Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Philip Ritchie writes about new research into natural receptors which may help limit infection by COVID-19 and other viruses, while Alice Klein reports on the development of an inhaled powder which could line the respiratory tract to provide an additional layer of protection. But Spencer Kimball's report on Pfizer's windfall profits (racked up as it inflates the cost of vaccines and treatments) serves as a warning as to why the means of protecting public health can't be put into corporate hands.  

- Meanwhile, David Moscrop weighs in on Loblaws' profiteering as it falsely blames others for inflated prices while bringing in obscene profits. 

- Robert Reich points out that the current corporate stranglehold on public policy is the result of the working class losing sight of the importance of class politics during the Keynesian consensus. And Canadians for Tax Fairness examines how corporations exploited that dynamic to turn massive COVID subsidies  into cash cows while public anger was selectively directed at individuals receiving money to survive. 

- Linda McQuaig discusses how private foundations serve to further the power and shelter the assets of the wealthy few while actual charities struggle to stay afloat. And Angella MacEwen offers a warning that the "employee ownership trust" system mentioned in yesterday's post is designed primarily to funnel money to departing capitalists rather than to give workers any meaningful benefit. 

- Finally, Umair Irfan reports on new research showing that even a relatively modest transition to electric vehicles can lead to substantial improvements in respiratory health. 

Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Ryan Tumilty reports on research showing how many Canadian lives may have been saved by COVID protection measures - making for a rather grim bit of information as the previous protections have been almost entirely eliminated in the midst of another wave. And Alison Braley-Rattai makes the case to add COVID to the list of designated diseases for childhood vaccinations in schools. 

- Emily Gruenwoldt points out that children's access to medical care is even more likely to be delayed than that of adults, signaling the need for better children's health planning. CBC News reports on the practical effect of a shortage of pediatric medicine - if not so much on its obvious cause. And the Canadian Press reports on the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table's warning that primary health care providers aren't set up to deal with the ongoing stress from the pandemic, while Andre Picard writes that Canada's health care system generally needs to be substantially improved. 

- Fares Alghoul reports on new research from Canadians for Tax Fairness showing that Canada's corporate giants dodged over $30 billion in taxes last year. And Ian Hussey examines how the oil and gas industry has long since stopped pretending to deliver jobs or general prosperity in exchange for the massive subsidies and preferential treatment it demands from governments. 

- Alyssa Battistoni reviews Aaron Benanav’s Automation and the Future of Work and Sarah Jaffe’s Work Won’t Love You Back as important discussions of the growing gap between the types of job people want and those actually on offer. 

- Finally, Anand Giridharidas examines how Russia's online operations in the U.S. have been aimed at eliminating the possibility of meaningful conversations and persuasion - and how a shift toward constructive politics demands pushing back. 

#Elxn44 Roundup

The latest from Canada's federal election campaign.

- Bruce Campbell discusses the connection between the climate crisis and wealth inequality - along with the miserable failure of Lib and Con governments in responding to both. And Canadians for Tax Fairness offers a fact sheet on closing tax loopholes. 

- Erica Lentl interviews Jagmeet Singh about the NDP's plans on LGBTQ2S+ issues, including in seeking to improve on the Libs' version of a conversion therapy ban. And Max Fawcett discusses how climate change is just one of the areas where the O'Toole Cons want to drag Canada backwards, while Randy Boswell points out O'Toole's laughable attempts to distance himself from the regressive positions he trumpeted to win and hold the Cons' leadership.   

- PressProgress points out Lib candidate Douglas Kobayashi's history of opposing not only minimum wage increases, but the existence of minimum wages at all. And Ashley Burke reports on Justin Trudeau's willingness to endorse Raj Saini despite multiple serious allegations of sexual harassment. 

- Meanwhile, 350 Canada offers its first set of endorsements for climate champions on the ballot - including Regina-Lewvan NDP candidate Tria Donaldson. 

- Finally, Andrew Coyne writes that Justin Trudeau has turned the presence of protesters into a claim of victimhood without addressing the problems with his campaign generally. And Don Martin discusses how the Libs' efforts to make the campaign all about Trudeau have backfired due to voters' increased skepticism. 

