Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Ellie Mae O'Hagan writes about the need for economic equality to be at the core of any push to eliminate the gender gap. And PressProgress highlights how the Trudeau Libs have gone in the wrong direction with tax handouts which favour wealthy men.

- The BBC reports on Michelle Bachelet's message that inequality tends to go hand in hand with violations of human rights. And Ephrat Livni points out how the gig economy is based on little more than blatant attempts to evade a century's worth of protection for workers. 

- Alan Pyke discusses the Republicans' choice to reduce the IRS' resources to rein in large-scale tax evasion while encouraging increased scrutiny of low-income earners. Paul Morgan-Bentley reports on the open use of tax havens in the UK, while also pointing out how the Cons have raised large amounts of money from the people hoarding wealth offshore. And Jim Waterson and Alex Hern report on the massive pro-Brexit spending by a secretive group funded entirely by dark money.

- Charlie Smith writes that we shouldn't be surprised by the reality that Justin Trudeau is far more interested in serving SNC-Lavalin than citizens. And Jen St. Denis reports on a push by Democracy Watch and Dogwood for closer scrutiny of corporate donations to Canadian politicians and parties.

- And finally, Karl Nerenberg discusses the alternative the NDP can offer to a status quo of alternating Lib and Con corruption schemes:

For the NDP, the imperative of the current crisis is more an issue of responsibility than crass political opportunity.

Canadians deserve a viable alternative to the wounded Trudeau government other than the not-very-comforting Harper Conservatives, led by Scheer.

To position themselves as that progressive alternative, NDPers have to do more than call for an independent inquiry. They have to formulate clear, muscular, well-formulated -- and perhaps outside-the-box -- policy proposals.

For instance, what should the federal government do if SNC-Lavalin were to become a target for foreign takeover, perhaps piece by piece. Is there any course of action that would save jobs and expertise, and protect shareholders, other than in effect condoning corporate criminality by letting the company off the hook for serious crimes committed overseas?

What about some form of public, cooperative or community ownership? The Quebec government's public pension fund, the Caisse de dépôt et placement, already owns a significant chunk of SNC-Lavalin's publicly traded shares. Would it now be a good idea for the federal government to enter into talks with the Quebec government about a possible joint federal-provincial effort to transform SNC-Lavalin into some sort of entirely publicly owned entity? That is the sort of bold and creative thinking a focused and serious progressive party should be doing right now.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Sandy Garossino offers a reminder of the large-scale corruption - including bribery supporting dictatorial regimes and multiple instances of illegal practices in Canada - at the root of the Libs' SNC Lavalin scandal. Andrew Coyne comments on the parallels between SNC Lavalin's lobbying blitz and the PMO's assault on prosecutorial discretion. And Michael Harris highlights how the Libs' attempt at a political defence has not only failed on its own terms, but also reflected a dangerous eagerness to intrude on the criminal justice system.

- Steven Rosenfeld examines Jason Kenney's dubious UCP leadership campaign as a warning for the integrity of U.S. elections which might be subject to similar manipulation. And Graham Thomson writes that the secret recording of an MLA's office hints at the UCP's continuing authoritarian tendencies.

- Lucas Powers reports on the gun lobby's intimidation of physicians who have the audacity to point out that shootings have severe health implications. And John Bowden reports on research showing that to nobody's surprise, more lax gun laws correlate to a higher number of mass shootings.

- CTV Regina examines the lack of affordable rental housing in Regina as market units are left vacant instead of being priced at a level accessible to lower-income tenants. Greg Mercer writes about the even more glaring lack of housing on First Nations in Canada, with the recent state of emergency at Cat Lake representing just the latest example. And Peter Walker reports on UK Labour's plans to make tenancies secure and affordable.

- Finally, Megan Mayhew Bergman discusses the connection between environmental racism and climate change:

Musical interlude

Zuckerbaby - Heavy

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Melanee Thomas writes that we need to change our political system, rather than blaming women for the barriers placed in their way:

Ethos – that set of values and beliefs that guide our politics – is key to explaining why women remain so under-represented in Canadian politics. My research using Swedish data confirms how raising levels of women’s representation can engage them with politics. Swedish political parties in 1974 implemented a voluntary gender quota to ensure they elected more women. Over time, the proportion of women in Sweden’s national legislature, the Riksdag, rose from about 20 per cent in the 1970s to over 45 per cent today. What’s most interesting is that as more women were elected, it sparked greater interest among other women in politics. Sweden differed from Canada in that it took action to get women on par with men in their political institutions. Here, where only 26 per cent of MPs are women, the number is still too small to spark the same increased interest in politics among women.

This shows how ethos matters: If women observe how politics remains closed to them, no amount of resources or individual interventions will make them want to participate more in politics. A more effective route is to transform what our politics look like. The Swedish example shows this can be done by changing the collective belief: Women belong in politics.

- And David MacDonald examines how most of Canada's federal tax loopholes are grossly biased to favour men over women.

- Jeanna Smialek reports that U.S. employers who refuse to offer higher wages are complaining they can't find workers to accept their terms. And Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports on Ontario's cuts to enforcement against temp agencies which systematically violate employment standards and health and safety laws.

- Finally, Ed Finn challenges the Libs' spin that it's worth making governments complicit in corporate crime and corruption in the name of temporarily clinging to jobs which can be eliminated on a whim. And Don Martin highlights how the burgeoning lobbying industry can only be explained by the perception that access to power is the path to sustained wealth.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Tim Wu writes that the U.S.' political system is serving to allow a privileged few to ignore the policy preferences and interests of the vast majority of citizens:

About 75 percent of Americans favor higher taxes for the ultrawealthy. The idea of a federal law that would guarantee paid maternity leave attracts 67 percent support. Eighty-three percent favor strong net neutrality rules for broadband, and more than 60 percent want stronger privacy laws. Seventy-one percent think we should be able to buy drugs imported from Canada, and 92 percent want Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices. The list goes on.

