Inside Politics

Orders of the Day: What Will Speaker Milliken Do?

by Kady O'Malley Posted: April 19, 2010 8:48 AM Last Updated: April 21, 2010 9:11 AM
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(Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

Before we get to the House agenda for today, The Hill Times reports that Speaker Milliken may be on the verge of coming down with his ruling on the three points of privilege arising from the government's refusal to comply with the House order to produce unredacted copies of detainee-related documents, according to unnamed sources. The article, alas, gives no further hint as to when, exactly, he may do so -- "this week" is as specific as it gets -- which means that we'll all have to keep one eye glued to CPAC for the duration.

As soon as I get an inkling that an announcement is imminent, I'll fire up the PrivilegeWatcher, but for the moment, the main item of business on the Order Paper is the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, now under time allocation, followed by C-4 (youth justice), or "Sebastien's Law", as the minister would rather it be called, and C-5, or "Keeping Canadians Safe," which deals with the international transfer of offenders. 

If the latter sounds hauntingly familiar, it's because it is virtually identical to one of the many, many law-and-order bills that were introduced, amid much fanfare, during the last session, only to drop off the legislative radar entirely until dying a quiet, anonymous death by prorogation. It's probably worth noting that these particular bills were introduced almost exactly a month ago -- on March 16th and 18th, respectively -- yet have received a grand total of one days' consideration, combined, since then. But here they are, back on the Order Paper. It's almost as though the Canadian Police Association was holding its conference in Ottawa this week, leaving the government to scramble to shore up its tough-on-crime bona fides in a hurry. 

In other news, the Canadian Police Association holds its annual conference in Ottawa this week, and all four party leaders are scheduled to make an appearance, although only three are slated to speak: Michael Ignatieff and Jack Layton will take the podium this morning, and Gilles Duceppe is on the list for this afternoon. The prime minister, meanwhile, will be in attendance for the opening ceremony, along with Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, with Toews expected to make an announcement during his introductory remarks. 

On the committee front, there's a whole lotta in camera report drafting business going on: Fisheries and Oceans, Agriculture and Agri-food, and the second hour of Government Operations -- right after members hear from senior CIDA officials on the effect that the looming budget freeze will have on departmental operations. Meeting in public: Status of Women, whose investigation into the participation of women in non-traditional occupations will apparently somehow manage to muddle through despite the abrupt departure of the first dedicated status of women minister in Canadian history, and Human Resources, which is looking into federal support measures to adoptive parents. On the witness list for today: Conservative backbench MP Jeff Watson, the Adoption Council of Canada and the Children's Aid Society of Ottawa.

AshcloudWatch: As of last night, Heritage Minister James Moore, who had headed to St. John's, NF for the weekend to attend the Junos, was officially stranded the airport. At last report, he was handing out TimBits to similarly marooned musicians.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon has been forced to postpone his trip to Russia, Croatia and Finland, although the advisory ends on a hopeful note: his participation in the upcoming NATO ministerial meeting, it seems, remains "a possibility."

Finally, according to a notice put out by his office earlier this morning, Environment Minister Jim Prentice will -- we repeat, will -- make it to Washington to attend the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, unlike many of his European counterparts, who, according to AFP, will be sending their respective ambassadors instead.

Tags: blackberry jungle, orders of the day, parliamentary supremacy, privilegewatch, WWPMD?