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Aaron D'Andrea reports on Dr. Theresa Tam's recognition that most of Canada is now firmly trapped in a fourth wave of COVID. Alexander Quon reports on research confirming that the people avoiding vaccines are also the least likely to take other protective measures. Robyn Urback discusses how vaccine mandates may actually offer relief for people currently on the fence. And Christine Gibson asks what Alberta plans to do about the lasting effects of a disease which creates long-term problems for its victims. 

- The Broadbent Institute highlights how Canadians are dealing with substantial anxiety over affordability and economic stability as a federal election looms.

- Robert Hiltz writes about both the need for the election to include serious talk about climate change - and the risk that we'll end up falling for empty rhetoric rather than electing MPs who will actually insist on action. Fiona Harvey and Giles Tremlett report on the IPCC's research showing that greenhouse gas emissions need to peak globally within four years - and be halved over the next decade - in order to avoid climate breakdown. Adam Tooze points out that the U.S.' push for more oil production makes it difficult to take seriously in claiming to want to do its part. And Norm Farrell notes that the result of massive natural gas subsidies in British Columbia has been increased production but reduced public revenue at a time when any fossil fuel development is mostly spun as a matter of gathering resources to fund a transition. 

- Meanwhile, David Moscrop reminds us that the wealthiest few are planning to spend their way into isolated bunkers to avoid the damage they're doing to the environment the rest of us rely on. And Ainsley Harris writes about Katie Porter's success in both calling out those who exploit everybody else to accumulate wealth and power, and development means to improve the lives of people who can't pay for lobbyists to torque the government apparatus in their favour.

- Canadians for Tax Fairness offers its approval to the NDP's plans to ensure that wealthy people pay more of their fair share. 

- Finally, Hiltz also comments on Canada's history of undermining both any meaningful definition of genocide, and any substantial effort to measure our treatment of Indigenous people against it. 

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Dirk Richter and Lucy Foulkes point out how any mental health concerns arising out of public health rules would pale in comparison to the anxiety and bereavement resulting from the choice to allow a deadly disease to run rampant. 

- The Economist highlights how unvaccinated people are facing increasing risks as COVID-19 mutates and spreads. And Jeremy Samuel Faust, Katie Dickerson Mayes and Céline Gounder make the point that the coronavirus itself represents a far greater threat to young people than the vaccines which could protect them.  

- Morgan Modjeski reports on the Moe government's disregard for the health and safety of people who live and work in provincial correctional facilities. 

- Ben Spurr reports on the work of Canadians for Tax Fairness showing how ride-sharing providers may be avoiding the payment of $135 million in taxes every year (in addition to evading employment protections) by misclassifying their workers. 

- Trent McDonald discusses the benefits of sectoral bargaining to ensure workers aren't at the mercy of a single employer in pushing for improvements in wages and working conditions. 

- Finally, Paul Burrows writes that we should be far less concerned with defaced statues than with the humanity of the activists looking to bring awareness to the suffering they've faced at the hands of the people depicted.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Both Apoorva Mandavilli and Sara Mojtehedzadeh highlight how a failure to ensure air quality in workplaces to limit aerosol transmission has been one of the main causes of COVID-19 spread within communities. And Noah Smith rightly recognizes that one of the lessons we should draw from the pandemic is to use masks to prevent the spread of infectious diseases generally, while Gabriel Favreau draws on a principle of looking out for our neighbours as an important reason to work together in fighting the coronavirus.

- Meanwhile, Ziyad Al-Aly, Yan Xie and Benjamin Bowe study the risks after a person's initial exposure to COVID - including a substantial increased risk of death for at least six months even for people who never require hospitalization for their initial symptoms. 

- Shree Paradkar calls out the Libs' appalling choice to prioritize intellectual property monopolies (over vaccines developed through public funding) over any attempt to ensure vaccination is possible for any but the wealthiest countries. And the Canadian Press reports on the doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine sitting unused in freezers rather than being deployed either in Canada or elsewhere. 

- Canadians for Tax Fairness documents how Canada's largest companies profited off of tax breaks and public supports through the pandemic. And David Sirota points out how the corporate lobbyists demanding that governments slash social programs and drive down wages and working conditions for workers generally enjoy lives of luxury themselves.

