Orders of the Day - Let the July Fourthtivities commence!

With Canada/Dominion Day celebrations now safely behind it, the capital turns its attention to the next national holiday on the calendar: the Fourth of July, or "American Independence Day", as the advisory from Ottawa City Hall puts it, where, later this morning, US Ambassador David Jacobson will join Mayor Jim Watson for the traditional raising of the flag.

Once Old Glory is at full flutter, Ambassador Jacobson will be presented with three "historical photographs" from John F. Kennedy's 1961 visit to Ottawa, after which he will head back to the official residence in Rockliffe to prepare for tonight's festivities, which will include a performance by the Nepean All-City Jazz Band and "a variety of delicious picnic favourites."

Back on the Hill: Liberal aboriginal affairs critic Carolyn Bennett launches a new, youth-focused "summer initiative" on behalf of her party, which will kick off with a discussion of issues faced in Aboriginal and Northern communities.

Out and about on the ministerial circuit:

• Government House Leader Peter Van Loan continues his tour of Newfoundland with a trip to Plum Point, where he will "highlight a contribution" to a local seniors' association, and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Peter Penashue details new arts and culture initiatives at the Pasadena Lions Club. 
  
  
• In Atlantic Canada, Revenue Minister Gail Shea spreads federal largess throughout her home province of Prince Edward Island, with stops at the Artisan Cooperative in Abram Village and Trout River Industries in Coleman. 
  
  
• Meanwhile, in New Brunswick, Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield is in Fredericton to show federal support for seniors before travelling to Minto with money for TRACC. 
  
  
• In Quebec, Transport Minister Denis Lebel provides "financial assistance" to La Tuque-based John Lewis Industries, and then heads to Saint-Irenee with a "contribution" earmarked for Le Domaine Forget de Charlevoix. 
  
  
• On the Ontario leg of the good news tour. Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver joins forces with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to unveil new funding for "energy efficiency" in the Town of the Blue Mountains, and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz drops by a Waterloo fruit farm with glad tidings for apple growers. 
  
  
• Elsewhere in the province, Minister of State for Science Gary Goodyear launches a "new fund for southern Ontario businesses" in Brantford, with a similar event scheduled for Peterborough with prime ministerial parliamentary secretary Dean Del Mastro presiding. 
  
  
• Finally, Human Resources Minister Diane Finley delivers an "important announcement" at Citizenship and Immigration offices in Toronto, with her cabinet colleague, Jason Kenney, set to do the same in Calgary in what one can only assume is a satellite event. 

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.