The defining political fact of our time is not polarization. It’s the inability of even large bipartisan majorities to get what they want on issues like these. Call it the oppression of the supermajority. Ignoring what most of the country wants — as much as demagogy and political divisiveness — is what is making the public so angry.
...
In our era, it is primarily Congress that prevents popular laws from being passed or getting serious consideration. (Holding an occasional hearing does not count as “doing something.”) Entire categories of public policy options are effectively off-limits because of the combined influence of industry groups and donor interests. There is no principled defense of this state of affairs — and indeed, no one attempts to offer such a justification. Instead, legislative stagnation is cynically defended by those who benefit from it with an unconvincing invocation of the rigors of our system of checks and balances.
...
As the United States begins the process of choosing the next president and Congress, we need to talk more openly about which candidates are most likely to deliver the economic policies that the supermajority wants. Yes, the people can be wrong about things, but so too can experts, embedded industry groups and divisive political factions. It is not a concession to populism, but rather a respect for democracy, to suggest that two-thirds of the population should usually get what they ask for.

- Meanwhile, Jen Gerson discusses how the SNC Lavalin scandal shows the corruption underlying far too much of Canadian politics. Andrew Coyne comments on the Libs' attempt to exercise political control while insisting Jody Wilson-Raybould was free to decide - as long as she did so in favour of their donors and political allies. And Craig Scott highlights the dangers of normalizing political interference in prosecutorial discretion as the Libs are now trying to do.

- David Climenhaga points out how the Libs' attempt to change the channel with an announcement on prescription drugs fell short of an actual pharmacare program. And indeed, Kelly Grant notes that the distraction tactic didn't include any meaningful details.

- Damian Carrington points out new research showing the wide reach of the unintended spread of microplastics. And Tiffany Lizee reports on the role fracking is playing in causing earthquakes in Alberta.

- Finally, John Cassidy discusses how the principles behind the Green New Deal can be met with technology that's already readily available - as long as petropolitics don't stand in the way.

New column day

Here, on how RBC's survey about continued parental funding for adult children demonstrates the need for improved social supports to assist young adults who lack the same family resources.

For further reading...
-  George Lakoff set out the distinction between "strict father" and "nurturant parent" worldviews in the context of the rise of Donald Trump. And he discussed the "eighteen and out" portion of the strict father model in his interview with Hayward Alker here (PDF).
- Responding to the RBC survey, Laura Hensley points out how family supports are a two-way street, with many parents also requiring assistance from working-age children.
- Finally, while the column doesn't get into policy prescriptions as to how income supports might be set up, I'll note that the amount of parental support normal among parents in RBC's survey (a median amount of just under $6,000 per year for younger adults and $4,000 for those in their thirties) would fit into a modest basic income model.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Yves Engler writes that the Libs' SNC-Lavalin scandal represents a fully expected consequence of a foreign policy based on acquiescing in corruption:

...Trudeau went to bat for SNC after the firm had either been found guilty or was alleged to have greased palms in Libya, Bangladesh, Algeria, India, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, Angola, Nigeria, Mozambique, Ghana, Malawi, Uganda, Cambodia and Zambia (as well as Québec). A 2013 CBC/Globe & Mail investigation of a small Oakville, Ontario-based division of SNC uncovered suspicious payments to government officials in connection with 13 international development projects. In each case between five and 10 per cent of costs were recorded as “‘project consultancy cost,’ sometimes ‘project commercial cost,’ but [the] real fact is the intention is [a] bribe,” a former SNC engineer, Mohammad Ismail, told the CBC.

While the media has covered the company’s corruption and lobbying for a deferred prosecution agreement, they have barely mentioned SNC’s global importance or influence over Canadian foreign policy. Canada’s preeminent “disaster capitalist” corporation, SNC has worked on projects in most countries around the world. From constructing Canada’s Embassy in Haiti to Chinese nuclear centres, to military camps in Afghanistan and pharmaceutical factories in Belgium, the sun never sets on SNC.
...
SNC has been one of the largest corporate recipients of Canadian “aid.” The company has had entire departments dedicated to applying for Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), UN and World Bank funded projects. SNC’s first international contract, in 1963 in India, was financed by Canadian aid and led to further work in that country. In the late 1960s the firm was hired to manage CIDA offices in African countries where Canada had no diplomatic representation. In the late 1980s CIDA contracted SNC to produce a feasibility study for the Three Gorges Dam, which displaced more than a million Chinese. During the occupation of Afghanistan CIDA contracted SNC to carry out its $50 million “signature project” to repair the Dahla dam on the Arghandab River in Kandahar province ($10 million was spent on private security for the dam).
...
Even SNC’s use of bribery has a made-in-Ottawa tint. For years Canada lagged behind the rest of the G7 countries in criminalizing foreign bribery. For example, into the early 1990s, Canadian companies were at liberty to deduct bribes paid to foreign officials from their taxes, affording them an “advantage over the Americans”, according to Bernard Lamarre former head of Lavalin (now SNC Lavalin). In 1991, Bernard, the older brother to SNC Lavalin’s subsequent head Jacques Lamarre, told Maclean’s that he always demanded a receipt when paying international bribes. “I make sure we get a signed invoice,” he said. “And payment is always in the form of a cheque, not cash, so we can claim it on our income tax!”
...
As the recent scandal demonstrates — and the Financial Post noted years ago — SNC has “considerable lobbying power in Ottawa.” Placing its CEO among the 50 “Top People Influencing Canadian Foreign Policy”, Embassy magazine described SNC as “one of the country’s most active companies internationally”, which “works closely with the government.” The now-defunct weekly concluded, “whoever is heading it is a major player” in shaping Canadian foreign policy.

