Monday Morning Links

 Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- David MacDonald examines how millions of Canadians could suffer from being pushed off of the CERB onto EI - both in lost or reduced supports, or more onerous requirements to receive any relief. Kathleen Harris reports on the continuing lack of sufficient programs for people with disabilities. And Zak Vescera and Alex MacPherson follow up on the Moe government's choice to turn federal emergency benefits into a provincial cash cow, including by requiring existing benefit recipients to apply separately both for the CERB for renewed provincial programs.

- The Globe and Mail's editorial board offers some suggestions to ensure the second wave of the coronavirus isn't as catastrophic as the first, while also warning against a complacent, wait-and-see approach to readily-foreseeable spikes in case numbers.

- Jasmine Ramze Rezaee, Carolyn Ferns, Abigail Doris and Janet Davis discuss the need for universal child care in Canada.

- The Star's editorial board makes the case for improving and expanding our public health care system, rather than limiting ourselves to defensive efforts to preserve what we have now. And Bob Hepburn calls out the greed behind the cynical effort to turn Charter rights into a cash cow for would-be corporate health providers.

- Finally, Andrew Leach traces the tens of billions of dollars Alberta has poured into the Sturgeon refinery - including through a familiar pattern of claiming to be transferring risk to the private sector while actually putting public money up at every turn to build a project which will produce corporate profit. Carl Meyer reports on the growing sense that the Trans-Mountain pipeline will likewise prove to be a money pit - making it all the more obvious that we'd be better off investing in clean energy now, rather than putting sustainable development on hold pending some future expectation of profit. And Mark Frauenfelder reports on BP's conclusion that half the identified oil reserves in the world will never be extracted.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Jennifer Robson examines the lessons we should learn from EI's failures which required a less-onerous and more-widely-available income support system to bail Canadian workers out through the coronavirus pandemic.

- Michael Harris surveys some of the actions of governments - including that of the Trudeau Libs - which are using COVID-19 as an excuse to infringe on people's rights. And Erin Knight wonders why the necessary transition toward social distancing and remote work and education hasn't been met with efforts to ensure people have access to reliable and affordable Internet access.

- Zak Vescera reports on SEIU-West's warning that Scott Moe is trumpeting a COVID-19 testing target which can't be met by current laboratory staffing levels. And Laura Sciarpelletti reports on the Saskatchewan NDP's call for assurances that school divisions won't suffer cuts to already-insufficient funding if students are forced into online learning, while Adam Hunter discusses the clunky application process the Saskatchewan Party has set up to theoretically make both provincial and federal education funding available.

- Samantha Beattie discusses how Canada stands to be devastated far more by the climate breakdown we're in the process of locking into place than by the immediate threat of COVID-19. And Emily Holden reports on a needed push by Senate Democrats to rein in the power of the fossil fuel industry in the U.S.

- Finally, Lorian Hardcastle and Ubaka Ogbogu offer a warning about the dangers of the Kenney UCP's plans to privatize and corporatize health care in Alberta.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Kim Siever writes about the consistent choice of right-wing governments to use anti-tax rhetoric to goose corporate profits at the expense of the public. Jeff Rubin rightly questions why Canada's tax system is set up to favour passive and inherited wealth over productive labour. And Kate Aronoff suggests banning yachts as one of the more glaring examples of gratuitous wealth accumulation and resource destruction.

- Leah Stokes highlights how California's extreme weather (and resulting infrastructure failures) are just a taste of what the future will look like if we don't wean ourselves off of fossil fuels. And David Uhlmann offers a reminder that climate change is still among the most important ballot issues in the U.S.

- Susan Wright discusses the justified lack of trust Albertans have in the Kenney government to make even minimal investments in public health and education - and the difficulty that creates in trying to set up a safe return to school. Dan Levin reports on the inconsistent reporting of community spread and outbreaks in U.S. schools. And Marc Smith's report on Saskatchewan's criteria for declaring a COVID-19 patient to be "recovered" raises a host of questions about the province's handling of "long-haulers".

- Meanwhile, the Harvard Gazette reports on new research showing how children can be silent spreaders of COVID-19 - making it essential to minimize the danger of mass spreading events in overcrowded and underresourced classrooms. And Jason DeParle makes the case for a family allowance to reduce the harm the coronavirus may do to a generation of children.

