Inside Politics

UPDATED Orders of the Day - Happy Waste Wednesday, Everyone! (was: What, no Wednesday Waste Watch Report, Liberals?)

Tsk tsk. Just because the House isn't sitting doesn't mean you have to break your up-til-now perfect streak of releasing a fresh flurry of outrage over ostensible overspending by the current government.You'd better have a special supersized edition of the WWR next week, or we'll be forced to conclude that you're having trouble dredging up sufficiently dubious expenses.   

Turns out I was utterly, completely wrong, and even as I typed the above, the tireless team of elves that populate the Liberal research office were hard at work putting together a special G20 retrospective edition of the Waste Watch Report. Consider my ccepticism cheerfully withdrawn! 

The prime minister, of course, is in Seoul for the G20 summit, which gets underway tomorrow. As Colleague Milewski reports, the meeting itself is expected to be a rather dismal affair, as leaders compete to see who can appear to be taking most seriously the threat of a second global economic crisis. On the plus side, that will give our PM the opportunity to remind all and sundry of the now legendary stability of the Canadian banking system, which he always seems to enjoy, so there's that, anyway.

As for the other party leaders, Michael Ignatieff appears to have dropped off the radar -- temporarily, at least -- after yesterday's event-packed day in Newfoundland, but he'll almost certainly pop up somewhere in time to take part in at least one Remembrance Day ceremony tomorrow. Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jack Layton takes his "Heat Your Home Tax Free" tour to London before heading to Toronto for the second annual True Patriot Love Dinner. (Come to think of it, maybe that's where Ignatieff is scheduled to reappear.) Gilles Duceppe, on the other hand, continues his European tour with a stop in Paris.

Finally, on the ministerial circuit today: Industry Minister Tony Clement tours the Peterborough Airport, as well as a local plant operated by international aerospace company Safran before delivering an address to the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce; Defence Minister Peter MacKay is in Brantford, where he'll join cabinet colleague Gail Shea and the Canadian Coast Guard as they pay tribute to two Canadian WWI heroes. Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn attends the annual Veterans Feast at the Ottawa Native Friendship Centre; and Minister of State for Sport Gary Lunn inducts new members into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, various MPs are also out, about and touting new funding announcements in their respective ridings.

Other than that, there's not much going on. Yes, I know that's becoming a theme in OotD this week, but that's what happens when the House rises. Don't worry -- come Monday, the Hill will revert to its normal state of perpetual unrest. 

Tags: blackberry jungle, orders of the day