Tuesday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Grant Robertson exposes how the Cons and Libs alike destroyed Canada's pandemic warning and response system just when we could least afford it. Kelly Cryderman writes that we should be able to agree on a common goal of returning children safely to school - with the main obstacle being right-wing governments who aren't willing to dedicated either funding or regulatory power to the "safely" part.

- Paloma Pacheco discusses what a small boost in benefits has meant for people with disabilities, while also noting the impending return to precarity as that increase is set to expire. And Adam Radwanski identifies the difficulty in trying to plan out a recovery strategy which accounts for the often-divergent goals of climate progress and gender fairness - though that should serve as a compelling reason not to waste money on fossil fuel infrastructure which is harmful to both.

- Varshini Prakash and John Podesta discuss why we should be eager to fight for a Green New Deal against the politicians trying to make political hay out of climate obstruction. Seth Borenstein writes that wealthier people are doing far more harm to our climate than people with less money to burn. And Nina Lakhani points out how the fossil fuel sector has funded police groups to crack down on activists.

- The Guardian's editorial board writes that a wealth tax is worth pursuing, but doesn't go far enough on its own in ensuring the equitable distribution of social resources.

- Finally, Paul Krugman discusses how the U.S.' pitiful response to COVID-19 - like many of its social ills - can be traced to the Republicans' cult of selfishness. And Susan Wright calls out Jason Kenney for putting Alberta up for a fire sale - though in that case, there appears to be far more public backlash.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Zach Carter highlights how jurisdictions whose governments have rushed to reopen businesses in the wake of COVID-19 have been rewarded with nothing other than mass death. And Peter Hartcher calls out Australia's for right-wing government for lacking any plan for a recovery.

- Meanwhile, Jeff Gailus warns Alberta about the horrendous odds facing Jason Kenney's bet on continued fossil fuel development with no regard for either environmental impacts or superior alternatives. And Jason Warick points out some of the more glaring problems with Scott Moe's choice to focus on an out-of-date irrigation plan rather than the economy of the 21st century.

- Jesse Brown looks into the question of what WE Charity actually does in its supposed core area of international development - and finds much less than would be suggested by its prominence. And PressProgress reports that Moe's contract with WE for educational services doesn't appear to have been known to the people working in Saskatchewan's education system.

- Daniel Xie discusses how the revelation that police put Shannon Phillips under surveillance for doing her job as environment minister fits into the history of the security state spying on progressive leaders in Canada.

- Finally, Rebecca Traister writes about the joint effort of Republican politicians and the corporate media to dismiss Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other women who dare to call out abuse by their male counterparts.

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.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Crawford Kilian examines a few crucial questions as to what Canada needs to keep, throw away and modify based on the lessons learned from COVID-19. And the Globe and Mail's editorial board agrees with Kilian that austerity belongs on the scrap heap.

- Andrew Nikiforuk writes about the need for masked crusaders to defeat the coronavirus in our communities. And Barb Konstantynowicz calls on Saskatchewan residents to keep doing everything we can to limit the spread of COVID-19 - even in the face of pressures to act as if the pandemic was behind us. 

- Amina Zafar writes about the need for precautions to keep people safe in health-care workplaces in particular. Melody Schreiber examines what's needed to reopen schools safely, while Sarah Gibbens looks at what we know so far about the impact of the coronavirus on children. And Daniella Ponticelli reports on the concerns of parents that children with intensive needs aren't being supported in the Saskatchewan Party's plan for a return to school.

- Kevin Carmichael examines the harm being done to women's careers by a pandemic which has both disproportionately affected female-dominated workplaces, and added to already-unsustainable child care burdens. Ysh Cabana discusses how COVID-19 has exposed Canada's reliance on temporary foreign workers, particular in our food supply chain. And Hayley Brown notes that the pandemic has had especially severe effects on workers with disabilities.

- Finally, Grace Blakeley discusses how the obscenely rich are only consolidating their wealth and power while the rest of the human race confronts a crisis - while noting that everybody else would be better off if we can escape from their domination:

Far from representing its social utility, Amazon’s market value – and Bezos’ personal wealth – reflects its market power. And the rising market power of a small number of larger firms has actually reduced productivity. This concentration has also constrained investment and wage growth as these firms simply don’t have to compete for labour, nor are they forced to innovate in order to out-compete their rivals. 

In fact, they’re much more likely to use their profits to buy back their own shares, or to acquire other firms that will increase their market share and give them access to more data. Amazon’s recent acquisition of grocery store Whole Foods is likely to be the first of many such moves by tech companies. Rather than the Darwinian logic of compete or die, the tech companies face a different imperative: expand or die. 

States are supporting this logic with exceptionally loose monetary policy. Low interest rates make it very easy for large companies to borrow to fund mergers and acquisitions. And quantitative easing – unleashed on an unprecedented scale to tackle the pandemic – has simply served to raise equity prices, especially for the big tech companies.

As more areas of our lives become subject to the power of big tech, the fortunes of people like Bezos will continue to mount. Their rising wealth will not represent a reward for innovation or jobs creation, but for their market power, which has allowed them to increase the exploitation of their workforces, gouge suppliers and avoid tax.  

