Inside Politics

Liveblog: Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaks to the National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Congress

2012-05-30T21:37:13Z

The PM makes a rare prime time appearance in the capital as the guest of honour at the inaugural National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Congress.

The conference, which is billed as the first such event to be held in Canada, is being organized by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, a registered charity that issued tax receipts for $2,772,436 in 2010.

The OFAH has also lobbied the government on a variety of issues, including, most recently, fish habitat regulation, which will undergo sweeping revision as part of the omnibus budget bill.

Also listed as sponsors of the conference: the Dallas Safari Club, the Montana-based Boone and Crockett Club, the Wild Sheep Foundation of Wyoming and Conservation Force, based out of Louisiana.

Earlier this month, Environment Minister Peter Kent accused Canadian environmental groups of "laundering foreign funds for inappropriate use against Canadian interest."

Under the same bill that will streamline fisheries regulations, the government is also moving to tighten the rules that govern political activities by charitable organizations.

Check back at 7pm for full coverage!

Mobile-friendly text feed available here or hit the jump for the full ScribbleLive experience!

]]> The PM makes a rare prime time appearance in the capital as the guest of honour at the inaugural National Fish and Wildlife Conservation Congress.

Also listed as sponsors of the conference: the Dallas Safari Club, the Montana-based Boone and Crockett Club, the Wild Sheep Foundation of Wyoming and Conservation Force, based out of Louisiana.

Earlier this month, Environment Minister Peter Kent accused Canadian environmental groups of "laundering foreign funds for inappropriate use against Canadian interest."

In an interview with CBC's The House, Kent said: "There are allegations -- and we have very strong suspicions -- that some funds have come into the country improperly to obstruct, not to assist, in the environmental assessment process."

Under the same bill that will streamline fisheries regulations, the government is also moving to tighten the rules that govern political activities by charitable organizations.

Check back at 7pm for full coverage! The OFAH has also lobbied the government on a variety of issues, including, most recently, fish habitat regulation, which will also undergo sweeping revision as part of the omnibus budget bill.

Mobile-friendly text feed available here.

Power & Politics' Ballot Box question

2012-05-30T20:25:17Z

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Ballot Box replaces our Question of the Day. Learn more about our new interactive features for Power & Politics and how you can take part in the political conversation -- live and on-screen -- here. Ballot Box refreshes daily - the question you see above is the current question.

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Ballot Box replaces our Question of the Day. Learn more about our new interactive features for Power & Politics and how you can take part in the political conversation -- live and on-screen -- here. Ballot Box refreshes daily - the question you see above is the current question.

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House of Commons Liveblog: The CP Rail back-to-work bill (#C39)

2012-05-29T18:45:00Z

Parliamentary junkies, set your watches: The Great CP Rail Back-to-Work Debate is set to get underway just after 3pm today and continue until -- well, no one knows for sure, although it's a safe bet that the Chamber will still be alive with the sound of parliamentary democracy when the clock strikes midnight, and quite possibly far longer.

In any case, I'll be following -- and liveblogging -- tonight's events from start to finish, although depending on how late it goes, I may alternate between live and remote viewing via ParlVu, depending on which seems more conducive to comprehensive, coherent and colourful coverage.

In the meantime, here's a tentative rundown of how we expect tonight's legislative mad dash to unfold:

After QP wraps up, the government will invoke closure on the motion to allocate just 3.5 hours of debate on the back-to-work legislation itself, which will be followed by 30 minutes for questions and comments, a 30 minute bell and a vote.

Once that's been ticked off the to-do list, the Chamber will resume debate on the time allocation motion itself, which will carry on until 8pm -- with a one-hour break for private members' business/dinner/dog-walking -- at which point there will be another 30 minute bell and vote before the back-to-work bill -- C-39, that is -- can be brought forward, and the real marathon begins.

How long will that take? As is so often the case when it comes to parliamentary business, that depends.

