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The five commitments made by the provincial government show that Manitobans can expect more austerity in the coming months. The five commitments are: Protecting health care with ‘record’ new investments;
Illustration by Remie Geoffroi Even before the ravages of a global pandemic, America’s body politic looked dangerously ill. On this sentiment, at least, there is probably still widespread agreement. But, as with any diagnosis, the devil is in the details. 
Donald Trump makes people sick, himself and his entourage included. Given the U.S. president's shameful, almost criminally negligent record on COVID-19, it will be surprising if he is re-elected on November 3. A sizeable expat community aside, most Canadians will not have a say in that race but its outcome will be felt globally.
Photo of a Vietnamese garment factory in 2012 from the ILO Asia-Pacific
Illustration by Michael DeForge
It has been six months since we shut down the economy to all but essential activities in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. Federal and many provincial emergency measures introduced since then, though imperfect and unevenly available across Canada, have stabilized incomes and bought governments time to figure out what comes next.
Previously published by CBC Manitoba Opinion April 25, 2020 Manitoba's provincial government is keen to have us all row in the same direction to combat COVID-19.  But currently, Brian Pallister's government is not only failing to dip its oar in the water, it's actively rowing in the wrong direction. When there is a crisis, we turn to government. In order to prevent the collapse of the economy, aggressive fiscal and monetary policy become the order of the day. 
First published in the Winnipeg Free Press May 1, 2020
Photo by Elvert Barnes (Flickr Creative Commons)