The only real way to tackle these inequities is to democratise the ownership of the means of production, and begin to hand the key decisions in our economy back to the people. But you would expect that even social democrats, who won’t pursue transformative policies, could get behind measures such as a wealth tax.

Musical interlude

CHVRCHES - Dead Air

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Amanda Follett Hosgood reports on the environmental damage being done to Wet’suwet’en territory as (pointless) pipeline construction is again being given precedence over environmental protection. And Reuters reports that Zurich has become the latest insurer to decide it doesn't see TransMountain as an acceptable risk, leaving the public holding the bag even as the Libs continue to push forward.

- Leah Stokes reports on the $61 million bribery scandal - including both the Speaker of the House and corporate executives - that resulted in Ohio providing massive handouts to nuclear and fossil fuel power operators while shutting down any transition to clean energy.

- Megha Rajagopalan writes about the cosmetic industry's attempts both to push skin lightening as a necessary cosmetic step, and to bully into submission anybody who questioned it.

- Andrea Germanos writes about the Federal Court of Canada's decision striking down the Safe Third Country agreement between Canada and the U.S. on the basis that the latter doesn't actually provide effective protection for refugees.

- Finally, PressProgress discusses the Saskatchewan Party's reliance on corporate donations from Alberta and elsewhere - and the result that Saskatchewan's citizens have been ignored in favour of oil tycoons.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Edward Xie and Danyaal Raza make the case for a basic services model to ensure people's needs are met as we recover from the coronavirus pandemic:

Meeting universal basic needs for participation, health and independence is not a simple consumer choice. Rather, it’s a minimum condition to ensure a vibrant and thriving democratic society. Sadly, personal income alone cannot create more space in a child-care centre, more beds in a well-staffed care home, or more rail and bus routes. You may have more money, but are you empowered to live and sustain a richer life?

What if more income wasn’t the only path to a better life? A basic service we’ve all experienced is so deep-seated that we take it for granted: we pay taxes for our public health-care system, but it’s free to use when we need it and supported as a matter of civic pride. Our health systems are further supported by monitoring and standards to address the variety of ways the benefits of health can be achieved. As our neighbours to the south know all too well,  trying to purchase a public good like this, out of your own pocket and through private markets, can quickly become expensive in a life-altering way. Yet we haven’t carried this lesson over to other basic services.

The truth is that Canada lags other rich countries in social spending for public programs that improve health, assist children and seniors, and protect us from poverty and unemployment. Research shows that we stand to reap large rewards from boosting our basic health and social services. In their absence, COVID-19 has exposed these long-standing gaps as a precarious reality for too many of us in Canada.

Broadening the scope of what might transition from the CERB, a national approach to public “basic services” complements the undisputed importance of income by ensuring our shared needs are securely met in an uncertain world. It’s already supported by experts in the UK and Canada. They point out that the greatest needs are those that form a basic standard of living and support the determinants of health: clean water, pharmacare, safe and affordable housing, good-quality child and long-term care, and transportation and internet services that rapidly connect this vast country, among others. 

Calling them “basic” recognizes that these services are building blocks for a strong society, as essential for a thriving nation as roads and bridges, and an essential responsibility of governments to deliver. For workers stranded by changing trends in labour conditions and the economic shutdown, expanding access to basic services may provide lasting support while maintaining impetus for better employment standards. Ensuring access to high-quality basic services for everyone can also begin to address existing injustices, particularly to Indigenous peoples, with inclusive design and adequate funding from the start.

- Meanwhile, Rosa Saba reports on yet more research showing how residents in for-profit long-term care facilities have suffered far worse health outcomes than those in public or not-for-profit homes.

- The Atkinson Foundation has offered a set of recommendations to ensure that Employment Insurance actually provides replacement income for the people who need it. And Dennis Gruending offers a look at how the NDP has pushed for vital supports in response to COVID-19 in light of the consistent choices of the Libs and Cons to strip EI of needed capacity.

- Van Badham comments on the absurdity of right-wing politicians continuing to attack unemployed people for failing to find nonexistent work in the midst of a pandemic. And Nick Bonyhady reports that some unions in Australia are seeing their membership grow as workers recognize the need for a voice and a power base in the workplace.

- Finally, Emily Pasiuk reports on the Saskatchewan parents who are increasingly (and justifiably) worried about Scott Moe's decision to reopen schools without giving any meaningful thought to how that can be done safely. And Poverty Free Saskatchewan highlights just a few of the elements of the Saskatchewan Party's pandemic budget which cry out for improvement.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Allison Hanes reminds us that there is no escaping the reality of COVID-19 - and any attempt to take a vacation from the measures needed to keep people safe will only ensure that it does more damage. John Michael McGrath argues that Ontario (like other provinces) should be prioritizing education over the reopening of bars. And Katherine Scott examines how any recovery so far has been distinctly weighted against women.

- Meanwhile, Ailsa Chang interviews Monica Gandhi about new research showing that masks protect their wearers as well as the people around them - making them as important from the standpoint of naked self-interest as from a more altruistic point of view. And Marc Frank reports that Cuba's focus on public health has allowed it to stop the local transmission of COVID-19.