Although the time allocation motion imposes a rigid schedule on the length of the various stages of debate -- two hours for second reading, one hour for Committee of the Whole (CotW) and 30 minutes for third reading -- when it comes to votes, including votes on any amendments that are proposed during CotW, the clock stops.

Unless the House agrees to apply results -- which requires unanimous consent, and as such, seems unlikely to occur -- that means a standing vote for each amendment, as well the 19 clauses in the bill itself. Depending on how quickly MPs stand up to be counted during the roll call, that will take between 7 and 10 minutes per vote.

Once CotW has wound down, the Chamber will hit the final lap -- third reading, which means one more hour of debate -- before one last 30 minute bell and a final vote. After that, everyone gets to go home to bed -- or, depending on exactly what time it is, caucus. Or breakfast. Do they serve breakfast at caucus? They really should on days like this.

In any case, check back at 3pm for full coverage -- but be prepared to stick around for the night.

Mobile-friendly auto-updating feed here or hit the jump for the full ScribbleLive experience.

]]> NOTE: Scroll down for up-to-the-minute coverage via Scribblelive

After QP wraps up, the government will invoke closure on the motion to allocate just 3.5 hours of debate on the back-to-work legislation itself, which will be followed by 30 minutes for questions and comments, a 30 minute bell and a vote.

Once that's been ticked off the to-do list, the Chamber will resume debate on the time allocation motion itself, which will carry on until 8pm -- with a one-hour break for private members' business/dinner/dog-walking -- at which point there will be another 30 minute bell and vote before the back-to-work bill -- C-39, that is -- can be brought forward, and the real marathon begins.

How long will that take? As is so often the case when it comes to parliamentary business, that depends.

Although the time allocation motion imposes a rigid schedule on the length of the various stages of debate -- two hours for second reading, one hour for Committee of the Whole (CotW) and 30 minutes for third reading -- when it comes to votes, including votes on any amendments that are proposed during CotW, the clock stops.

Unless the House agrees to apply results -- which requires unanimous consent, and as such, seems unlikely to occur -- that means a standing vote for each amendment, as well the 19 clauses in the bill itself. Depending on how quickly MPs stand up to be counted during the roll call, that will take between 7 and 10 minutes per vote.

Once CotW has wound down, the Chamber will hit the final lap -- third reading, which means one more hour of debate -- before one last 30 minute bell and a final vote. After that, everyone gets to go home to bed -- or, depending on exactly what time it is, caucus. Or breakfast. Do they serve breakfast at caucus? They really should on days like this.

In any case, I'll be following -- and liveblogging -- tonight's events from start to finish, although depending on how late it goes, I may alternate between live and remote viewing via ParlVu, depending on which seems more conducive to comprehensive, coherent and colourful coverage.

Check back at 3pm for the first round of debate -- and be prepared to stick around for the night.

Mobile-friendly auto-updating feed here.

UPDATED | OotD - No Sleep Till ... 3rd Reading of the CP Back To Work Bill!

2012-05-29T16:15:00Z

As the battle over the Canadian Pacific back-to-work bill looms over the parliamentary horizon, according to the Projected Order of Business, the House will kick off what will likely be the longest uninterrupted sitting day of the year on a distinctly anticlimactic note: third reading of the pooled registered pensions bill.

But as the saying goes, don't mistake the map - or, in this case, the POB - for the territory. Objects -- or obstructionist procedural tactics -- may indeed be closer than they appear.

Hit the jump for the full post.

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But as the saying goes, don't mistake the map - or, in this case, the POB - for the territory. Objects -- or obstructionist procedural tactics -- may indeed be closer than they appear.

After all, the government's workplan for the morning could be easily curtailed, if not derailed, by a well- (or, depending on your perspective, ill-) timed opposition-proposed motion to concur in one of the many committee reports languishing on the Order Paper, which would force the government to interrupt proceedings with a motion to move onto regular House business in order to get back on schedule.

