Orders of the Day - Let the outpouring of in camera-induced outrage resume!

A day later than expected, but accompanied by no less -- and very possibly more -- potential for political controversy, the online surveillance bill previewed in yesterday's OotD is expected to make its first official appearance on the Order Paper later this morning.

The legislation will be unveiled by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews at a press conference at Ottawa Police headquarters, during which the minister will almost certainly be asked to elaborate on his most recent related comments in the House, in which he seemingly equated opposition to the bill with support for child pornographers -- a remark that hearkened back to the last stretch of the 2004 Conservative campaign, and a series of news releases accusing the then-leaders of every other party of the very same thing.

Back on the Hill, the Commons will once again ring out with the default status outrage that is invariably espoused by opposition parties confronted with a motion to impose time allocation. 

In this case, however, the very fact that Government House Leader Peter Van Loan was obliged to invoke the once-rarely-used tactic should be sufficiently embarrassing to ensure sheepish faces on the Conservative side of the House, given that the object thereof is the entirely innocuous S-5, a bill that would establish a statutorily-required review of Canadian financial institutions, a non-contentious bit of housekeeping business that would, under normal circumstances, sail through all stages on the wings of unanimous consent with nary a peep of opposition opprobrium.   So poisoned, it seems, is the current state of relations between house leaders that even that modest aspiration is apparently beyond the government's reach; hence, the need for time allocation, and, most likely, the consumption of an entire sitting day for the subsequent second reading debate.

(Once the opposition has gotten its collective back up about closure, there's little chance that they will allow the debate to collapse, not because they have anything new to say about the bill in question, but as a matter of passive aggressive principle.) 

Also potentially worth watching: after the time allotted for government orders expires at 5:30, the private members' business portion of the day will be devoted to a second hour of debate on Conservative MP Brian Storseth's bid to yank online communications from the purview of the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Meanwhile, on the committee front:  the filibuster "Marathon of Indignation" at Official Languages, which was sparked by the government's latest attempt to force committee business behind closed doors, will resume later this morning -- and yes, I'll be there, liveblog-ready BlackBerry in hand. 

Ethics continues its review of the Lobbying Act with appearances by the Canadian Bar Association and Universite Laval professor Raymond Hudon, and, if time allows, will also consider -- in public, even -- a motion from NDP MP Pierre-Luc Dessault, which, "in light of witness testimony" on offences under the Act, call forth "representatives of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to testify with regard to [its] interpretation."

Justice committee members will hear more about the implications of the government's bid to modernize the citizens' arrest defence from University of Toronto law professor Hamish Stewart and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

House of Commons Clerk Audrey O'Brien will share her experience and expertise on broadcasting of Chamber proceedings at Procedure and House Affairs, while at Health, Conservative MP Patricia Davidson will present her bill to increase regulation of non-corrective cosmetic contact lenses.

Over at Canadian Heritage, the 150th anniversary party planning is still in full swing, as representaties from the Canada Science and Technology Museum join National Gallery of Canada director Marc Mayer and Stewart Museum executive director Guy Vadenboncoeur to provide their respective perspectives on the upcoming occasion. 

Also still (still!) ongoing at Environment: in camera consideration of the draft report that resulted from the committee's statutory review of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, which has been underway behind closed doors since the House returned, with no apparent end in sight. (Yes, we've noticed, by the way.)

On the media circuit: Interim NDP Leader Nycole Turmel will make an appearance outside the PM's Wellington Street office block, where Réseau Solidarité Itinérance du Québec will issue its "demands" for the Homelessness Partnership Strategy Program.

Back on the Hill, Liberal MP Kirsty Duncan convenes the press for an update on her private members bill on Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI).

Her caucus colleague Jim Karygiannis is also set to hit the Charles Lynch Press Theatre later this morning, where, accompanied by members of the Canadian Armenian community, he will call attention to an (unnamed) Conservative senator's purported attempt to "encourage" Canada to "drop speeches" on Armenian Genocide Day.

At the Government Conference Centre, an all-party panel of parliamentarians --  NDP MP Jean Crowder, Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner, BQ MP Jean-François Fortin, Green Party MP Elizabeth May, and Conservative Senator Don Meredith discuss poverty in Canada at a conference hosted by the Dignity For All Campaign. (No, I'm not sure why the government caucus was unable to rustle up a single elected politician to take part in the event, and yes it does look a little bit odd, now that you mention it.)

Finally, later this afternoon, Potash Corporation president and CEO William Doyle joins members of the Canadian Club of Ottawa for lunch at the Chateau Laurier, where he will share his experience as a "Canadian company doing business around the world."

Also out and about today: Transport Minister Denis Lebel heads to the Ottawa airport for an announcement on Canada-US air travel and Defence Minister Peter MacKay joins his German counterpart to reveal new developments in bilateral relations. 
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.