- Karen McVeigh reports on António Guterres' call to remediate the gross inequalities exposed by the coronavirus pandemic. And Jason Hickel warns against accepting that we're making meaningful progress in alleviating global poverty based on arbitrary definitions which leave billions short of the necessities of life.

- Liette Gilbert and Anna Zalik discuss why oil spills and train derailments are continuing to happen - with a focus on regulations aimed only at financial risks rather than environmental ones. And Megan Evans writes that corporate forces will never produce just environmental outcomes without governments taking the lead role in regulating and shaping economic development.

- Finally, Emma McIntosh reports on the finding of Ontario's Auditor General that the Ontario PCs have broken the law in granting themselves unilateral authority to gut environmental regulations without consultation or review. And Dan Bloom reports that having plunged their country into both a chaotic Brexit and a public health nightmare, the UK Cons have now voted to allow their public health system to be put on the auction block in trying to salvage trade deals.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Cats at play.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Shannon Daub. Alex Hemingway and Marc Lee examine the strong consensus among the B.C. public that the recovery from COVID-19 should build a more equitable and sustainable society. The CCPA has released its alternative federal budget plan to show how that could look from a national perspective. And Nelson Bennett discusses how home retrofits are one of the key investments to produce both jobs and environmental improvements.

- Andre Picard makes the case that getting children back to school should be our top priority in managing the contact which is permitted and facilitated. And Clare Malone takes note of the lack of any response to a child care crisis which has only been more fully exposed by COVID-19.

- Brittany Andrew-Amofah and Angella MacEwen offer a primer as to what sick leave policies should include. David Sirota writes about the employers who are instead pushing for governments to force workers to jeopardize their health in unsafe jobs for want of any other means of survival. Doug Schmidt reports on the grossly insufficient food and health supports being provided to quarantined migrant workers. And Jim Stanford helpfully offers up some euphemisms which employers will use to mask their exploitation of workers.

- Janyce McGregor reports that it was the Trudeau Libs who came up with the idea of trying to foist sub-minimum-wage pay on young people even as they set up a program to allow a well-connected charity to take a substantial cut of any money provided. And Jordan Press reports on the Libs' plans to use the coronavirus recovery as an opportunity to turn social programs into corporate profit centres. 

- David Carden writes that we can fund our pandemic recovery by recovering the wealth hidden in tax havens. And Kimberly Clausing, Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman study (PDF) how to recoup the "tax deficit" of multinational corporations which have exploited a race-to-the-bottom mentality to avoid paying their fair share.

- Finally, Melanee Thomas writes about the rampant sexism underlying Alberta's power structure reflected in the surveillance of Shannon Phillips by police as she carried out her duties as a cabinet minister. And Emma May discusses how even the supposed boom times for the province have been marked by thoroughly toxic masculinity, rather than substantial improvements in the lives of women.

On evident waste

There doesn't seem to be much dispute that the Saskatchewan Party is thumbing its nose at the movement to defund the police by making a point of announcing funding increases without any consideration as to how services could better be delivered through other organizations.

But one doesn't have to be part of the defunding movement to see how that allocation of money reflects an obvious misallocation of provincial resources.

After all, some of the obvious effects of the COVID-19 crisis have been to reduce the need for a police footprint in many areas.

Traffic tickets in particular fell by more than half in the wake of the coronavirus (and traffic generally dropped precipitously), as people have made the responsible choice to stay home rather than following normal traffic patterns.

And crime in general is down significantly, even as the dangers to health and life from drug overdoses (which police departments aren't equipped to address) have soared.

Even leaving aside any discussion of whether our police structures should be revisited on a systematic basis, then, all evidence is to the effect that our current operations have less need for financial resources than usual.

That makes funding bumps a matter of politically-motivated government waste, as well reflecting the Saskatchewan Party's obsession with the security state. And the voters who stand to see their social supports cut if Moe gets the opportunity after an election - or who want to see the province ensure that additional COVID-19 costs are funded in sectors including education and health care - have every reason to vote out a government devoted to spending on unneeded policing instead.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Scott Gilmore wonders whether we'll use the lessons of COVID-19 to set up our own "tsunami stones" to prevent future crises. But Tom McCarthy notes that the U.S. - thanks largely to an administration that has gone out of its way to avoid acting based on scientific information - is first set to be swamped by a second wave. 

- Sussanne Skidmore discusses the win-win outcomes that result when workers have access to paid sick leave.

- Nick Pettigrew writes about the life of an UK "antisocial behaviour officer" in a system designed to restrict access to the resources people need to live healthy lives.

- David Shukman writes about the impending threat that our climate breakdown could render summers too hot for humans. And Rakteem Katakey reports on Shell's announcement that it's fine with the UK imposing an outright ban on new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2030 - signalling the utter folly in building pipelines with no purpose other than to keep pushing oil into a nonexistent market for decades beyond that time.

- But Arthur White-Crummey reports that even as Scott Moe throws every nickel that isn't tied down at extractive fuel sectors, the Saskatchewan Party has destroyed the residential solar energy industry which represents the future of energy in the province. 

