Inside Politics

UPDATED - Pack your bags, various current and former cabinet ministers, MPs and international business strategists, you're headed to committee!

by Kady O'Malley Posted: April 14, 2010 1:32 PM Last Updated: April 21, 2010 9:19 AM
Oh, OGGO. Somehow, I just knew that it would be you -- or possibly ETHI -- that would eventually end up arguing over whether to sic the full investigative powers of a House committee onto the increasingly convoluted Guergis-Jaffer affair, which is why I wasn't really surprised to hear that Liberal MP Martha Hall Findlay will be moving the following motion this afternoon:

"That the committee immediately conduct a study of renewable energy project funding by the Government of Canada, and associated lobbying and advising activities associated with such funding; that the witnesses the committee calls before it shall include, but not be limited to: Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources, Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Labour, Patrick Glémaud, Green Power Generation Corp., Rahim Jaffer, Green Power Generation Corp., Nazim Gillani, International Strategic Investments, Honourable Helena Guergis, Member of Parliament Simcoe-Grey; and that the committee submit a report to the House of Commons on its findings."


Sadly, I won't be able to cover what I'm sure will be a lively discussion over whether or not this falls under OGGO's admittedly broad but not, you know, unlimited mandate, not only because that Afghanistan committee isn't going to liveblog itself, but because it's currently slated to take place in camera, although that could change.  

In any case, I'll keep you posted on what transpires. Normally, I'd predict that the debate would likely run over into the next scheduled meeting, but given that this is an opposition-controlled committee, the chair may decide to curtail the backs-and-forth before any filibustering breaks out.

UPDATE: And it's on -- with one additional witness, courtesy of the Bloc Quebecois: Mike Mihelic, former CFL player turned Gellani business partner. 

Tags: blackberry jungle, government ops, guergisjafferwatch, patrick glemaud, rahim jaffer