Lobbying Loophole Watch: quasi-liveblogging the House vote(s)!

5:45:57 PM
Wow, those bells can really sneak up on you, can't they? I had every intention of covering the votes with all the pomp and circumstance that CoverItLive provides, but I wasn't able to set it up before the doors were due to be locked, and, left with the choice between doing so via the CPAC feed or returning to classic, freeform liveblogging from the heart of the Chamber, the choice was obvious. Well, obvious to *me*, at least.

It's a full House, by the way, with few empty seat on either side of the Aisle. The mood seems to be reasonably civil, with pockets of pleasing cross-party jocularity, even.

5:53:18 PM
And they're up! The Liberals, that is, on their feet and voting for their very own opposition motion to add parliamentary secretaries to the list of Designated Public Office Holders. Actually, this is on the amendment -- the friendly amendment, that is, that would require ministers -- and parliamentary secretaries -- to record all contact with lobbyists.

Which, as expected, is being supported by all parties, which makes me wonder why they even bothered with a recorded vote at all. (Perhaps the Liberal caucus decided they needed the practice, given recent events.)

The final tally: 283 to zero. A sweep! Although Yvon Godin wants to point out that Steven Fletcher was *not* in his place when the vote was called -- which is true, although as various government members point out, he *was* in his chair.

And the motion, as amended, carries! Do you suddenly feel more -- Designated, parliamentary secretaries?

6:02:08 PM
Next up: the NDP's Climate Change Accountability Act, which stands in the name of Bruce Hyers, who gets a hearty round of applause from his caucus as he rises for what I'm sure *he* hopes will the last time he'll have to do so on this particular bill.

And -- it looks like all three opposition parties are supporting it, so it's going to come down to turnout, and I suspect it's going to be very close. (The environmental groups planning a celebratory bash at a Sparks Street tavern later this evening must be crossing their fingers that it doesn't turn into a wake.)

6:09:02 PM
I don't care what those infernal modernists say; there's no way that a soulless and anodyne electronic voting system could compete with the exquisite beauty of a standing vote in progress. It's all about democracy.

And the verdict: 149 - 136. It passes! And the opposition -- or at least the NDP corner -- goes wild. Climate change accountability is but three readings in the Senate away!

6:12:25 PM
And now, the vote to snuff the (also NDP-originated) Air Passengers Bill of Rights, with the weapon of choice being the committee report, which recommends that it "not proceed," with both the government and the Bloc Quebecois voting nay (well, technically yea to the report, which works out to a nay on the bill itself), and the Liberals and the NDP voting against the recommendation, and I defy the Conservative research minions to turn *that* into a coalition meme that makes sense.

The final tally: 177 for, 109 against, which means the motion is adopted.

6:21:34 PM
And another private members' bill -- this time a Bloc initiative that would give a tax credit to new graduates working in "designated regions," and the vote breaks down along government/opposition lines, which means that it *should* pass, although at least one Liberal -- the leader -- wasn't in his seat for this round. (Yes, the doors are supposed to be locked, but members can still sneak off to the lobby.)

The Bloc bill passes -- sorry, didn't catch the final score -- and then it's onto Peter Stoffer's bill to protect veterans' pensions, which is also, it seems, supported by all three opposition parties, although at the moment, there's so much yelling going on between Baird and the Liberal front bench that I almost missed the fact that Joy Smith was the only Conservative to stand up when the Speaker calls the yeas on that side of the House, which prompts a spirited, if somewhat surprised, round of applause from the opposition.

6:33:37 PM
The Mace looks especially shiny tonight -- I wonder if the current weather agrees with it. Meanwhile, Stoffer's bill makes it through report stage, thus coming ever closer to third reading. 

Oh, and if anyone is wondering why they can't simply apply the results of earlier votes, it's because private members' business is always considered to be a free vote, at least officially, so the Whip is ostensibly irrelevant.

6:40:38 PM
Hmmm. Is Ignatieff going to miss the vote on his own private members' bill? That would be awkward, especially considering the fact that he can't be far away -- he was here for the first vote, after all. I also don't quite get why the Conservatives applauded Pierre Poilievre and Maurice Vellacott when each rose to vote nay on Stoffer's bill. Usually, that sort of tribute is reserved for the author.

Final tally: 149 - 134 - the yeas have it, and the bill is adopted, but the Speaker can't put it forward for third reading, it seems, because it requires a royal recommendation, which has not been granted. This produces a smattering of applause from the government side. "You killed it," bellows Stoffer from his seat. Oh, I didn't realize that was the case -- how *frustrating* it must be, to have your bill get that far, and then die quietly in limbo.

6:47:06 PM
And here's Ignatieff, just in time to rise in support of *his* bill -- which would implement the recommendations of the task force on pay equity, and appears to be on the verge of getting the nod to proceed forward from second reading, although it, too, will apparently ultimately require a royal recommendation to proceed, which seems unlikely to be forthcoming, since the government -- or, at least, members of the government caucus, each exercising his or her free will -- is voting against it, amid cries of 'Shaaaaaaame' from the Liberals. I have to say that at the moment, the mood on the opposition side of the House seems considerably more buoyant than on the other side of the aisle.

Well, a symbolic victory, at least -- 148 for, 136 against, which means it passes -- and, perhaps more importantly for those of us whose fingers are growing numb, they're done with democracizing for the night, which is why the Chamber is emptying out like a high school when the last bell before summer vacation goes off.

And with that, I'm signing off as well -- I hope you enjoyed tonight's coverage!