- Finally, Stephen Maher discusses how the RCMP may be broken (or obsolete) beyond repair. And Doug Cuthand highlights the need to make recompense for a history which was intended to exclude Indigenous people (and other minorities) from full involvement in Canadian life.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Iglika Ivanova examines who has lost jobs to COVID-19, and who needs public support to be able to return to the workforce. Tara Deschamps reports on an RBC study showing women's participation in the workforce has been set back three decades by the coronavirus pandemic and the male-focused policy response. And the Economist makes the case that school reopening is at the top of the priority list in determining what interactions should be allowed and funded.

- Kathryn Blaze Baum reports on the Libs' failure to enforce rules which would have protected migrant workers from COVID-19.

- Larry Summers and Anna Stansbury write about the importance of empowering workers to bargain collectively for better than they can force employers to offer by themselves. William Harris discusses the value of building working-class cultural institutions beyond labour and tenants' unions. And David Frayne argues that the disruption to an already-problematic status quo should lead us to rethink the insistence that only people with traditional paid employment be treated as worthy of public support.

- John Ibbitson discusses how the Trudeau Libs resolutely refuse to learn any lessons from scandals borne out of an overarching sense of entitlement. And Yves Engler notes that the real problem with the WE scandal is the development of tourist volunteerism intended to bolster the status quo as a substitute for grassroots organizing to actually pursue change.

- Finally, Gil McGowan discusses the growing authoritarian tendencies of right-wing politicians - and need for citizens to force a reversal of that pattern both at the ballot box and in their communities.

Saturday Morning Links

Assorted content for your weekend reading.

- Murray Mandryk writes about the history behind the possibility of a large-scale irrigation project. But Jason Warick reports that in trying to make a snap decision, Scott Moe completely failed to consult with First Nations who stand to yet again lose land to unilateral decisions of governments who fail to consider their interests. And Jim Elliott questions why the Saskatchewan Party would prioritize an irrigation megaproject over the health and well-being of people.

- Justin Worland discusses how now may be our last chance to avert catastrophic climate breakdown. Jocelyn Timperley reports on Denmark's new law making further climate damage illegal, offering a far stronger blueprint for action than the Libs' theory that it's enough to require single projects to be emission-neutral 30 years in the future. And Paul Burke reports on new research confirming that carbon pricing is one of the ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

- Meanwhile, Mike de Souza reports on how oil lobbyists seized the opportunity of the COVID-19 pandemic to call in favours from Jason Kenney's UCP - and were rewarded with even more exemptions from environmental rules than they even thought to ask for.

- Lorian Hardcastle and Ubaka Ogbogu discuss how Kenney is trying to replace Alberta's public health care system with a morass of commercialism and cronyism.

- Erin Douglas reports on the health risks being dumped on mothers living near natural gas flaring. And Rick Smith offers a reminder that we're all being polluted by the microplastics around us - and all the more so as plastics producers push their wares in the wake of the coronavirus.

- Finally, Steve McKinley and Wanyee Li report on the call from Canada's police chiefs to decriminalize the personal possession and use of drugs.

Musical interlude

Iron and Wine - Passing Afternoon

Friday Afternoon Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Radheyan Simonpillai discusses new polling showing how COVID-19 has caused stress on multiple levels. Al Etmanski writes about the importance of continuing to operate based on a mindset of caring for each other even once the worst of the pandemic is over. And Katharine Viner interviews Naomi Klein about the dangers of merely returning to the status quo after a crisis which has exposed its unconscionability.

- Paris Marx suggests that governments respond to the factors which have led to both failed real estate investment and housing insecurity by turning vacant AirBNB properties into affordable housing.

- Moira Wyton discusses the widespread tragedy of drug overdose deaths in British Columbia, with hundreds of people now losing their lives every month. And Zak Vescera reports on the record number of overdoses taking place in Saskatoon even as Scott Moe's government refuses to fund any harm reduction.

- Meanwhile, Marie Agioritis and Jenny Churchill comment on the need to properly fund mental health and addictions services. And Erin Seatter points out the movement among health professionals calling for police funding to be diverted to public health supports.

- Finally, Thomas Walkom discusses the folly of fearmongering over deficits at a time when government support is necessary to sustain both citizens and businesses through a public health emergency.

On foreign interference

Of course, while Scott Moe is accepting the plans of pseudo-separatists to hand Saskatchewan over to Jason Kenney, it's also worth asking what he's getting in return for his subservience.

On that front, the Breakdown has reported that public funds funnelled by Kenney into Alberta's War Room have been used to push citizens to hand over their personal data to both partisan and ideological cronies. And Jason Markusoff (citing Taylor Vaisey) has pointed out that the UCP has also been caught violating federal election law by failing to register as a third-party advertiser.

Unfortunately, due to the Saskatchewan Party's choice to keep its coffers full from outside corporate contributions, it's not clear to what extent UCP meddling would actually be a violation of Saskatchewan law. And the War Room's secrecy in particular makes it a certainty that inteference in the election campaign will be impossible to trace until after the fact.

