events beyond their control is that events happen.

With that in mind, over to you, people whinging about the candidates for Finance Minister under an NDP government:

The NDP Leader also announced that Toronto resident and former Saskatchewan Finance Minister, Andrew Thomson, will run for the Party against Conservative Finance Minister, Joe Oliver.

“Andrew has the experience and strong fiscal record that Canada needs to get the economy on track and create greater opportunity for the middle class. I am very pleased to welcome him to our team," said Mulcair.

Thomson served as Finance Minister in the Saskatchewan government throughout 2006 and 2007. Under Thomson’s leadership, the province posted a balanced budget, a significant budget surplus and strong economic growth.

A private decision

Obvously Deb Higgins' leadership campaign will get a boost from today's news that former Finance Minister Andrew Thomson is in her corner. But buried beneath the Thomson announcement and a policy press conference whose subject doesn't seem to be available yet is a fairly surprising explanation as to why Higgins' campaign has seemed so quiet so far:

Higgins hasn't done much public work since announcing her candidacy.

She's (sic) contends this is an internal party campaign and in her opinion should be concentrated on the grassroots.

Now, it's true enough that the leadership race is theoretically an internal party contest. And of course any focus on the grassroots is a plus in principle.

But then, part of the process of grassroots renewal normally involves trying to reach beyond the current membership - which goes doubly in a race where the current membership list is a fraction of the size of the one which existed as of the last leadership race. And if Higgins' comment actually reflects her plans rather than a simple attempt to put her slow start in the past, then it's worth wondering whether any number of endorsements will end up being outweighed by a campaign that aims too low in the vote department.

Update: CBC's News at 6 reports on the actual policy announcement, being a plan to limit political donations by unions and corporations. Which is definitely a good idea, not to mention one which both her leadership competitors and the Wall government would figure to have trouble trying to argue against.