Orders of the Day (02/26/10) - The calm before the parliamentary storm

Former hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky, left, sits with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Thursday as they watch the women's hockey gold medal final between Canada and USA in Vancouver. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

Having made it back to Vancouver just in time to celebrate the gold medal victory of Canada's women's hockey team, the prime minister has a full day of Olympic events ahead of him.

This morning, he attends the women's slalom competition, and then pops by Canada Olympic House. Later today, he cheers on the women's curling team this afternoon, although he apparently wasn't able to persuade Wayne Gretzky to play hooky from his coaching duties and join him in the stands.* Instead, he'll attend the match with Canadian Forces reservist Captain Tylere Couture and Canadian Olympic Committee members, after which he joins Alexandre Bilodeau -- who won Canada's first gold medal of the Games last week -- for the men's and women's short track speed skating final.
As for the other party leaders, Michael Ignatieff is still in somewhere in Vancouver, presumably -- his staff don't tend to keep us posted on his itinerary when it doesn't include public events -- and Jack Layton joins members of Toronto's Muslim community for local prayers at Madina Masjid Mosque.

On the ministerial important announcement circuit today:

• Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore, who, in a rare non-Olympic-related appearance, announces federal funding for the Port Moody Golden Spike Days Festival
• Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, with similarly good news for the Fondation de la Maison de la Culture des Collines
• Conservative MP Rodney Weston, with still more infrastructure-related investment in Saint John -- seriously, has anyone noticed how much love New Brunswick has been getting lately?

Finally, Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is Nova Scotia for a meeting with the Halifax Employers Association, and that appears to be pretty much it, as far as today's events. Fear not, gentle -- and not so gentle -- OotD readers; this is, of course, the final Friday before the Hillverse reverts to its normal state of chaos, so try to savour the calm before the storm.