But having chosen to facilitate outside interference, Moe can't expect the benefit of the doubt when it gives rise to questions. And Saskatchewan voters confronted with a blizzard of advertising - from both partisan and pressure-group sources - should be wary of where the money and direction is coming from.

On meritless demands

Mitchell Anderson is right to question why Jason Kenney is so obsessed with betting the pensions of every Albertan on dirty fossil fuels. And that goes doubly when his government's previous exercise in gambling with provincial wealth has produced massive losses due to a grossly flawed risk evaluation strategy.

But while there's every reason to see Kenney's actual plans as worrisome by any standard other than what best serves his corporate masters and donors, there's at least a theoretical argument to be made about exercising local and democratic control over a community's retirement savings.

It's less clear what argument there is to support putting another province's politically-directed and incompetent administrators in charge of the retirement savings of one's own constituents.

But Scott Moe is once again so locked into his role as Kenney's servant that he's outright saying there's somehow some merit in letting Alberta steal Saskatchewan's pensions for its own purposes. And the summer before an impending provincial election would be an ideal time for Saskatchewan's voters - along with responsible citizens across the country - to recognize their mutual interest in ensuring Moe doesn't have the opportunity to sell out Saskatchewan.

Thursday Afternoon Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- German Lopez surveys the growing body of research showing how masks help to slow the spread of COVID-19. John Michael McGrath points out the importance of focusing on making school settings safe, rather than prioritizing restaurants and bars. And Hannah Jackson reports on polling showing that Canadians are prepared to accept another shutdown if necessary to stop a second wave - though obviously responsible government now would be preferred over needing to respond to outbreaks later.

- Shelby Prokop-Millar highlights how a wealth tax would be both popular and productive in funding Canada's recovery from COVID-19.

- Meanwhile, Mia Rabson reports on the appalling bias of recovery funding toward boosting dirty fossil fuels rather than clean energy (or any other sustainable form of development). And Barry Saxifrage comments on both the continued rise in global greenhouse gas emissions, and Canada's embarrassing placement as one of the worst per-capita offenders.

- Anna Gross reports on new research showing how man-made emissions have caused Siberia's unprecedented heat wave. And Harry Cockburn discusses the catastrophic effects which could be produced by the melting of a single Antarctic glacier which is currently at risk.

- Finally, Fiona Odlum reports on how conditions in Saskatchewan's jails are even more inhumane than usual due to restrictions arising out of COVID-19. Alyshah Hasham discusses how a single criminal charge can trap a person in a cycle of legal restrictions and barriers. And Michael Spratt argues that we should view mandatory minimum sentences as not just pointless, but downright destructive of community safety.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Justin Ling discusses the dangers of the U.S.' fever swamp conspiracy theories as they get shared - and warped - for Canadian marks. Ryan Cooper writes about the conservative victimhood complex which has made it impossible for the U.S. to be governed in the public interest. And Megan Garber notes that the rise in media echo chambers - and connected decline in local news - has kept far too many people from having credible sources reporting on the world around them.

- Laurie Adkin and Ricardo Acuna highlight how Jason Kenney's UCP has taken direct aim at democratic rights and norms in Alberta to replace it with an unaccountable kleptocracy. Gil McGowan warns against Kenney's plans to replace any labour rights with U.S.-style anti-worker laws. And CBC News reports that the Municipality of Wood Buffalo is having to sue tar sands operators to pay taxes owing - even as the UCP shovels more and more money to the fossil fuel sector based on the laughable promise that it will pay off at some point.

- Greta Thunberg offers a travel diary from her efforts to motivate the world to finally act to avert climate breakdown. And Nerilie Abram, Matthew England and Matt King discuss the threat posed by the destabilization and disappearance of Antarctica's ice sheets.

- Meanwhile, Kevin Ma reports on the perpetually-increasing amount of electronic waste being disposed of every year.

- Finally, John Muscedere and Russell Williams write that seniors deserve far better than to be warehoused in for-profit long-term care operations - and that much of the answer may lie in ensuring supports are available to allow people to remain safely in their own homes.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Laundered cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Patrick Brethour, Caroline Alphonso and Dave McGinn write about the no-win situation facing parents being pushed back to work by governments who haven't bothered to match that demand with any effort to ensure the availability of child care. And Denise Ryan discusses how women in particular are being pushed out of the work force.

- Hamdi Issawi offers an indication as to what a return to school may look like this fall based on British Columbia's early efforts. And Pam Belluck, Apoorva Mandavilli and Benedict Carey take a look at what has and hasn't worked internationally.

- Mariana Mazzucato discusses the importance of ensuring the public shares in the gains from the economy it fosters.

- But Matt Stoller examines how the U.S.' trend toward monopolistic businesses pushed by private equity have instead concentrated wealth while leaving people and governments to manage losses. And Jane Mayer writes that the Trump administration has used a pandemic as an opportunity to further enrich corporate tycoons by dumping costs and risks onto workers.

- Jamil Zaki and Mina Cikara discuss the value of virtue signalling in shaping the social norms and expectations which can actually lead to improvements in substance. And Amna Akbar writes about how the new demands arising out of this year's chaos - including defunding police and cancelling rent - signal the potential for revolutionary change.

