Inside Politics

UPDATED - Orders of the Day - Welcome to the Senate, Larry Smith. Now, get to work hit those hustings!

by Kady O'Malley Posted: December 21, 2010 8:44 AM Last Updated: December 21, 2010 9:35 AM
The independent advisory panel set up by then-Environment Minister Jim Prentice earlier this fall will release its well-now-we're-keenly-anticipating-it assessment of, as Prentice put it back in September, "the current state of environmental research and monitoring in the region around Alberta's oil sands," as well as "recommendations to ensure that state-of-the-art monitoring and best practices are implemented."

After a background briefing on the report, courtesy of various unnamed and unnameable Environment Canada officials, the current acting minister -- Government House Leader John Baird, in case you've forgotten -- will join panel chair Elizabeth Dowdeswell on stage at the National Press Theatre, as NDP environment critic Linda Duncan waits virtually in the wings to deliver her party's reaction.

Meanwhile, the Conservative Party, it seems, is wasting no time in sending newly anointed Senator Larry Smith out on the partisan lecture circuit. Just one day after PMO announced that he would be added to the roster in the Senate, he's being dispatched to Lac-Saint-Louis to speak to the local riding association. As yet, there's no word when yesterday's other appointment to the Other Place will make his official debut, but I'll keep you posted. 

UPDATE: So, apparently, I'm the only person who didn't realize that Larry Smith will, in fact, be announcing his intention to carry the Conservative banner in this particular riding during the next federal election. So, any guesses on where they'll run Reverend Don Meredith? Somehow, I'm doubting he'll ditch his Senate gig to make another attempt at unseating Bob Rae in Toronto Centre. 

For up to the minute dispatches from the precinct and beyond, keep your eye on the Parliament Hill Ticker below -- or, alternatively, bookmark it and check back throughout the day. 

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Tags: blackberry jungle, orders of the day