Orders of the Day: No more committee work, no more briefing books ...

No more Speaker's pointed looks ...

Yes, despite the partisan cantankery and the obligatory eleventh-hour threats to hold the House hostage until every last bit of outstanding business on the Order Paper had been dealt with, all it took was one last burst of all-party cooperation to allow the House of Commons to rise for the summer -- a full four sitting days before the official parliamentary calendar was set to run out. 

By mid-July, we'll almost certainly be missing them terribly, but for the moment, the unearthly silence stalking the corridors and courtyards of the parliamentary precinct is music to the ears of those who spent the last four months transfixed by what has been widely deemed the most frustratingly inchoate session in recent memory. (The Senate, which is still hard at work on the budget bill, and is expected to sit for at least another week is, of course, explicitly exempted from that critique.)

So, what's on the Hill agenda for today, other than savouring the peace and quiet?

Well, there's the G8/20 pre-show: an "international delegation of trade union leaders," led by the Canadian Labour Congress, heads to Langevin Block for a meeting with the prime minister, at which they will "press for restructuring and reform of the global economy with an emphasis on continued financial stimulus, the regulation of financial markets, a financial transactions tax, and the meeting of development aid commitments," according to the advisory.

Also clamouring for the PM's ear: Education International and the Canadian Teachers Federation, who, not surprisingly, want to see education added to the G8/20 to-do list.

Meanwhile, this afternoon, various unnameable senior government officials hold a background briefing for journalists on next week's summitacular, as well as "upcoming visits," which would presumably include the state visit by the President of China (June 23-27), as well as the Royal Tour (June 28-July 5).

Other than that, it's shaping up to be a lazy Friday on the Hill. I'll keep you posted if anything changes.