And, as it turns out, in shaping the way things are now done at home in Ottawa.

- Brett Christophers points out the UK's massive selloff of public land, while recognizing that the result is the loss not only of common wealth but also of uses tied to public stewardship.

- Vaughn Palmer comments on the finding of a B.C. scientific panel that the province has failed to collect even basic information about the risks posed by an environmentally-destructive and poorly-regulated fracking industry. And Robyn Allan points out why whoever wins power in Alberta's provincial election needs to come to grips with the fact that the tar sands are a declining economic sector.

- Don Pittis writes about the prospect that small communities can serve as centres for technological development in order to avoid the further congestion of urban areas.

- Finally, Corey Robin discusses the need for a challenge to neoliberalism in the economic discipline to address philosophical issues as well as policy choices.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Café cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Paul Wells weighs in on the far-too-long-delayed exposure of Justin Trudeau's fundamental phoniness - particularly when it came to his promise that Canada had seen its last first-past-the-post election:

The operating assumption seems to be that we’re simply supposed to read between the lines—that we’ll understand that when Trudeau speaks he is not to be taken seriously.

Why would he? In June 2016, I asked Trudeau whether he had a preference in the electoral-reform debate he had promised in the previous year’s election, and whether his preference would influence the outcome. It was the sort of question you ask even when you know the answer. Everyone knew Trudeau wanted preferential ballots, which would favour large parties like his.

He swore that wasn’t so. “I’m really open to listening to Canadians. And actually, I have moved in my thinking toward a greater degree of openness toward what Canadians actually want.” So while Liberals would prefer ranked ballots, “Canadians might not agree. And I think this is an important conversation to have, where we do have to respect Canadians.”

Months later, he told the Toronto Star editorial board that he wasn’t about to throw in the towel. “Canadians elect governments to do hard things, and don’t expect us to throw up our hands when things are a little difficult,” he said. “ ‘Oh, it’s more difficult than we thought it could be and therefore we’re just going to give up.’ No, I’m sorry, that’s not the way I was raised, that’s not the way I’m going to move forward on a broad range of issues, regardless of how difficult they may seem at a given point.”

Eight weeks later, he abandoned electoral reform because the emerging consensus was for the reform option he didn’t like, proportional representation. I don’t even know what you do with a guy who acts like that. Eventually he took to wearing his abandonment of a key platform plank as a badge of honour. He wasn’t going to endanger Canadian democracy by keeping an election promise. Not all heroes wear capes.

- Meanwhile, Catharine Tunney reports on the Libs' new party line that corporations are "entitled" to a legal system which relieves them of being prosecuted for bribery and corruption. And Murray Mandryk contrasts the principle shown by the two former federal cabinet ministers who have stepped down against the choice of the Saskatchewan Party's one-time reformers to cover up their party's scandals.

- John Michael McGrath writes that Doug Ford has added municipalities to the list of bodies who are expected to avoid any planning or decision-making since their actions in the public interest might interfere with the PC's governing agenda. And David Climenhaga writes about Jason Kenney's attempt to sell trickle-down snake oil to Alberta.

- Sarah Anderson discusses the push from some U.S. Democrats for a financial transactions tax to ensure that high-frequency traders can't extract wealth from the broader economy.

- Finally, Matt Bruenig charts the distribution of wealth inequality by race in the U.S. And PressProgress points out that nominal economic growth in Canada hasn't led to any improvement in wages or the distribution of income.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Katrina vanden Heuvel discusses the importance of pushing toward universal child care in order to relieve avoidable stress on families.

- Allison Jones reports that the Ford PCs are only making matters worse by ordering school boards not to hire to fill developing vacancies due to imminent provincial funding restrictions. And Emma Graney reports on the Jason Kenney UCP's similar message that increasing student populations and costs will be met with funding freezes if he gets the chance to impose austerity on Alberta's education system.

- Meanwhile, Kelly Crowe discovers what experts have to say about Ford's arbitrary health reorganization.

- Gil McGowan points out that the UCP's plan to bet on oil booms and corporate giveaways is even more foolish than the similar choices which have busted in the past.

- Finally, Lynn Parramore writes about the connection between economic inequality and opioid-related deaths even when social supports are available.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Ed Finn writes that the Trudeau PMO's interference on behalf of SNC-Lavalin confirms Canada's plutocratic rule under Libs and Cons alike. And Carole Cadwalladr and Duncan Campbell report on Facebook's use of promised jobs to bribe its way out of the regulations which are supposed to protect citizens from corporate abuse.

- The Star's editorial board implores the Libs not to settle for a watered-down version of national pharmacare out of subservience to big pharma.

- The Edmonton Journal highlights the progress Alberta has made in reducing child poverty by half since the NDP first formed government.

- Meanwhile, Alex Soloducha reports on Saskatchewan's grossly inadequate social supports which make it impossible for people living in poverty to find housing. And Derek Cornet points out the continued scourge of hunger in the province.

- Gregory Beatty offers a reminder of the culture lost as a result of the Saskatchewan Party's elimination of the film industry - particularly as Netflix invests across Canada other than in Saskatchewan.

- Finally, Lana Payne discusses the Scheer Conservatives' choice to embrace racism out of political convenience.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Crawford Kilian reviews Richard Johnston's Canadian Party System: An Analytic History, and in the process points out how a sensible federal political system would include the NDP as one of the primary options to form government. And Jamie Maxwell discusses how Jagmeet Singh's by-election victory in Burnaby South may offer a preview of a progressive populist message which has a strong prospect of resonating nationally.