- Finally, Billy Bragg writes that the backlash against what's manipulatively termed "cancel culture" reflects little more than entrenched privilege seeking to avoid being challenged by voices who have recently been shut out.

Monday Afternoon Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Mariana Mazzucato and Robert Skidelsky propose a new economic framework in which our elected governments actually set priorities and ensure that development is carried out in the public interest.  Seema Jayachandran reminds us that social programs can more than pay for themselves, while also improving the well-being of people who would otherwise be left behind. And Seth Klein writes that the rapid and effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic should confirm that we can answer the climate crisis with a similarly positive transition to a law-carbon economy.

- Chris Varcoe highlights how Jason Kenney's large-scale bets on fossil fuels are already proving to be disastrous for Alberta. Mark Vandevelde discusses how much of our economy is built on an unsustainable foundation of corporate debt due to "financial engineering" designed to extract short-term value rather than create lasting prosperity. Richard Wolff writes about the dangers of obsessing over efficiency when it means failing to invest in preparation for foreseeable risks. And Ann Pettifor argues against Paul Wallace that our expectations in rebuilding from the coronavirus pandemic should involve a new and better system, not merely a return to business as usual.

- Alyse Kotyk reports on the effects of Vancouver's tax on empty homes - which has resulted in the construction of 269 affordable housing units for people who actually need them. 

- Jim Stanford calls out the corporate sector's laughable complaints about the availability of labour when any inability to hire is readily traceable to a refusal to offer reasonable wages and benefits.

- Finally, Jocelyn Solys-Moreira reports on new research showing how people mistake their own privilege for merit.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- T.M. Scanlon analyzes the dangerous effects of wealth inequality. And Philip Alston discusses how COVID-19 has only exposed an existing pandemic of poverty and inequality which was previously masked by grossly insufficient poverty lines:

The consequences of this highly unrealistic picture of progress against poverty have been devastating.

First, it is attributed to economic growth, justifying a “pro-growth” agenda characterised by deregulation, privatisation, lower taxes for corporations and the wealthy, easy movement of money across borders and excessive legal protections for capital. In my six years investigating governments’ anti-poverty efforts for the UN, I encountered this convenient alibi time and time again. Everything from tax breaks for the super-rich to destructive mega-projects that extract wealth from the global south are lauded as efforts to reduce poverty, when they do no such thing.

Presenting the agenda of the wealthy as the best road to poverty alleviation has entirely upended the social contract and redefined the public good as helping the rich get richer.

Second, the progress narrative has been used to drown out the appalling results so often brought about by this perversion of pro-growth policies. Many of the countries that have achieved great growth in GDP have also experienced exploding inequality, rising hunger, unaffordable health and housing costs, persistent racial wealth gaps, the proliferation of jobs that don’t pay a living wage, the dismantling of social safety nets and ecological devastation. These phenomena, directly related to neoliberal policies, are unaccounted for in the tale of heroic gains against poverty.

...

Until governments take seriously the human right to an adequate standard of living, the poverty pandemic will long outlive coronavirus. This requires them to stop hiding behind the World Bank’s miserable subsistence line and abandon triumphalism about the imminent end of poverty. Deeper social and economic transformation is imperative, to avert a climate catastrophe, provide universal social protection, achieve redistribution through tax justice and ultimately to really get on track to ending poverty.

- Robert Watcher discusses how California's initial strong response to COVID-19 gave way to carelessness and then massive outbreaks. Robert Reich writes about the difficulty in trying to respond to crises while the U.S. Presidency and Senate are controlled by men bent on destroying effective government. And Pankaj Mishra notes that both the U.S. and UK have deliberately undermined their own public capacity just in time for its absence to hurt as much as possible.

 - Nik Koskal interviews Lezlie Lowe about the need for publicly-available washrooms - particularly in the midst of a pandemic where sanitization is even more vital than usual.

- Jordan Press reports on the justified push by Canadian labour to ensure essential workers receive a living wage while risking their health for the public.

- David Climenhaga discusses how the Kenney UCP is looking to take Alberta back to the era of child labour. And CBC News reports on how a shift toward increased health care privatization will ensure that treatment is only available to people with money to burn.

- Finally, Rob Mahon reports on the Saskatchewan NDP's criticism of Scott Moe's choice to hand outside businesses and workers the bulk of SaskPower's construction work. And Wayne Mantyka reports that the Sask Party is going far out of its way to break the promise that it would stop at privatizing liquor retailing, but leave warehousing in the hands of the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority.

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.

Musical interlude

Slowdive - Alison

On lunatic fringes

Let's take a moment to acknowledge a rare opportunity to agree with the messaging of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation: any plan to hand out more giveaways to the corporate sector can only be reflect policy based on the definition of insanity.

On national interests

PressProgress highlights how Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party are continuing to rely heavily on corporate donations from outside the province. But it's worth noting how people across Canada who are worried about Moe and his extraprovincial puppetmasters have the opportunity to fight back.