- Finally, David Moscrop makes the case for a publicly owned and operated bus line to replace (and indeed expand on) the transportation service lost as Greyhound and other private providers have abandoned the field.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Eric Andrew-Gee reports on the likelihood that Canada's current COVID casualty numbers are a significant underestimate. Sabrina Jones highlights how health professionals are begging for a serious response to the new dangers posed by COVID-19's third wave, while Crawford Kilian comments on the particular problems with the P-1 variant which has been unleashed in British Columbia and Alberta. And Kyle Anderson discusses why we can't pretend personal responsibility is a substitute for effective public health policy:

- Meanwhile, Adrian Di Stefano and Drew Silverthorn call out the City of Toronto for taking away the shelters of people in tent camps without providing any support to enable them to stay sheltered and healthy.

- PressProgress reports on Doug Ford's order that Ontario school divisions spend insufficient education funding on advertising denying his government's austerity.

- Lisa McKenzie writes that our current state of precarity and inequality is the result of class divides which cut across generations. And Canadians for Tax Fairness points out some of the work being done to ensure more fair taxation on a global basis.

- Finally, Jim Stanford discusses the importance of reining in the raw power of corporations through progressive tax systems and stronger unions, rather than hoping that people presented with a mandate to pursue unchecked wealth and power will use it for anybody's benefit but their own.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Andrew Nikiforuk writes about the even greater urgency to get to COVID zero as more dangerous strains of the virus spread in Canada. And Adam Miller reports on growing recommendations that we wear more effective masks, including while outdoors. 

-Truc Nguyen reports on some of the ways to deal with the anxiety arising out of the pandemic, while Natalie Grover reports on research showing that the coronavirus itself leads to mental illness and brain disorders. And James Wilt points out the public health implications of people drinking more in the course of the pandemic.

- Sarah Jaffe discusses the problem of burnout generally - including by recognizing that it's an inevitable outcome of economic and social systems designed to impose as many costs as possible on individuals for the benefit of businesses. Meghan Bell calls out the attempt by Bell (and so many politicians) to turn mental health into a single-day distraction while standing in the way of the support people need at all times. And Ray Fisman and Michael Luca point out how the effort to squeeze concessions out of workers - rather than providing a stable and secure livelihood - is ultimately a damaging one for employers.

- But in case anybody thought there was hope for consensus on a change in course, Tom Scocca writes that the Trump years have offered an appalling test of how much suffering the U.S. is prepared to inflict on people. And Mindy Isser discusses the need to ensure that organizing efforts include people who have been willing to support the likes of Donald Trump.

- Finally, Nana Ama Sarfo makes the case to end Canada's current status as a haven to hide the beneficial ownership of corporations. And Canadians for Tax Fairness argues that we shouldn't let Pfizer use COVID-19 as an excuse to claim yet another round of tax concessions and corporate giveaways.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- David Macdonald examines (PDF) the continued pay gap which sees CEOs rake in more money the morning of the first day of work than their employees will earn all year. Canadians for Tax Fairness highlights how that signals the need to eliminate tax policy choices which contribute to the concentration and polarization of wealth. And Larry Elliott reports on the Institute for Fiscal Studies' call for steps to rein in the additional inequality resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, while Paul Taylor argues that we should be focusing more on reducing inequality generally.

- Brendan Haley highlights how we need a green industrial policy alongside a higher carbon price to ensure a just transition to a clean economy which doesn't leave current workers behind. And Stanley Reed discusses how large-scale wind turbines represent a clean and affordable alternative to fossil fuels in generating the energy we need. 

- Meanwhile, Janet Silver writes that plans to put off emission reductions for another three decades may result in irreversible damage to Canada's northern region. And Sara Connors reports on a plan for an eleven-figure railroad from Fort McMurray to Alaska as yet another attempt to lock us into costly and dirty fossil fuel infrastructure before a transition can take place.

- Finally, Paul Krugman notes (even in advance of yesterday's anti-democratic insurrection) that the Republican party has gone feral. But Charles Pierce points out how much of what's happened in the past few years has been in the works since the Reagan era, and reflects more a cause than a consequence of Donald Trump's tenure in the presidency.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- David Macdonald notes that the federal government's investments in the wake of COVID-19 have been necessary to keep intolerable burdens off of people who haven't been able to bear them. Scotiabank weighs in (PDF) on the reality that the costs of inaction would be far worse than those of supporting people through a public health crisis. And Heather Scoffield writes about the folly of obsessing over deficits and debt when we enjoy extremely low interest rates, while facing an urgent need to rebuild from the coronavirus pandemic:

(D)espite all the billions that have been spent on income support, wage subsidies, commercial rent and vulnerable people, the federal government can afford for now to keep borrowing if it chooses.