- Alanna Smith reports on Jason Kenney's determination to shovel free money toward his corporate masters through wholly gratuitous tax cuts. And AUPE examines what Kenney's combination of stagnant funding and determination to privatize services would do to the health of Albertans.

- Meanwhile, Kirsten Bernas comments on the federal money being left on the table by Manitoba's PCs who can't be bothered to negotiate an agreement to combat poverty and homelessness.

- Bryan Bicknell reports on the lives saved by the opening of a supervised consumption site in London, ON. And Chelsea Laskowski reports on AIDS Saskatoon's leadership in opening the province's first safe injection site, while Heather Polischuk notes that Regina is once again far behind the curve.

- Finally, Jennifer Scarlott discusses the importance of building an environmental movement which amplifies historical victims of environmental discrimination.

Friday Evening Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Kate Aronoff highlights the lack of realism on the part of "adult" politicians demanding that the existential threat of climate breakdown be met with a grossly insufficient response. And Anders Fremstad and Mark Paul write about the dangers of an ideology of climate inaction:

Climate wonks regularly warn that “business as usual” cannot avert climate change. But, while that is true, the phrase itself betrays a neoliberal obsession with making “business” fit for purpose – a tweak here, a nudge there – as if citizens were merely passive subjects of larger economic forces. We all have an active role to play in shaping the economy. But to do so requires that we first shake off the constraints that neoliberal thinking has placed on the public imagination.
...
The policies that have resulted from this mindset – defunding or otherwise curtailing public investment, deregulating the economy, and decentralizing democracy – have prevented the US from weaning itself off fossil fuels. Policymakers from both parties have refused to advocate, or even countenance, public investments in carbon-free alternative energy sources and infrastructure.

The belief that government can only ever impede economic dynamism represents a sharp departure from the Keynesian worldview that dominated policymaking from the 1940s to the 1960s. Policies based on the belief that government spending on public goods complements the private sector, rather than crowding it out, helped the US achieve unprecedented growth in the postwar era.

In a Keynesian economic regime, government interventions are regarded as necessary to solve coordination problems, which is precisely what climate change is. Sadly, a brief revival of Keynesian thinking after the 2008 financial crisis was quickly stifled by the politics of austerity across the West, foreclosing efforts to reduce GHG emissions through large public investments in transportation, green public housing, and research and development.

- Ben Parfitt rightly questions how subsidies for increased fossil fuel extraction can possibly be reconciled with a viable climate policy. Sarah Lawriniuk discusses the impact suburban sprawl is having in exacerbating carbon pollution. And Nicole Mortillaro reports on the progress some countries have made in actually reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

- Paul Adams laments the current single-issue hive mind in Canada's political media, particularly in contrast to the wide coverage once expected from any newspaper.

- But lest anybody think that this week's common focus hasn't given rise to some worthwhile commentary, Murray Mandryk argues that we should seek more political leaders willing to tell difficult truths. And Hayden King theorizes that Jody Wilson-Raybould's revelation of the rot in Canadian colonial politics could help lay the groundwork for something better.

- Finally, Luke Savage makes the case to abolish the extreme concentration of wealth in order to ensure that everybody is able to meaningfully participate in political decision-making.

Musical interlude

Foals - Exits

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Chantal Hebert, Andrew Coyne and Paul Wells all weigh in on yesterday's revelations by Jody Wilson-Raybould about the Trudeau PMO's protection racket on behalf of SNC-Lavalin. And Andrew Nikiforuk examines the track record of corruption both from SNC-Lavalin in particular, and within the P3 sector generally.

- Nikiforuk also calls out the continued flaws in the National Energy Board's "reconsideration" of Trans Mountain (required due to another example of the law being broken in the name of corporate interests). And Norm Farrell examines British Columbia's resource selloff which is seeing the resource sector extract more while contributing less in royalties.

- Meanwhile, PressProgress exposes the latest in astroturfing, being a lobby group trying to advocate for credit card fees and bank fees.

- Mike Crawley reports on Doug Ford's move to shutter an agency intended to give citizens a fighting chance in challenging developers on zoning decisions.

- And finally, Fred Imbert reports on Warren Buffett's continued call for a tax system which ensures that he and his billionaire ilk pay a fair share.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Kitchen cats.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- David Roberts sets out the big picture surrounding the Green New Deal, as essentially nobody other than the activists supporting it has made any effort to deal with the reality of impending climate breakdown:

(T)hat’s the context here: a world tipping over into catastrophe, a political system under siege by reactionary plutocrats, a rare wave of well-organized grassroots enthusiasm, and a guiding document that does nothing but articulate goals that any climate-informed progressive ought to share.

Given all that, for those who acknowledge the importance of decarbonizing the economy and recognize how cosmically difficult it is going to be, maybe nitpicking and scolding isn’t the way to go. Maybe the moment calls for a constructive and additive spirit.

The GND remains a statement of aspirations. All the concrete work of policymaking lies ahead. There will be room for carbon prices and R&D spending and performance standards and housing density and all the rest of the vast menu of options for reducing emissions. None of those policy debates have been preempted or silenced. 

And yes, there are any number of ways it could go off the rails, politically or substantively. Everyone is free, nay, encouraged to use their critical judgment. 

But the circumstances we find ourselves in are extraordinary and desperate. Above all, they call upon all of us to put aside our egos and our personal brands and strive for solidarity, to build the biggest and most powerful social force possible behind the only kind of rapid transition that can hope to inspire other countries and forestall the worst of climate change.

