Looking for a sign of election readiness?

How about this: At its pre-session caucus being held in Levis, Quebec the Conservatives are showing a whole new side.

A new, friendlier, more accessible side.

A new report released today brings word that the federal government's advertising spending more than doubled during the first fiscal year the Conservatives were in power, compared to the previous year.

The Annual Report on Government of Canada Advertising Activities 2006-2007 confirms that the Tories love of advertising came with a price: $87 million in the 2006-07 fiscal year, to be exact.

It was a junk food lover's delight today as Health Minister Tony Clement weighed in with new regulations concerning the labeling of food.

He was surrounded by packages of cinnamon toast waffles, bagel bites, cheese snax, cheddar smokies, reverse decadent chocolate chip cookies, the works.

A record 39 days of bidding and $4.25 billion came to a head this morning at precisely 11:10, when the gavel came down on Industry Canada's wireless auction.

And our camera was there, in the modest bid room, on Slater Street, in Ottawa, as the clock ticked toward the deadline.

It turns out that the independent commission into the dealings between former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and German businessman Karlheinz Schreiber really is going to happen.

The government announced that Justice Jeffrey Oliphant will head the commission a number of weeks ago. But now, the logistics are also taking shape.

We are expecting the Commission's legal team will be announced as early as tomorrow.

They are the tapes that everyone is waiting to see.

And right now, they are sitting on a chair, in an envelope, in Lieutenant-Commander William Kuebler's office.

Kuebler, is Omar Khadr's American lawyer. Both he and Khadr's Canadian lawyers now have video recordings of interviews done with Khadr in 2003 and 2004.

It is one of the most highly coveted invites in the Nation's Capital: the US ambassador's 4th of July party.

This year marks David Wilkins' last shindig as ambassador so there is expected to be a big turnout.

The theme of the party is a tribute to the military.

Last December, David Brown submitted his special task force report, "Rebuilding the Trust: task force on governance and cultural change in the RCMP," to the government.

He made 50 recommendations.

Knowing it was a tall order, Brown recommended the government put together a reform implementation council "as quickly as possible" to advise the government and Mounties on how to make all those changes.

"Stand the parade easy." That was the first order of business by the new Chief of Defence Staff Walt Natynczyk at today's handover ceremony in Ottawa.

It was a glorious sunny day in Ottawa as command changed from the former General Hillier to General Natynczyk.

If you thought the pomp and circumstance of Canada Day was something you ain't seen nothing.

Today General Rick Hillier handed over command of Canadian troops to the new Chief of Defence Staff, General Walt Natynczyk.