Orders of the Day: Happy Opposition Day(s), everyone!

Guess who's heading to committee? No, not Toyota's North American head, Yoshi Inaba -- who, according to the Globe and Mail, has formally declined a government-backed invitation to appear before the Transport committee later this week, thus potentially setting off another round of handwringing over parliamentary privilege -- but embattled minister of the moment Helena Guergis, who is currently slated to appear before Status of Women this afternoon, ostensibly to discuss the main estimates. 

Will she actually show up, despite the prospect of spending an hour fielding pointed questions from opposition committee members, and -- if she ventures into scrum range, at least -- the press? Or will her office discover a last minute scheduling conflict, as was the case last Friday, when she failed to turn up for a panel on women in conservative politics? Tune in this afternoon to find out!

Also on the OotD watchlist for this afternoon: the Afghanistan committee, which convenes behind closed doors to set the agenda for the days and weeks to come; despite the fact that those most unwelcoming of words, in camera, appear on the notice for today's meeting, it might be worth staking out the hall outside, if only to monitor the faint sound of raised voices emanating from behind the paneled doors.

Meanwhile, in the House of Commons, Opposition Day Half Week -- back-to-back-to-back supply days today through Wednesday -- kicks off later this morning with the following motion, which stands in the name of Wayne Easter:

That, in the opinion of this House, the government should show leadership in reducing government waste by rolling-back its own expenditures on massive amounts of partisan, taxpayer-paid government advertising, ministerial use of government aircraft, the hiring of external "consultants", and the size of the Cabinet, the Prime Minister's Office and the Privy Council Office, which together could represent a saving to taxpayers of more than a billion dollars; and to show its own leadership in this regard, the House directs its Board of Internal Economy to take all necessary steps to end immediately the wasteful practice of Members sending mass mailings, known as "ten-percenters", into ridings other than their own, which could represent another saving to taxpayers of more than $10 million.

Tomorrow, it's the Bloc Quebecois' turn to pick the topic the second day of opposition-directed debate in the House; we won't know exactly what issue the party will choose to bring forward until this afternoon, but the Order Paper is already filling up with possibilities.

There are two separate motions that call on the government to hand over $2.2 billion in retroactive compensation to Quebec in recognition of its early bird efforts to harmonize provincial and federal sales taxes, another that would follow the lead of a resolution passed unanimously by the National Assembly last week that would "recognize Rights & Democracy for its excellent work around the world, and condemn the government for interfering in the governance of this independent body."

Finally, guess who won't be at committee, or anywhere else within the parliamentary precinct this week? The leader of the official opposition, that's who! Because really, when you've spent the last two months going on and on and on and on about the sovereignty and importance of the House of Commons, and the need to show respect for our democratic institutions, it just makes sense to abandon the Hill while said House is sitting in favour of yet another meandering speaking tour. Don't worry, sir -- we'll let you know how that whole battle for parliamentary supremacy turns out.