- Meanwhile, Ban Ki-moon highlights why the UK needs to stop subsidizing the extraction and burning of fossil fuels in developing countries.

- Adam Johnson calls out the lack of any scrutiny of an obvious scheme by the same people who have pushed wars and humanitarian atrocities on the U.S.' behalf for three decades to continue that pattern in Venezuela. And Kevin Tillman argues against yet another illegal U.S. invasion.

- Steve May comments on the willingness of Andrew Scheer and the Cons to join forces with avowed racists. labour

- Finally, Derek Thompson writes about the obsession with "workism" that pushes workers to accept perpetually deteriorating job conditions and lives based on the social expectation they'll see work as its own reward.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Jay Shambaugh, Ryan Nunn and Stacy Anderson write about the lasting effects of racial and regional inequality.

- Samuel Stein discusses the lessons activists can take from New York's successful pushback against Amazon's demands for billions in public giveaways. And Joseph Stiglitz writes about the available means to ensure that multinational corporations pay their fair share.

- Von Mattias Punz points out Portugal's success after rejecting austerity in favour of social development. And Ian Hussey takes note of Alberta's increase in service-sector employment after it boosted its minimum wage (contrary to the spin of the corporate lobby).

- Finally, Christo Aivalis discusses the continued importance of unions, including their role in building democracy both in workplaces and in general:

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Matthew Desmond writes about the large number of economic and social benefits from paying workers a living wage. And Stephanie Akin reports on the significance of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez walking the talk when it comes to her own staff.

- Andrew MacLeod discusses the losses the B.C. Liberals inflicted on the province's Crown corporations - and the sad reality that reporting at the time was largely ignored by the corporate media.

- Paul Willcocks highlights the absurdity of the complaints about land speculation taxes by wealthy property owners whining they have more homes and shell corporations than they can be bothered to track in the midst of a housing crisis.

- Andrew Coyne writes about the Libs' quibbling over descriptors as it becomes increasingly clear that the Trudeau PMO put the thumb on the scale to assist SNC-Lavalin in trying to escape prosecution. And Anne Kingston comments on the significance of corporate bullies and their Lib enablers refusing to take "no" for an answer.

- Meanwhile, Caroline Criado Perez points out how safety testing based on the average male creates a world that's extremely dangerous for women.

- Finally, Doug Cuthand weighs in on the rise of right-wing violence and extremism in Canada - including the role of conservative politicians in stoking their flames.

Musical interlude

PVRIS - Smoke

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Jemima Kelly highlights the massive amounts of revenue lost to tax evasion and tax avoidance in the EU - while pointing out the importance of recognizing the larger scale of the former. And PIPSC makes the case for e-commerce titans to pay their fair share in taxes while profiting from their Canadian customer base.

- Brian Merchant examines how tech giants are automating expanded fossil fuel production, exacerbating both the climate crisis and the exodus of resource-sector employment. And George Monbiot discusses how to boost the efforts of the young activists leading the way toward long-delayed action to avert a climate breakdown.

- Bob Bell warns of the most recent push toward privatizing and corporatizing health care in Canada. Sherri Brown calls out the Ford PCs' callous treatment of children with autism in Ontario. Keith Gerein points out how Jason Kenney's plans to undermine public health care in Alberta are based on obviously false assumptions. But David Climenhaga wonders whether voters will be mollified enough by a meaningless headline phrase to let Kenney wreak havoc.

- David Armstrong exposes Purdue Pharma's deceptive marketing of OxyContin.

- Finally, PressProgress takes a look at the threats and broken promises underlying the United We Roll protest. And Nora Loreto warns of the dangers of a xenophobic group which has managed to unite right-wing politicians even if it looks to have been an utter flop within the general public.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Shawn Gude comments on the choice Democratic primary voters will have between candidates seeking to regulate the economic system as it stands, and those pushing to fundamentally changing it. Ian Welsh points out the importance of supporting candidates such as Bernie Sanders with a genuine commitment to the more progressive policies on offer from many corners.

- John Horgan discusses the backlash against the extreme concentration of wealth amidst increased precarity in the U.S., while Ben Casselman and Jim Tankersley report on new polling again showing strong support for higher tax rates on the extremely wealthy. And Jordan Weissmann highlights how Elizabeth Warren's child care plan would boost both the economy generally, and the cause of shared and equitable development in particular.

- Larry Elliott reports on a new study showing how austerity has devastated families in the UK. And James Sillars notes that the result is a country set to reach record levels of child poverty even before it shoots itself in the foot through an attempt to distance itself from the world.

- Mat Hope exposes the disinformation campaigns used jointly by big tobacco and the oil lobby to attack any action to promote public health where it might affect short-term profits. And the Canadian Press reports on the CRTC's findings of misleading and aggressive sales tactics by the telecoms who are already overcharging Canadian customers.

- Finally, the CP also reports on new research showing that Canadian governments need to do far more to try to reduce the harm resulting from alcohol abuse - rather than promoting that harm through deregulation and downward pressure on prices as so many right-wing governments have chosen to do in the name of populist appeal.

New column day

Here, on how the choice of Scott Moe and other right-wing leaders to ally themselves with white supremacists and nativists (as seen most recently through yellow vest and United We Roll events) is as politically flawed as it is morally objectionable.