That’s a relief because even though the emergency part of the pandemic economy seems to have passed, we are still very far from anything resembling a recovery. Governments at all levels are under intense pressure to spend more in the name of that eventual recovery — on everything from help for hard-hit sectors for the economy to COVID-proof child care to job-creation schemes that would alleviate unemployment.

Plus, the last thing any government would want to do right now is to pull back on supportive spending because financial markets and investors believe we can’t handle the debt load. There’s a consensus around the world that a premature retrenchment would do more harm than good, nipping a fragile recovery in the bud. Since the public debt carrying charges on extra debt are so low, Canada doesn’t have to be too concerned about that.

- Dana Goldstein writes about the looming disaster if schools aren't provided with sufficient resources to reopen safely in the fall, while Amy Greer, Nisha Thampi and Ashleigh Tuite discuss how that can be done. Chandra Pasma discusses how to establish a safe post-secondary education sector in the wake of COVID-19. And Kerry Clare writes about the need for fathers to join the push for policies which ensure women don't bear the brunt of insufficient supports.

- Canadians for Tax Fairness highlights the need for a more fair tax system in light of Cameco's avoidance of a multi-billion-dollar contribution to our country by moving uranium through a Swiss subsidiary.

- Alec Connon discusses how the financial sector lies behind racial disparities and the climate crisis. And Amanda Marcotte points out that the same conspiracy theory underlying climate change denial has been repurposed to attack any public response to COVID-19.

- Finally, Dan Darrah and Ben Elvin write that now is the time for labour militancy to ensure that grocery workers (and other people working to provide our essentials of life) receive a living wage and fair benefits.

Friday Evening Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- George Monbiot writes that the UK Cons are using their own botched Brexit as an excuse to set up a disaster capitalist's paradise.

- Canadians for Tax Fairness discusses how the Libs' inclination to attach draconian penalties to their pandemic income benefit signals the gap in treatment between the wealthy and the rest of us. And the Tax Justice Network takes note of the modest progress that's been made in so much as registering the beneficial ownership of wealth.

- Kim Siever discusses two of the most important problems in relying on billionaires' charity rather than taxes to fund social priorities.

- Alex Bozikovic wonders why Toronto is refusing to take a golden opportunity to build more affordable housing. And Jolson Lim discusses the risk of a wave of homelessness if the protections set up as COVID-19 first spread are allowed to expire.

- Finally, Meagan Day discusses the connection between ending mass incarceration and strengthening the labour movement. Ratna Omidvar and Leslie Seidle offer their take as to the changes needed to support migrant workers, while Kathleen Harris reports on the employer abuse and risk of disease which represent the status quo. And Allison Hurst examines the diminished wages and working conditions for long-term care workers in British Columbia.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Sheila Block highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified the profits accruing to the wealthy few while putting added pressure on everybody else. Chris Brooks notes that the corporate push for "reopening" is occurring with full knowledge that it represents a sacrifice of workers' lives. And Guy Ryder writes about the need for a new and better normal when it comes to protecting workers.

- Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports on the failure of Ontario's Ministry of Labour to uphold a single complaint about work safety in the face of COVID-19. And Richard Florida points out that workers have largely been left to themselves to demand change in the system designed to treat them as expendable.

- Meanwhile, Jason Koebler reports on Tim Bray's resignation from Amazon over its firing and smearing of workers trying to ensure the safety of themselves and their colleagues.

- Canadians for Tax Fairness notes that in addition to endangering the lives of employees and then using racial prejudice to blame them for a COVID-19 outbreak, Cargill's billionaire owners have a well-documented history of using tax havens to avoid contributing to the public good. 

