Inside Politics

Orders of the Day - 12/21/09

by Kady O'Malley Posted: December 21, 2009 7:58 AM Last Updated: December 21, 2009 8:55 AM
Surprise! I'm back! Yes, as it turns out, I'll be liveblogging the ice-encrusted tumbleweeds as they roll through the all-but-PnP-abandoned Commons Foyer. Thank goodness for Standing Order 106(4), that's all I have to say. 

Really, though, judging from the steady stream of fresh revelations on Canada's detainee policies and practice past and present, it seems as though the Afghanistan special committee would have more than enough new information to justify a pre-Christmas planning session, although as of last Friday, there didn't seem to be much optimism amongst opposition members that the government would lift its boycott in time for the meeting currently scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.  

Now that the prime minister is back in Ottawa, at least for the moment, the traditional end-of-year interviews should finally be getting underway. What will he say? Oh, probably the same sort of thing he's been saying throughout the fall: the recovery is ongoing, but fragile, which is why it's essential that we "stay the course," and besides, nobody wants an election. Also, re: the Olypmics: Go, Canada, go! 

As for prorogation, he's hardly going to tip his hand in advance, and no, he probably won't let slip the names of any soon-to-be senators. More interesting, however, will be how he handles questions on the aforementioned detainee issue; specifically, his government's so far steadfast refusal to comply with the order to produce uncensored documents to the committee investigating the issue. (Incidentally, unlike legislation, production orders die only upon dissolution, and not prorogation. Just in case anyone out there was under the impression that the government could sidestep the seemingly inevitably parliamentary with a quick reboot.) 

Meanwhile, Michael Ignatieff did the rounds last week, hitting pretty much every media outlet in town with what appeared to be a consistent, if distinctly non-rosy-hued message: After a less than ideal first year on the job, he's not packing his bags for Harvard just yet, but pretty much given up on the idea of bringing down the government any time soon in favour of spending the next couple of months getting ready for the "thinkers conference" that the party will hold in March -- and, it's fair to predict, hanging out in airports, where he apparently gets a better reception than he does at most caucus meetings. (Okay, that was just mean.) Finally, as far as he's concerned, the "low point" in Canadian politics last year was that now-infamous ten percenter targeting Liberal MP Irwin Cotler. 

That's all for the moment -- but I promise that I'll keep you posted if anything develops. In the interim, feel free to suggest questions for the prime minister -- heck, for any party leader -- in the comments. 


Tags: blackberry jungle, orders of the day