Inside Politics

Orders of the Day - Merkelmentum is building!

by Kady O'Malley Posted: August 16, 2012 8:11 AM Last Updated: August 16, 2012 8:21 AM
Clear the cobwebs from the Reading Room chandeliers, herd the tumbleweeds out of the Rotunda and don't forget to look both busy and efficient, Hill denizens: our first international VIP visit of the summer is about to get underway.

According to the itinerary provided by PMO, German Chancellor Angela Merkel will arrive on Parliament Hill at 9:15, where she will be greeted by the PM before being whisked away for a "tete-a-tete" meeting in his Centre Block office. 

The meeting is scheduled to wrap up just before 11am, allowing the leaders to take part in what the advisory rather jauntily describes as "the Hall of Honour walk," which will end at the Reading Room, where the pair will  deliver a "joint statement"  -- and, presumably, take at least a few questions from reporters.

Before she heads back across the Atlantic, the chancellor will also make a brief appearance in Halifax, where she will join Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear to witness the signing of a bilateral research agreement at Dalhousie University.

On the non-Merkel-related Hill schedule day: Public service unions representing workers "in Canadian prisons, at the borders, in the Justice department and in the RCMP" are set to share their "concerns" about federal cuts at a mid-afternoon press conference. 

Later today, United Nations Environment Programme representatives will release the latest State of the Environment Report.

Meanwhile, on the ministerial circuit:

  • Treasury Board President Tony Clement drops by St. John's, where he will share the latest news on his government's red-tape reduction strategy with members of the local board of trade.
  • Also out and about in Atlantic Canada today: ACOA Minister Bernard Valcourt, who heads to Dartmouth with new funding for four Halifax-based information and communication technology companies, and Conservative MP Robert Goguen, who will "celebrate" the official openings of affordable housing projects in Dieppe and Moncton. 
  • Back in Ontario, Defence Minister Peter MacKay delivers money for base infrastructure improvements to the Land Force Central Area Training Centre in Meaford, Conservative MP Cheryl Gallant heads to Chalk River with federal cash for Bubble Technology Industries and Rick Dykstra unveils new housing money in his home riding of St. Catharines.
  • On the west coast, British Columbia MP Cathy McLeod hosts a roundtable on red tape reduction with "local business owners" in Merritt.

Finally, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair pays a visit to Gaspesie, where, according to the advisory, he will meet with "local artists, community representatives and organizations." 

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. 

Mobile-friendly auto-updating text feed available here

Tags: blackberry jungle, orders of the day