Orders of the Day - Another day, another marathon voting session. (Maybe.)

The NDP will get one last chance to control the parliamentary agenda when the the final opposition day of the spring supply cycle gets underway later this afternoon with what is likely to be a fiery debate on the state of Canada's search and rescue services.

The motion, which stands in the name of St. John's MP Jack Harris, calls on the government to recognize that "saving lives is the top priority" for the Coast Guard and, given that, "reverse the decisions" to shutter search and rescue coordination centres in Newfoundland, Quebec City and Vancouver. 

Later tonight, the House will hold a final vote on two keenly watched Conservative private members' bills: Dan Albas' proposal to allow wine-lovers to tote bottles across provincial borders(C-311), and Brian Storseth's bid to strip from the Canadian Human Rights Act the perennially contentious Section 13, which governs online hate messages (C-304).

Coincidentally, the House is set to give - or, alternately. withhold - approval in principal of a second human rights bill: C-279, introduced by NDP MP Randall Garrison, which would add gender identity and expression to the aforementioned Act. Also up for second reading tonight: Liberal MP Hedy Fry's cyberbullying bill (C-273) and Bloc Quebecois MP Louis Plamandon's motion to tax the salary of the Governor General.

Before the House can deal with private members' business, however, it has to dispose of the main estimates, which must be passed before the supply cycle expires later this month.

According to the Notice Paper, only one vote will be officially "opposed" -- the NDP, it seems, does not see the need to hand over $58 million to the Senate -- but the debate on the main motion could still carry on until 10pm, provided there are MPs willing and able to speak, which means that government backbenchers won't be able to stray far from the precinct without running the risk of being a no-show for a critical vote that is, of course, automatically a question of confidence.

Opposition MPs can, of course, lose votes without suffering any particular consequence, which is one reason why the threat of round-the-clock omnibudget voting may well be regarded with more unconcealed dread within the Conservative caucus than their colleagues across the aisle.

Meanwhile, on the committee circuit, the traditional end-of-year scramble to report back to the House before the summer recess has pushed most meetings behind closed doors.

Nonetheless, both Government Operations and Aboriginal Affairs are set to sit in public to consider the first round of supplementary estimates, which were tabled late last month, with the former scheduled to hear from various senior departmental officials, and the latter playing host to the relevant minister, John Duncan.

Meanwhile, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair will hit the parliamentary lawn to speak at a vigil in support of veterans and their families, which will both commemorate the 68th anniversary of D-Day and "highlight concerns" with the new Veterans Act.


Elsewhere on the Hill, representatives from the Climate Action Network and the Canadian Labour Congress join forces to "denounce" the omnibudget bill for "driving a wedge between the economy and the environment," and unveil a "counter plan" that would, according to the advisory "create climate jobs and reducing carbon emissions over the next 10 years."

Over at the Chateau Laurier, the School of Public Policy releases a new report on the "infrastructure deficit," which, the advisory suggests, "can only be overcome with costs paid by users of that infrastructure."

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews heads to one of his favourite venues, Ottawa Police Services HQ, for an "important announcement" on human trafficking, with synchronized events scheduled to be held in Montreal, as well as Surrey, where Conservative MP Joy Smith is set to appear at a local RCMP operations centre. Given that context, it would seem likely that the announcement in question relates to Smith's private members' bill on the issue, which would impose tougher penalties on traffickers.

Finally, former prime minister Brian Mulroney will take the stage at the Chateau Laurier during a fundraising dinner hosted by RX&D, the industry association that represents "Canada's research-based pharmaceuticals." 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.