For further reading...
- Adam Hunter reported on Moe's initial willingness to have his cabinet members connected to yellow vest events. And Stephanie Taylor reported on his involvement in later events linked to the convoy which arrived in Ottawa this week.
- Samantha Beattie has examined the ensuing convoy in general, while Evan Balgord has focused in on David Selvers in particular. And Hamdi Issawi reported on the recognition of some involved that they were tied into unacceptable bigotry.
- As for what happened as United We Roll arrived in Ottawa, Issawi reported on the weak turnout and disproportionate number of right-wing politicians eager to be associated with a tiny and extreme group.
- Meanwhile, Zi-Ann Lum reported on Conservative Senator David Tkachuk's violent rhetoric. And Tamara Khandaker questioned Andrew Scheer's willingness to be linked to Faith Goldy among other hatemongers.
- And finally, Andy Toy looked into the funding which went to an organizer rather than to participants in the convoy.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Eugene Robinson writes about the need to respond to climate breakdown with ambition rather than undue hesitation. Martin Wolf rightly points out that pricing alone won't get us anywhere close to reducing carbon emissions to a sustainable level in time to avert catastrophe. And Simon Wren-Lewis argues that to the extent the cost of averting environmental catastrophe can't be funded through immediate tax revenue, it's worth dealing with through public debt.

- Daniel Aldana Cohen points out the role a massive investment in housing can play in securing both climate progress and social health. And Amy Lubik and Warren Bell make the case for a forceful move toward eliminating poverty.

- Jason Walls reports on New Zealand's plans to ensure that digital giants pay their fair share of taxes. But Elizabeth Thompson reports that the Libs instead can't be bothered even to examine their role in distorting electoral outcomes before Canadians next go to the polls.

- Nick Taylor-Vaisey highlights some of the actors complicit in SNC Lavalin's evasion of legal consequences for bribery and corruption, while Andrew Roman takes a closer look at the Libs' conflation of political decision-making and prosecutorial discretion. And Giuseppe Valiante reports on the stayed prosecution against one of the executives at the centre of its dealings in Libya.

- Finally, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions releases new poll data showing strong public support for a universal pharmacare plan.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Tucked-in cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Matt Bruenig offers up a set of proposals to help American families toward economic security. And Andrew Jackson has some suggestions to boost Canada's middle class:

(T)op-line statistics suggest that ordinary middle-class households are seeing little or no increase in their incomes even as many, especially young people, sink deeper into debt. This helps explain the rise of the populist right which has targeted (largely imaginary) tax increases as the problem, and proposes tax cuts as the solution.
...

What the Liberals have not done is improve public programs to significantly alleviate the cost burden on households through “in kind” benefits. A key example is Quebec’s child care program, which, according to a recent report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, costs parents of an infant in Montreal just $175 a month, compared with $1,685 a month in Toronto. Yet the federal government has only very modestly increased its support for provincial child care programs based on the Quebec model.

The Liberals seem set to reject a “big bang” national pharmacare plan which would widen access to needed drugs for the uninsured, remove the need for private insurance, and lower the cost of current employer plans for employers and workers. Instead, they seems to favour a drug benefit narrowly targeted to the working poor.

When it comes to the acute shortage of affordable housing in our big cities, the best single option is to invest in high-quality, mixed income, social and co-operative housing which increases non-market supply. Yet the real estate industry lobbying to allow new buyers to go even deeper into debt seems to be gathering steam as the answer to “affordability.” The new national housing policy is not very ambitious and is just getting off the ground.

The stagnation of middle-class living standards seems set to frame the pre-election political debate over issues of affordability. Progressives should be arguing that bold public programs to meet basic needs outside of the market are needed to targeted income supplements, and certainly far preferable to tax cuts, which would inevitably mean cuts to the services we already have.

- Meanwhile, Andrew Mitrovica discusses how Justin Trudeau has fallen prey to hubris even more quickly and blatantly than his Lib predecessors. But Paul Adams warns that it will be especially difficult for a limited media presence to meaningfully challenge leaders' spin in the course of Canada's impending election campaign.

- Dennis Gruending has some questions about the "convoy" propagandizing for unfettered oil development and against minorities.

- Finally, Bob Weber reports on the combination of inconsistent analysis and convenient omissions accepted in lieu of any meaningful environmental assessment of tar sands developments.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Dion Rabouin examines the U.S.' unprecedented level of inequality and wealth concentration. And Orsetta Causa, Anna Vindics and James Browne highlight how worsening inequality around the globe has been the result of avoidable policy choices.

- But David Dayen writes that Amazon's failed attempt to extract billions of dollars as the price of setting up a headquarters in New York represents needed pushback against corporate handouts. And Jamie Merchant is optimistic that communities elsewhere will follow the precedent:

The absurdities of the Amazon deal, which enraged New Yorkers and motivated them to fight back, are globalized absurdities present in every factory, every office, every farm, and every export-processing-zone across the planet in which people are treated like cattle, offered by their governments to Amazon and other world-striding corporations as a cheap resource to be exploited. This outward looking, supranational view is already implicit in New York’s anti-Amazon movement, which, much to the company’s displeasure, broadened its perspective to encompass Amazon’s general attitude toward unionization, corporate welfare, and immigration policy. In other words, the movement’s was a holistic critique: rejecting Amazon’s values for a wholly different idea of the kind of world we want. 

Labor rights, tax justice, and the free movement of people are issues that go far beyond not just Queens, but also beyond U.S. national borders, potentially linking together communities who are struggling for the same goals in similar conditions across the world. By tying the local fight against Amazon to bigger structural problems, the Queens activists opened a window onto a transnational, anti-corporate politics in which laborers everywhere recognize their shared stake in a common fight against the corporate domination and crushing inequality of the present order.

- Susan weighs in on Jason Kenney's attack on people of "modest human capital" and the standard of living they can apparently expect - while noting the irony that Kenney himself is lacking in what his party claims should justify a higher minimum wage.