- Joanna Chiu notes that many Canadians are looking to more worker-friendly policies from Europe as means of managing the added strain of COVID-19. But Abha Battarai discusses how after a few months of recognition, grocery workers are now being treated as little more than cannon fodder. And Duncan Stuart writes that the continued rise of precarious work puts everybody at risk.

- Finally, Chris Hall interviews Jagmeet Singh about the NDP's expectations if the Libs expect any support in a fall throne speech - with investments in child care and a strengthened social safety net ranking as the top priorities. And Alex Ballingall writes that Singh is following in the NDP's proud tradition of trying to negotiate benefits for people out of a reluctant and self-interested Liberal government.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- As the Libs continue to stall on announcing a promised transition from an expiring CERB to a revised employment insurance system, David Macdonald details who stands to lose out if EI simply operates as it has in the past.

- Leslie Young reports on Theresa Tam's warning that COVID-19 may overwhelm Canada's health care system this fall if we're not careful. And Ruth Robillard makes the case for more protections in schools to limit its spread.

- Meanwhile, Stephanie Levitz reports on one positive initiative to ensure that surplus food which would otherwise have gone to waste will instead find its way to people who need it.

- CBC News reports on the growing movement in support of Tristan Durocher and the Walking With our Angels camp. And Michael Bramadat-Willcock's report includes Durocher's apt comparison between Saskatchewan's suicide crisis and a wildfire being allowed to burn when it could be controlled. 

- Finally, Paris Marx discusses the futility of hearkening back to earlier stages of capitalism rather than working on building a more equitable and democratic alternative.

Thursday Evening Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- David Macdonald discusses the opportunity to transition from the temporary CERB to a permanently-improved income support system for Canadians - along with the danger that people relying on modest relief now will be left to drown if the old EI rules are applied. Tammy Schirle and Mikal Skuterud note that contrary to the usual anti-social spin, there's no evidence at all that the availability of an improved safety net has led to less searching for work. And Kate Hayman and Jesse McLaren comment on the need for paid sick leave to ensure workers can keep their families and workplaces healthy.

- Lori Johb rightly argues that Saskatchewan can and should aim higher than to value austerity over investment in care for people. And Michael Pina points out the movement for group economics which has received some unexpected attention thanks to the uniform choices of three NBA players.

- Meanwhile, Adam Saifer points out how the coronavirus has highlighted the insufficiency of charity to deal with collective needs.

- Luke Savage notes that COVID-19 has exposed the cruelty underlying the U.S. economy. And Brett Christopher discusses how the UK's handing of a massive PPE contract to an entirely unqualified political friend of the government reflects the rise of rentier capitalism.

- Finally, Justin Mikulka notes that the much-vaunted Bakken fracking boom has busted, while operators haven't bothered to clean up their mess.

Tuesday Evening Links

This and that for your Tuesday evening.

- Crawford Kilian examines the UN's advice on how to keep school safe from COVID-19, while the Saskatchewan Medical Association and Saskatchewan College of Family Physicians (PDF) both urge the Saskatchewan Party start paying attention to what's needed to keep people safe. And The New York Times' editorial board points out that even the U.S. could get control of the coronavirus by this fall if there was any competence or caring to be found among its decision-makers.

- The Star's editorial board writes that COVID-19 has highlighted the need for an income support system which goes far beyond EI as it stands.

- The Canadian Press reports on the death of Canadian James Hill as a result of the uncontrolled spread of COVID while in ICE custody. And lest anybody think Canada's immigration system is wanting for cruelty, Doug Schmidt reports on the threat of kidnapping and deportation used to prevent a migrant farm worker in Ontario from reporting employer abuse.

- Joseph Stiglitz offers a reminder as to why GDP fails to measure the well-being and sustainability which should be the focus of our public policy choices.

- Finally, PressProgress points out the Saskatchewan Party's outright bragging about relying on massive corporate donations to drown out other voices. And Geoff Leo catches them promising that donations will be personally reviewed to allow donors to get into Scott Moe's good graces.

On temporary measures

It should never be a surprise to see the Libs talking about big progressive plans - particularly in the context of a mooted election - while making no effort to follow through on them. But it's worth noting how it's the Libs who have chosen to avoid making any plans lasting more than a couple of months - with the result of creating uncertainty for the people who need it most.

Faced with an income support system which was woefully inadequate (both in covering far too few people and in being too clunky to process a rush of applications), the Libs eventually got around to implementing the CERB, providing a source of income for the people who needed it most. But they've refused to maintain it for a period of more than a couple of months at a time - meaning that people without alternative income lined up have never been far from an impending cliff.