- Finally, Lucas Edmonds discusses Brian Pallister's disaster capitalism as he uses a crisis to try to further undermine Manitoba's already-precarious public services. And Colin Mcaullife and Jason Ganz respond to Marc Andreesson by calling out the political barriers to building a better world:

(T)he question remains: why has the US refused to use public resources for the benefit of the public? The answer is again a matter of political power. The ruling class has made the conscious choice that every aspect of life should be a site for profit extraction, and that the public sector exists primarily to create and maintain the conditions that allow extraction to occur. While some refer to this as “unfettered capitalism”, the truth is that capitalism is itself a system of fetters that are placed on society to allow private property owners to accumulate money by taking it from the productive parts of the economy.

This is why we have ostensible social insurance programs that are designed to humiliate people who are struggling and force them to jump through hoops or else be denied their benefit. The government lacks the infrastructure to send checks to individuals, but it possesses the infrastructure to shore up the finances of banks and large corporations at the snap of a finger. State capacity exists in abundance, but it is deployed for the benefit of a small number of private property owners, not for society as a whole. The idea that this state of affairs represents a lack of desire on the part of ordinary people and not an immoral and unjustified set of priorities on the part of the small number of people in the country who are capable of setting policy is manifestly untrue.

...

Acknowledging the role of public investment in innovation leads to two important conclusions. The first is that we should do a lot more of it, perhaps by as much as 3-4% of GDP per year. Contrary to narratives about public spending “crowding out” private investments, there is good reason to believe that public R&D actually “crowds in” private R&D. One paper estimated that a 10% increase in public R&D spending would induce an additional 4.3% in private R&D spending. A large expansion in public R&D would also create millions of jobs, and not just for those who are highly educated. Research facilities can sustain vibrant communities with opportunities available to people from all walks of life.  

The second conclusion is that once we recognize that innovation in modern economies requires that we socialize much of the associated costs and risks, then we also must ensure that the benefits that come from projects that are ultimately successful are broadly shared. This should be accomplished both in financial terms, by using a portion of the profits generated by successful projects on social spending, as well as in nonfinancial terms, by prioritizing development of technology with high societal value.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Andrew Jackson calls out the Cons for their platform of taking from the many to further enrich the most privileged few. David Macdonald studies what the unspecified cuts promised by the Cons could mean in terms of losses to public services. And Mike Moffatt points out the absurdity of obsessing over nominal deficits - rather than value for public investment - as the sole measure of fiscal responsibility.

- Meanwhile, Canadians for Tax Fairness offers (PDF) a report card for voters looking at tax fairness as a key issue. And Toby Sanger looks in detail at the parties' plans for taxing digital giants.

- Meghan Bell joins the ranks of wealthy people who recognize the need to pay more taxes to support a functional society, while Jon McPhedran Waitzer, Claire Trottier, David Gray-Donald, Daniel Hoyer, Bronwyn Oatley and Sylvie Trottier propose to pay more to address the climate crisis in particular. Henry Aaron makes the case for an inheritance tax to reduce inequality both within and across generations. And Alex Williams writes about the bizarre motivations behind the accumulation of extreme wealth.

- Anne Gaviola laments the lack of discussion of housing as a major election issue - though of course it's not for lack of ambition and commitment in the NDP's platform.

- Finally, Amara Posslan argues that Canadian voters need to take collective action toward meaningful change rather than settling for a mediocre "strategic" option. Toula Drimolis hopes that the current campaign will be a first step toward being able to vote generally for what we believe in, rather than against what we're told to fear. Farzana Hassan writes that it's past time for our government to reflect the voters responsible for electing it. And Gloria Galloway weighs in on the unfairness of facing another first-past-the-post election after we'd been promised better.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Ernest Canning writes about the importance of treating corporatism as a specific and extreme position, rather than allowing it to define the political centre. And Norm McKee rightly argues that Canada's federal election campaign needs to include a focus on ensuring the rich pay their fair share - though he inexplicably fails to mention the NDP's plan to do just that.

- Christopher Leonard reports on Koch Industries' alarming track record of worker injuries and deaths at Georgia Pacific as it has sought to wring ever more production out of fewer and fewer exhausted employees - and the Koch brothers' determination to keep extracting immediate and unsustainable profits at the expense of workers.

- Julie Lalonde discusses the importance of working on improving our health care system to ensure Canadians receive the care we need, rather than merely being satisfied with it being less costly and dysfunctional than the U.S.'. And Eric Topal highlights the role organizing within the medical profession can play in pushing for policies which improve social health.