- Finally, Megan Mayhew Bergman questions why so much money is being spent purchasing and developing property which will be underwater if climate change continues on its present course. Will Bunch comments on the folly of pouring public resources into fracking which destabilizes land while polluting our planet. Christof Ruhl writes that the reduced use of plastic only adds to the foreseeable economic trends which are making oil development generally into a sucker's bet. And John Funk notes that even conservative voters in the U.S. strongly support investing in renewable energy rather than fossil fuels.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Marshall Shepherd writes that the U.S. is facing a true national emergency in the form of climate breakdown. And Michelle Goldberg theorizes that the unlikely election and presidency of Donald Trump may open the door to a transformative response, including the possibility of the Green New Deal.

- Ed Finn argues that pharmacare should be a key issue in this year's federal election - though even before Justin Trudeau's decision to give in to big pharma, Finn would have been right to note the dangers of relying on a Lib promise to help people at the expense of corporate profits.

- Duncan McCue offers a reminder that Canada has long been a laggard in fighting corporate corruption.

- The CP reports on the Saskatchewan NDP's call to fight child hunger and poverty. Scott Moe of course couldn't be less interested when there are oil barons to be shilled for.

- Finally, Tabatha Southey comments on the Ford PCs' callous disregard for families with children with autism - both in their policy choices designed to leave children without the treatment they need, and their threats and attacks on anybody who dares point out that reality.

Saturday Afternoon Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Suresh Naidu, Dani Rodrik and Gabrien Zucman write about the developing movement toward an economic discipline which recognizes the importance of human well-being, rather than being bound by neoliberal ideology and an assumption that GDP is the only end to be pursued.

- PressProgress examines the stranglehold on public policy enjoyed and exploited by a few major Canadian corporations. And Lana Payne discusses the problem with the concentration of wealth and power.

- Alex Paterson laments the Trudeau Libs' decision to add one more piece to a patchwork of prescription drug coverage rather than developing a national pharmacare program.

- Meanwhile, Theresa Boyle reports on the latest study showing that billions of dollars are wasted on unnecessary lab tests. And Bob Bell points out how Doug Ford appears set to hand increased profits to home care operators with no regard for the well-being of residents. 

- Finally, George Monbiot offers due credit to the young people now leading the way in building a mass movement toward action on climate change. But Jonathan Freedland argues that our reaction to the activism being led by high school students should be one of shame rather than admiration alone.

Musical interlude

The 1975 - Love It If We Made It

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- The Courage Coalition makes the case for Canada to pursue a Green New Deal of its own. And Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood points out the intergenerational harm of leaving climate breakdown to continue unabated, while Alastair Sharp reports on a new paper as to the problem with oil companies rewarding executives for unsustainable fossil fuel dependence.

- Meanwhile, James MacLean sees the Saskatchewan Party's just-concluded carbon tax reference as a prime example of the problems with trying to use posturing in court as a substitute for reasonable policy-making.

- Laura Stampler reports that in the midst of its attempt to turn a new corporate headquarters into a reality TV show, Amazon is paying precisely zero in U.S. federal taxes. And Bryce Covert argues that other cities should follow New York's lead in rejecting corporate giveaways at the expense of the common good.

- But sadly, Tom Parkin writes that the Libs' willingness to sell out the rule of law for the benefit of SNC-Lavalin shows Canada is far from the mark. And Andrew Coyne comments on how Lib backbenchers used their committee votes to prevent any meaningful investigation.

- Finally, Hillary Hoffower and Andy Kiersz report on the yawning gap between the U.S.' minimum wage and the cost of housing. And PressProgress documents how Jason Kenney plans to make it even more difficult for Alberta workers to make a living, while Ariel Fournier reports on the particularly pernicious effects of artificially low minimum wages for young workers.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Chris Jackson presents a new Ipsos survey showing that the majority of American workers face stress issues at work. And Arthur White-Crumley reports on a spate of injuries at Evraz' Regina steel mill.

- Rob Ferguson reports on Doug Ford's attempt to ram through major health care restructuring (including a focus on privatization) without allowing the public a chance to fight back. And Elianna Lev talks to Danyaal Raza about the predictable harm from privatizing health care services.

- Meanwhile, Sherri Brown weighs in on Ford's appalling decision to limit per-child funding for autism based on the expectation that nobody deserves more of a chance than will fit into an arbitrary spending cap.

- Naomi Klein discusses the battle lines between advocates for a Green New Deal, and defenders of polluting the planet for the sake of further enriching present-day fossil fuel investors. And Marc Lee examines the future of carbon pricing in Canada.

- Finally, Craig Scott highlights how "trust us" is nowhere close to a sufficient response from Justin Trudeau as his government covers up its attempts to protect SNC-Lavalin from prosecution. And Adam Hunter reports on Ryan Meili's push for a review of Saskatchewan's dealings with SNC-Lavalin.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Patricia Cohen and Maggie Astor discuss what they perceive as the boldness of the emerging debate about taxing the wealthiest in the U.S. But John Nichols points out that even the most "radical" progressive tax plans under discussion would only restore the principles that applied through some of the country's most prosperous eras.

- Jonathan Watts reports on a new study from the Institute for Public Policy Research on the systemic environmental and economic threats posed by a climate breakdown, while Roger Harrabin emphasizes the multiple crises we're facing. And Damian Carrington takes note of the impending collapse of insect populations in particular. 

- Owen Jones highlights the need for UK Labour (among other progressive parties) to lead the charge in fighting to protect our planet from those clear and present threats. And Avi Lewis makes the case for a Canadian equivalent of the Green New Deal.