At the beginning, it might have been justifiable to set the CERB up for speed, and worry later about what came next. But as the time frame for the pandemic has extended to a period of years, any responsible government should be expected to ensure that workers have a new normal other than constantly staring down the barrel of impending doom.

And it's not as if the Libs would have to look far for models of policies designed to last the duration of the pandemic. The Libs' current plan is to make a wage subsidy available to businesses until at least the end of 2020. And for a Saskatchewan example, the Moe government's suspension of pay in lieu of notice is set to last for the period of the public health emergency, plus another two weeks.

It would take little effort to tell Canadians that the CERB will be available for a similar time period (subject to transitioning to a different income format if that proves appropriate). But when it comes to individual income supports, Trudeau has preferred to keep people who have lost their income from knowing they'll have support for more than a month or two at a time.

For the moment, that means people have to count on some unspecified EI reform being developed and implemented by the end of August. And if that weren't bad enough on its own, the fact that the Libs are relying on a system built to limit the availability of benefits offers a worrisome signal that what gets developed next will keep people dangling at the edge of the abyss.

In sum, while Trudeau's insiders may be trying to burnish his progressive credentials, their choice to leave Canadians in as precarious a position as possible says far more than the political message they've laundered through the press. And the fact the Libs can't even commit to a sound safety net for a full season offers every reason to doubt their longer-term commitment to basic personal security and income equality.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- John Metta discusses how low-income workers have been barely treading water for decades even before the coronavirus collapse. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives points out how we can take the failure of EI during the pandemic as a signal that we need to build far stronger income replacements for the future. And Roberta Bell reports on how the pandemic - and the resulting strain on already-threadbare support systems - has exacerbated Regina's existing addictions crisis.

- Avery Zingel talks to Michael Miltenberger about the dangers of the choice of both the Kenney UCP and the Trudeau Libs to suspend water quality monitoring. And Ben Parfitt points out how governments will need to step in to remediate the environmental damage the natural gas industry has inflicted on Fort Nelson, BC.

- Linda McQuaig discusses how decades of giveaways to big oil have left Alberta poorer. Andrew Leach weighs in on the folly of the UCP's War Room. Bryan Carney digs into the public money spent by Alberta - and the dubious tactics used - in its propaganda blitz seeking federal approval for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. And Wallis Snowdon reports on the municipalities facing massive property tax hikes to paper over the handouts the UCP has gifted to the fossil fuel sector. 

- Finally, even the Globe and Mail's editorial board is recognizing the need to start talking about increasing public revenues as part of Canada's path toward recovery - while the Libs continue to insist nothing of the sort is under consideration. And Bill Campbell notes that both the potential to raise income from the uber-wealthy and the ability to carry debt represent important reasons not to obsess over temporary deficits at the expense of rebuilding.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Murray Mandryk writes that any responsible government has to be willing to prepare for renewed restrictions on activity if the spread of COVID-19 requires it - though sadly, Scott Moe is falling short of that standard while reiterating his determination to prioritize profit over people.

- Matt Bruenig offers a framework for unemployment benefits which offers plenty of food for thought about how Canada's EI can be improved to cover far more people with fewer arbitrary restrictions and limitations.

- Blanca Mugyenyi highlights how preposterous it is for Canada to be pushing ahead with a $19 billion fighter jet purchase while laying the groundwork to cut off benefits to people in the face of a pandemic.

- Jim Pickard, Daniel Thomas and Gill Plimmer discuss how the Libs' infrastructure bank is serving as an embarrassing model for the UK Cons' scheme to privatize infrastructure development. And PressProgress points out that Doug Ford's PC government - which was happy to pour public money into trashing renewable energy and facilitating beer sales - has disappeared a billion dollars promised for repairs to Ontario schools.

- Zoe Yunker exposes the oil and gas industry's demands for perpetual power price subsidies from British Columbia. And Nathan Lemphers and Martin Olszynski discuss the need for Alberta to finally ensure that the fossil fuel sector pays to clean up its own messes.

- Finally, Abrahm Lustgarten highlights the climate migration which has already begun - but which is bound to accelerate if we don't rein in a climate breakdown which threatens to render vast swaths of the Earth uninhabitable. And Thor Benson writes that our experience with coronavirus-related shutdowns has only confirmed that we can't protect our planet merely by reducing individual emissions.