As I've written before, Saskatchewan has extremely lax political donation laws. And Moe (like Brad Wall before him) has chosen to keep them in place based on the perceived advantage of being able to exploit corporate donations from outside businesses seeking to buy their way into the province.

But those rules also leave the door open for grassroots donors from outside the province to have an impact. So in addition to working on organizing in their own communities, Canadians are also able to contribute to change for the better in Saskatchewan in an election scheduled for October.

And that change can't come a moment too soon.

After all, the Saskatchewan Party's corporatism has had ramifications stretching far beyond our provincial borders. When every other Canadian jurisdiction was able to reach agreement on climate change policy, it was Moe who served as a roadblock to consensus on behalf of oil barons. And that was in keeping with the Saskatchewan Party's role in blocking then delaying any CPP expansion.

One might have thought that Jason Kenney's taking power in Alberta would have allowed Moe to moderate Saskatchewan's position. Instead, Moe has chosen to echo and amplify Kenney's most destructive messages even when they have absolutely no movement behind them in his own province - including by musing about snatching pensions and imposing a provincially-run police force. (That latter threat is particularly jarring as Moe's own highway patrol has been exposed stockpiling prohibited weapons and lining the pockets of bigots.)

The October election is fast approaching, and the province is braced for another Saskatchewan Party ad blitz over the summer. Which means that now is the time to ensure that Ryan Meili's NDP is able to hold its own in presenting its plans for a people-centred COVID-19 recovery, and defining Moe as he answers to the province's voters for the first time. And if enough people pitch in, what might seem like a small amount of money by the standards of larger provinces could make a huge difference in charting a healthier path for Canada as a whole.

Friday Morning Links

Assorted content to end your week.

- Don Pittis writes about the emptiness of any discussion of energy options which doesn't account for the importance of averting a climate breakdown.

- Somini Sengupta discusses the deadly effects of unprecedented wildfires in the Arctic region, while Nadine Achoui-Lesage and Frank Jordans report that we may be headed to a 1.5 degree temperature increase as soon as 2024. Nita Bhalla reports on new UN research showing how climate change is contributing to the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases. And Eric Roston highlights how a hotter world will include unnecessarily large amounts of inequality and poverty.

- Rachel Adams-Heard and Ellen Gilmer highlight the reality that there's no justification for building new fossil fuel pipelines. And Kyle Bakx reports that the result of Alberta being handed a federal bailout to deal with orphan wells has been an actual slowdown in reclamation work.

- Bruce Campbell discusses the lessons which tragically haven't been learned in the wake of the Lac-Mégantic oil train explosion.

- Finally, Kristy Kirkup reports on polling showing that three-quarters of Canadian recognize the problem with systemic racism in the RCMP. Momtaza Mehri points out that the fight against racism involves far more than merely paying attention to one's own privilege. And Meagan Day comments on the vital role of the labour movement in building solidarity to overcome racism and other forms of prejudice.

On double insecurity

Shorter Bill Morneau on what his government expects of workers generally:

Nobody has a right to expect secure, long-term employment.

Shorter Bill Morneau on benefits for workers affected by COVID-19, as his government eliminates direct income support while maintaining only a wage subsidy:

Nobody has a right to support in the midst of a pandemic unless they have secure, long-term employment.

Thursday Morning Links

This and that for your Thursday reading.

- Sylvia Fuller and Yue Qian weigh in on how working mothers are bearing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic (and a policy response which has included no effort to ensure the availability of child care).

- Peter Weber discusses how Sweden's insistence on staying open in the midst of a pandemic produced absolutely no economic gains while leading to thousands of avoidable deaths. Adrienne Matei explores the severe and lasting effects of even a "mild" case of COVID-19, while Ian Sample notes that the aftereffects may include serious brain disorders. And Shaun Griffin examines research showing how any hope for herd immunity to COVID-19 through natural infection is entirely misplaced.

- Adam Houston notes that Canada may need to make use of its compulsory licensing rights to ensure a supply of the medications which are being hoarded by the Trump administration. And Jesse Whattan warns that corporations may be looking for opportunities to sue governments under trade agreements for having the audacity to attempt to protect the public from the threat of a pandemic. 

- The Broadbent Institute and other organizations have called for a wealth tax in response to the Parliamentary Budget Office's recent study on its potential to raise revenue without affecting anything but unbridled greed. And Luke Savage makes the case to ensure that such a tax disperses power as well as money.

- Finally, Rick Smith writes about the rise of the U.S.' progressive left as finally providing an analogue to Canada's NDP.

Wednesday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.

- Ari Rabin-Havt argues that any available means of treating COVID-19 need to be viewed as public goods to be made available to all, rather than windfalls for big pharma based on its ability to control supplies and prices.

- The Guardian's editorial board sounds the alarm about the grossly disproportionate burdens COVID-19 is placing on women.

- Tess Wilkinson-Ryan writes about the psychology of decision-making in the face of reopening - and the difficulty individual will have making good choices when faced with confusion or contradictory messages from governments and businesses. And David Roberts identifies the risk that with COVID-19 - as with climate change - we may be shifting our baseline expectations to accept perpetually worse outcomes as a "new normal" rather than pushing for action to achieve better ones. 