- The Rocky Mountain Outlook writes that the UCP's reckless combination of immediate corporate slashing and calculated uncertainty for all public services is only making life worse for Alberta's most vulnerable residents. And Tahirih Foroozan and Sarah Rieger examine Jason Kenney's choice to leave libraries in particular with doubts about their ability to operate.

- Finally, Brian Feldman observes that the apparent death of the headphone jack represents another worrisome step toward technology being proprietary rather than connected.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.

- Steven Greenhouse discusses how the U.S.' economy is rigged against workers. And Eric Levitz writes that Donald Trump's giveaway to the rich worked only as a scam against the rest of the country.

- Matthew Townsend and Scott Lanman point out that minimum wage increases - both through legislation and through public pressure on large employers - have resulted in some meaningful improvement in retail worker pay. But Sask Mojtehedzadeh reports on the continued delay in any federal report on precarious work in Canada.

- Ryan Cooper writes that Democrats are beginning to recognize the dangers of pursuing trade agreements designed to enrich businesses at the expense of the public - though sadly we can't say the same for Justin Trudeau and his corporate Libs.

- Canadians for Tax Fairness presents (PDF) a set of proposals for Canada's leaders and voters to discuss as the federal election approaches:

We have proposals in four different areas, with details provided below.

A. Ensure corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share by closing regressive tax loopholes and making taxes more progressive
B. Tackle international tax evasion, avoidance and tax havens
C. Improve corporate transparency
D. Combat climate change and support sustainable development

The fair tax plan...could generate over $40 billion annually in additional revenues for the federal government (as well as additional revenues for provincial governments where they would benefit from a broader federal tax base with fewer loopholes).

These additional revenues could, for example, easily fund:

• Affordable child care for all plan, with a $1 billion investment in 2020 and an additional $1 billion each year for ten years to 2030.
• A national universal pharmacare for all plan, estimated to cost $10 billion more than what federal and provincial governments now pay, providing average savings of $600 per household.
• Free university and college tuition for all Canadians. Total tuition fees amount to about $9 billion (including foreign students, net costs would be lower without the tuition tax credit).
• Elements of a “green new deal”, such as energy retrofitting of buildings and 40%of Canada’s homes, reducing homeowner energy use and bills by an average of 30% each, and improving the efficiency of other buildings by 50% at an estimated cost of $6 billion annually(and generating over 80,000 jobs annually).

- The Beaverton offers this year's definitive response to the Fraser Institute's ludicrous spin on public revenue.

- Finally, Tom Scocca discusses the violence which has resulted from the U.S.' acceptance of the spread of racism and bigotry. And Jonathan Montpetit calls out Francois Legault for endorsing attacks against minorities.

Monday Evening Links

Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.

- John Paul Tasker reports on the final report of the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. And Kenyon Wallace highlights the need for meaningful federal action in response - though if the Libs are deviating at all from their usual all-talk-no-action stance, it's by trying to avoid even the plain wording of the report.  

- Emma McIntosh and Mike De Souza report on the reality that the reclamation of the environmental destruction wrought by Alberta's oil sector could take thousands of years. But Nafeez Ahmed warns that if we don't stop the damage to our planet from carbon pollution, human civilization as we know it may not last more than a few decades.

- Meanwhile, Geoff Dembicki points out how the Green New Deal concept which holds out the promise of just transition to clean and sustainable energy sources has built on the work behind the Leap Manifesto. And Elise Stolte theorizes that the regular spread of wildfires and blankets of smoke should jolt Alberta to recognize the need to join in the effort.

- Canadians for Tax Fairness highlights the unfairness of the Canada Revenue Agency striking secret deals with systematic tax evaders while directing its enforcement activities toward people who don't have money to stash offshore.

- Finally, Matthew Klein observes that the best way to reduce crime - and particularly recidivism - is to invest in legitimate social supports for people who would otherwise lack legal means to provide for themselves.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Ahmed Sati offers some important - if belated - recognition of the need to fight against exclusionary bigotry. Jessica Davis focuses on the particular urgency in addressing right-wing terrorism. Thomas Woodley comments on the importance of having our political leaders do their job in repudiating Islamophobia - though Scott Moe for one plainly isn't up to the task. And Branko Marcetic argues that we can defeat hatred with strong public resistance.

