Orders of the Day - Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Alright, now that I've gotten that out of the way -- and can report, incidentally, that from my vantage point, the buildings of Parliament Hill are currently pristine and unbreached by rappelling protesters -- what's on the agenda for today? 

Well, as laid out in somewhat excruciating detail here, as of this morning, debate over the HST legislation officially gets underway, which should pretty much take over the House schedule for the next two days, although that could go longer, depending on how creatively ornery the NDP decides to be. From the perspective of the Liberals, it can't end soon enough, particularly after yesterday's revelation from BC Liberal MP Keith Martin that he had been given special dispensation by his leader to miss the vote. Anyone want to place bets on just how long it took for the Liberal whip's phone to start ringing with demands for similar deals from the rest of the BC and Ontario caucuses? 

Meanwhile, Irwin Cotler takes his case against those notorious ten-percenters with which the Conservative leafleted his Montreal riding -- you know, the ones that touted their record on Israel as compared to that of the previous Liberal government that he has condemned as false, hurtful and just this side of anti-Semitic --  to Procedure and House Affairs, which has been tasked with investigating his claim that the contents breached his parliamentary privilege. Given the remarkably robust defence that various Conservatives have mounted in response to his charge  -- including, most notably, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney -- particularly when compared to the categorical apology offered to NDP MP Peter Stoffer over a gun registry-related flyer that misrepresented his voting record -- it's a good bet that this will be a lively session. 

Also on the committee front today, senior military officials, including General Walter Natynczyk, head to Defence to discuss the logistics of the 2010 withdrawal from Afghanistan as the evocatively named Widows on the Warpath hit Veterans Affairs to talk Agent Orange compensation. Status of Women catches a little Olympic spirit - but with a twist: a panel discussion on human trafficking, to be specific. 

Two private members' bill with the potential to cause at least minor headaches for the government inch ever closer to completion: Bill C-302, which would address "the injustice done to persons of Italian origin" during World War II with, among other things, a commemorative stamp  - a proposal on which Canada Post, for whatever reason, really doesn't seem too keen, but has managed to make it to clause-by-clause at Canadian Heritage committee; and C-304, also undergoing clause-by-clause review over at Human Resources, which would "ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians."  

Oh, and speaking of private members' bill, the NDP's Climate Change Accountability Act, which has taken on a life of its own, what with inspiring its very own gallery protest and the strategic alliance between the government and the Liberals to send it back to the Environment committee earlier this fall, has made it through a second round of scrutiny to clause-by-clause, but is unlikely to be reported back to the House in time for a final vote before the close of the Copenhagen summit, which is what New Democrats were hoping for. There just aren't enough hours in the day -- or, more importantly, left in the session. 

Finally, the bureaucrats responsible for the stimulus program -- lovingly known,  around these parts at least, as the Economic Action! Plan -- are back at Government Operations, although it's not clear exactly why, since the parliamentary budget officer has told the committee that he won't be ready to provide his analysis until the new year. Seriously, I love a good grilling over giant cheque-presenting protocol as much as the next person, but I'm not sure how much more these particular witnesses have to share on the progress of the infrastructure spending spree.