- Andre Mayer highlights the possibility that our efforts at rebuilding could finally put us on a path to averting climate breakdown. And Lori Nikkel discusses how the coronavirus pandemic should spur us to ensure that Canadians no longer face hunger or food insecurity. 

- Finally, Doug Cuthand writes about the need for an overhaul of Saskatchewan's treatment of people who are currently ending up in remand. And Kelly Geraldine Malone reports that Manitoba has followed through on ending discriminatory "birth alerts", even while Scott Moe continues their use in Saskatchewan.

Tuesday Night Cat Blogging

Lookout cats.

Tuesday Morning Links

This and that for your Tuesday reading.

- Jonathan Aldred highlights how COVID-19 has laid bare the folly of a neoliberal economic structure which encourages insecurity, fragility and illusions of control over the unforeseen. And Merran Smith and Michel Letellier discuss how a rebuilding program centred on clean energy will be superior to pouring money into the status quo from an economic perspective and well as an environmental one.

- Meanwhile, Cathal Kelly argues that it's foolish to prioritize the resumption of professional sports at a time when so much of our ability to engage with the world remains at risk due to an ongoing pandemic.

 - Dustin Godfrey reports on the decisions of two of TransMountain's insurers to wash their hands of involvement in pipeline construction. And the Energy Mix notes that Shell is joining other oil giants in writing down assets which aren't likely to be extracted, while Carl Meyer reports that liquid natural gas terminal operators are likewise recognizing they're relying on dubious bets about fossil fuel consumption.  

- But as dirty energy becomes ever less practical based on any fair evaluation, Emily Atkin writes about the cynical efforts of the sector (which has regularly imposed the burden of environmental destruction on minority communities) to associate clean energy with racism.

- Robert Sweeny writes about the Parliamentary Budget Office's most recent findings indicating that racial and economic inequality are worse than ever. Nimalan Yoganathan discusses how Jagmeet Singh's punishment for exposing actual racism in Parliament signals how racial inequality remains entrenched in our political system. And Sajmun Sachdev highlights how Singh's treatment mirrors the plight of many who have been told to apologize for calling out racism.

- Finally, Naomi Lakritz warns about the dangers of returning to the austerity and corporatism of Ralph Klein's Alberta. And Laurie Macfarlane discusses Boris Johnson's anti-democratic plan to put rebuilding in the hands of private developers interested in nothing but further building their own obscene wealth.

Monday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.

- Robert Reich discusses how Donald Trump's insistence on pushing reopening without a plan to alleviate an ongoing pandemic has led to disaster both for the U.S.' economy and its public health. And the Economist highlights the need to make basic health precautions into social norms - even as Trump and his party, like Doug Ford and other right-wing politicians bent on pushing infectious masculinity, go out of their way to flout them.

- Yunghi Kim writes about a growing epidemic of hunger in a country more than capable of providing the necessities of life to everybody.

- Bharat Ramamurti and Lindsay Owens make the case for a fair wages guarantee to ensure workers aren't pushed into structural disadvantages as a result of COVID-19. And they particularly contrast that approach against a one-time bonus aimed at strongarming people into permanent low-wage jobs - which, needless to say, is also the Cons' plan.

- Meanwhile, Janyce McGregor digs into what should be the most fundamental criticism of the Libs' attempt to push students into sub-minimum-wage labour by classifying work as "volunteering".

- Susan Wright compares Jason Kenney's sad excuse for a rebuilding plan to the prospect of an energy transition which he refuses to consider. And Max Fawcett points out how Alberta's people are being sacrificed on the altar of supply-side zealotry.

- Finally, Sam Camping reports on the work activists are doing to raise awareness of the suicide crisis which the Saskatchewan Party has blithely chosen to ignore. And Morgan Modjeski reports that in addition to stockpiling prohibited weapons for no remotely plausible reason, Scott Moe's Highway Patrol has also been putting tactical training for its officers in the hands of an anti-LGBTQ trainer.

Sunday Morning Links

This and that for your Sunday reading.

- Linda McQuaig writes about the Libs' choice to use infrastructure programs primarily to generate massive returns for private investors, rather than ensuring that public money gives rise to good value and needed results.

- Meanwhile, the BBC reports on the UK Consumer and Markets Authority's (however obvious) conclusion that Google and Facebook exercise excessive control over the flow of information online - with breaking them up raised as one of the possible responses.

- Kim Siever offers a reminder that corporate tax giveaways merely lead to greater concentration of wealth rather than creating jobs. And in contrast, the Canadian Labour Congress notes that employers would benefit substantially from a national pharmacare program.

- John Loeppky discusses how Scott Moe's government is taking advantage of the CERB to strip away benefits from the people who need them most. And David Shield reports on the summer camps which are still waiting for word from the provincial government as to whether and how they'll be allowed to operate.

- Finally, Rebecca Huntley writes about the need to talk about our climate breakdown in emotional terms rather than purely statistical ones. And Darrin Qualman and Glenn Wright call out Moe and others who are using the promise of small nuclear reactors as just their latest delay tactic against any real climate progress.