- Rebecca Solnit points out why white supremacists' hostility toward anybody other than themselves results in contempt for our planet as well as for most of its inhabitants.

- But there's reason for optimism that nihilism isn't winning out even in the U.S., Robinson Meyer reports on a jump in public concern about climate change along with political steps to combat it. And Warren Bell notes that a younger generation is responding to ongoing delays by pushing for more responsible decisions than we've seen to date. 

- Meanwhile, Leigh Thomas also reports on broad support across OECD countries for increased taxes on the wealthy. Canadians for Tax Fairness offers its list of loopholes which should be closed in the federal budget. And Amy Bemeikis reports on a widespread call for Australia to focus on improving wages as it approaches a general election.

- Finally, Micah Uetrecht discusses how today's precarious job market can be traced back to a historical strategy to diminish the value of women's work. And Katherine Scott offers some suggestions as to what could be included in the federal budget to start closing the persistent gender gap - including child care and progressive tax reform as crucial elements.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Eugene Lang takes note of the connection between rising populist anger and stagnant or falling wages for far too many people. And Chloe Rockarts writes about Jason Kenney's plans to make matters even worse in Alberta by declaring war on workers.

- Both Drew Kann and Stephen Leahy discuss new research showing how our window to meaningfully avoid extreme climate breakdown is closing - and how we need to mobilize all the resources we can to preserve a habitable planet. Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood discusses the final report from Canada's Just Transition Task Force which recognizes the need for a shift toward cleaner energy with support for the workers currently relying on unsustainable employment.

- Canadians for Tax Fairness offer a modest set of budget priorities which would result in increased revenue and reduced inequality.

- PressProgress highlights the Canadian Federation of Nurses' Unions' case study in corporate influence outweighing the public interest, as the Libs are allowing pharmaceutical giants to dictate the terms of any prescription drug policy.

- Finally, Don Pittis writes about the growing movement to enforce anti-trust law against tech monopolists. Ole Hendrickson offers some suggestions to counter the corporate capture of public institutions - including by setting up inclusive and transparent decision-making structures to reduce the effect of back-room lobbying.  And Laurie Macfarlane reminds us that we're already in a planned economy - meaning that our most important decision is whether to allow the wealthy to be the only ones with authority to make the plans which determine our collective future.

New column day

Here, on how Canada is falling further behind the rest of the world on ensuring corporate transparency and recovering income stashed offshore.

For further reading...
- Transparency International's most recent report on beneficial ownership is here.
- Zach Dubinsky reported on both the UK's move toward transparency in its offshore territories, and Canada's complete lack of progress on the same issue at home. And lest anybody think the government hasn't been pressed on the issue, see the submissions of Canadians for Tax Fairness to the Finance Committee as discussed here.
- Dubinsky has also contrasted the hundreds of millions of dollars recovered by other countries in the wake of the Panama Papers against the lack of any definite numbers from the CRA.
- Finally, the study by Annette Alstadsæter, Niels Johannesen and Gabriel Zucman on the amount of money stashed offshore by the .01% is summarized here. And CTF's latest Canadian numbers based on traceable assets can be found here.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Canadians for Tax Fairness discusses the appallingly small tax contributions made by Canada's largest companies, the vast majority of whom have foreign subsidiaries to avoid paying their fair share.

- Meanwhile, Robert de Vries and Aaron Reeves point out the unfortunate reality that far too many people are prepared to overlook how the wealthy manipulate our tax systems while holding people living in poverty to a spotless ethical standard.

- Martin Regg Cohn writes about the Ontario Libs' purely political choice to hand free money to businesses as the price of increasing the province's minimum wage.

- And Sara Mojtehedazeh reports on the Wynne Libs' decision to open the door to massive loopholes to allow employers to impose unpredictable scheduling on workers.

- Josh Gordon discusses the need for a property surtax in British Columbia to ensure both a modicum of tax fairness, and sufficient funding to provide public services.

- Finally, Tim Quigley asks whether Saskatchewan voters can reasonably trust a Wall government which has repeatedly broken its promises on Crown corporations - and rights argues that if not, then an immediate repeal of Bill 40 is in order to protect our Crowns.