- Sharon Riley reports on the rapidly-increasing bills being foisted on the public as the Alberta oil sector abandons its responsibilities. And Justin Mikulka notes that the recent rail accident in Field, B.C. resulted from many of the same factors as the Lac-Mégantic explosion - signalling how much work still needs to be done to address threats that we know all too well. But Dawn Wolfe points out the lengths corporatist parties are going to in preventing the public interest from being considered by pointing out how Michigan Republicans have given corporate polluters a veto over any environmental regulations. 

- Finally, Anita Huberman and Hassan Yussuff offer a reminder as to how families and small businesses stand to gain from universal pharmacare. But Kelly Crowe reports on big pharma's lobbying efforts to ensure Canadians keep paying exorbitant prices out of pocket.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Toyland cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Keith Stewart writes about the determination of the oil industry to push people to vote for environmental destruction. But as an alternative, Ann Pettifor highlights the important economic and environmental progress on offer through the Green New Deal:

The Green New Deal demands major structural (governmental and inter-governmental) changes (not just behavioural change) in our approach to the ecosystem. In addition, and as in the 1930s, such change to be driven by radical structural transformation of the finance sector, and the economy. It was developed on the understanding that finance, the economy and the ecosystem are all tightly bound together. Protecting and restoring the ecosystem to balance cannot be tackled effectively without transformation of the other sectors. Financing the transformation of the economy away from its dependence on fossil fuels cannot be achieved without a transformation of the finance sector.
...
Its ambition is on a much grander scale than Roosevelt’s 1930s New Deal. (Recall that his administration also faced an ecological catastrophe: the dust bowl). The climate threats we face are on a scale beyond the imagination of New Dealers. Still we must learn from Roosevelt’s administration. To tackle climate change we need simultaneously to tackle the root cause of growing toxic emissions: a self-regulating, globalised financial system that injects exponential supplies of unregulated credit into the hands of speculators and consumers. Credit that is used in turn to inflate the prices of existing assets, and to fuel consumption of the earth’s finite assets extracted via the energy of fossil fuels. Only once we switch off, regulate and moderate the “tap” of “easy money” will it be possible to regulate and “switch off” the toxic emissions of fossil fuels.

- Rebecca Burns comments on the U.S.' much-needed conversation about ensuring the rich pay their fair share. And Jonathan Chait chimes in on the failure of corporate tax slashing to provide any economic benefit.

- Meanwhile, Paul Krugman offers a reminder of the perpetual double standard on deficits and debt - which are always treated as acceptable as long as they're caused by tax cuts for the wealthy. And Robert Reich notes that Donald Trump is happy to bail out the rich while insisting that everybody else fend for themselves.

- Finally, Andrew Coyne points out the Libs' conspicuous refused to directly answer the accumulating issues with their free pass for corporate corruption. And Alex Boutilier and Alex Ballingall report on the tens of millions of dollars in federal contracts being handed out to SNC Lavalin.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Luke Savage comments on the need for progressive leaders to stand up to the interests of the uber-wealthy, rather than promising them that nothing will be done which could possible improve the position of the public. And Eric Levitz offers a reminder that the right-wing version is blowing up in the face of politicians who turned populist anger into an opportunity to tilt the balance of power even further in favour of the rich. 

- Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie offer a reminder of the dangerous effects of plastics which accumulate in bodies and ecosystems alike - including in ways most people wouldn't suspect.

- Andre Bear highlights the importance of addressing the combination of overt historical bigotry and ongoing discrimination which both places barriers in the way of Indigenous peoples, and stands in the way of nation-to-nation reconciliation. And Doug Cuthand points out the continued lack of action to address the welfare of Indigenous children.

- Meanwhile, Shenaz Kermalli calls out the Cons' politics of fear (particularly to the extent it's converted into violence) as the most important threat to Canada. And Kathleen McAuliffe examines the role of disgust as a predictor of political leanings.

- Finally, Andrew Coyne weighs in on the Libs' use of government power to hand SNC Lavalin a get-out-of-prosecution-free card.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Paul Krugman duly mocks Donald Trump's attempt to turn any discussion of social investment into a threat of "socialism":

Some progressive U.S. politicians now describe themselves as socialists, and a significant number of voters, including a majority of voters under 30, say they approve of socialism. But neither the politicians nor the voters are clamoring for government seizure of the means of production. Instead, they’ve taken on board conservative rhetoric that describes anything that tempers the excesses of a market economy as socialism, and in effect said, “Well, in that case I’m a socialist.”

What Americans who support “socialism” actually want is what the rest of the world calls social democracy: A market economy, but with extreme hardship limited by a strong social safety net and extreme inequality limited by progressive taxation. They want us to look like Denmark or Norway, not Venezuela.

And in case you haven’t been there, the Nordic countries are not, in fact, hellholes. They have somewhat lower G.D.P. per capita than we do, but that’s largely because they take more vacations. Compared with America, they have higher life expectancy, much less poverty and significantly higher overall life satisfaction. Oh, and they have high levels of entrepreneurship — because people are more willing to take the risk of starting a business when they know that they won’t lose their health care or plunge into abject poverty if they fail.

- Meanwhile, Aamna Mohdin reports on new research showing that nearly a million more young adults in the UK are living with their parents due to an economy which has kept wages stagnant while driving prices and debt upward.

- PressProgress points out the problems with the Libs' infrastructure bank which prioritizes corporate profits over the delivery and accessibility of needed services.

- Murray Mandryk discusses how Scott Moe is feeding into anti-immigrant bigotry by putting pipeline development above all else. And Sharon Kelly writes that the Keystone pipeline - one of the Saskatchewan Party's previous hobby horses - is once again spilling oil while failing to live up to promised environmental standards.

- Finally, Felicity Lawrence writes that our current food system is affecting both our health, and that of our planet.