Orders of the Day - Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Meanwhile, outside the Chamber, still more committees are set to hunker down behind closed doors as they attempt to report back to the House before the end of the session -- which is, incidentally, just nine days away, and yes, that does seem earlier than usual, but apparently, it isn't. 

The Procedure and House Affairs committee meets in camera this morning to discuss the next steps in their investigation into NDP MP Peter Stoffer's privilege complaint, although it might be worth hanging around the hall outside to see if anyone makes a motion to go public, which has happened before. After last night's vote, the committee now has another prima facie privilege claim to add to the to-do list, but given the dwindling days left in the session, it's unlikely that they'll get around to hearing from Irwin Cotler until the House returns in 2010. 

Meanwhile, over at Environment, the NDP's climate change accountability bill seems unlikely to garner much support from the quartet of witnesses on the schedule for today, which includes the Canadian Chemical Producers Association, the Canadian Petroleum Products Institute, the Canadian Steel Producers Association and the Cement Association of Canada. On the other hand, the bill is slated to hit clause-by-clause on Thursday, which means it could make it back to the House just in time for the opening of the Copenhagen conference. Whereupon it will, of course, almost certainly be snuffed out at third reading thanks to a dozen or so Liberal MPs backing the government at the final vote. Sorry, did I give away the ending? 

Also on the agenda for today: 

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is hits the supplementary estimate circuit with an appearance before the committee with which his department shares its name, 

Those crazy dreamers at Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics keep up the fight to reform the access and privacy regimes despite absolutely no indication from the government that it has the slightest bit of interest in either proposal

Various and sundry airport authorities descend on the Official Languages committee to discuss the upcoming Olympics, and specifically, the availability of French language services throughout

Massimo Pacetti's private members' bill to recognize the "injustice that was done to persons of Italian origin" during World War II" through commemorative stamps has somehow made it to clause-by-clause at Canadian Heritage despite the polite, but firm opposition of Canada Post

International Trade continues its study of Canada-Colombia trade relations -- not to be confused with the on-again off-again appearance in the House of the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Act, which is still -- and possibly terminally -- mired at second reading due to the concerted objections of the Bloc and the NDP -- with an appearance by MiningWatch, as well as the president of the Industry Union of Professional Employees of the Public Utilities, who appears by teleconference 

Agriculture and Agri-food Canada gets its Fringe on with a hearing on genetically-modified organisms, although sadly, at the moment, the witness list does not include Walter or Peter Bishop

And finally, Government Operations and Estimates goes over the most recent annual report from the Procurement Ombudsman of Canada. How will Martha Hall Findlay turn this into another opportunity to complain about those giant cheques and suspiciously Conservative Party-reminiscent government advertising? I suspect we'll find out this afternoon.