Indeed, the government itself could choose to postpone the pensions bill debate to take care of a bit of pre-emptive procedural loose-end tying to clear the decks for eventual swift passage of the refugee reform bill: there is, after all, a pending time allocation motion, which, if moved, would use up an additional hour or so of House time.

UPDATE @ 11:45 am: As predicted, the refugee bill time allocation motion was, indeed, called, thus delaying the scheduled debate by an hour, but leaving the full programme otherwise unaffected.

In any case, the Great CP Rail Back-to-Work Debate won't get underway until 3pm, when the government is expected to invoke the closure motion for which notice was duly given yesterday, which will take approximately an hour, as it requires 30 minutes for questions and comments, a 30 minute bell and, finally, a vote.

Once that's been ticked off the to-do list, the Chamber will resume debate of the main time allocation motion, which will continue until 8pm -- with a one-hour break for private members' business/dinner/dog-walking -- and concludes with another 30 minute bell and one final vote before the back-to-work bill itself can be brought forward, and the real marathon begins.

So how long will that take? As is so often the case when it comes to parliamentary business, that depends.

Although the time allocation motion imposes a rigid schedule on the length of the various stages of debate -- two hours for second reading, one hour for committee of the whole and 30 minutes for third reading -- when it comes to votes, including votes on amendments that may or may not (read: may) be proposed during CotW, the clock stops.

Unless the House agrees to apply results, that would mean a full standing vote for each amendment, which generally takes between 7 and 10 minutes, depending on how quickly MPs stand up to be counted during the roll call, which could push the final vote on the bill into the wee small hours of the morning.

UPDATE: As I was reminded after posting, the House must also vote on each and every one of the 19 clauses in the bill, as well as the bill itself, which means that even if no amendments are brought forward, it would take just one stroppy MP to deny consent to apply results to force a bout of midnight voting madness, which would likely take at least 2 hours to complete.

Once CotW has wound down, the Chamber will hit the final hour of debate at third reading. After that, everyone gets to go home to bed -- or, depending on exactly what time it is, caucus. Or breakfast. Do they serve breakfast at caucus? They really should on days like this.

While all that is going on, the Finance committee and C-38 subcommittee will continue with their respective reviews of the omnibudget bill, with three super-sized sessions set to unfold today for a combined total of 12 hours of hearings, all of which will almost certainly be interrupted in mid-testimony at least once for back-to-work bill-related voting business.

On the witness list at the main committee this morning: the Canadian Association of Professional Professional Employees, Democracy Watch coordinator Tyler Sommers, Merit Canada and the United Food and Commercial Workers.

Later today, committee members will hear from the Canadian Labour Congress, former RCMP complaints commissioner Paul Kennedy, the Windsor Police Service, the director of Border Law Enforcement Strategies at Public Safety, and the RCMP's Border Integrity division, as well as various and sundry witnesses that have yet to be announced.

Over at the subcommittee, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo will be part of a panel that will also include University of Alberta ecology professor David Schindler, the BC Coast Pilots Association and Liberal MP David McGuinty.

At 8:30 -- the halfway point -- a new batch of witnesses will take the stand, including the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, Ecojustice Canada, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Pacific Pilotage Authority, the First Nations Tax Commission and, somewhat bizarrely, Environment and Sustainable Development Commissioner Scott Vaughan, who one might think deserves a slot of his own.

Earlier on the committee front, Public Accounts meets behind closed doors to deal with as yet unresolved -- and, of course, unspecified -- "business", which almost certainly involves the government's attempt to shut down the F-35 inquiry without hearing from further witnesses.

Later this morning, Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand heads to Procedure and House Affairs, ostensibly to discuss his office budget under the latest estimates, but more likely to field -- or, depending on his level of reticence, avoid -- questions on the ongoing robocalls investigations.

Finally, over at Ethics, turns its attention to social media, and specifically, the privacy implications thereof, during an appearance by Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart.
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

&lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=03912b8768" &gt;Parliament Hill Liveblog&lt;/a&gt;

Follow politics live on our Hill tickers

2012-05-29T10:00:00Z

Follow the latest tweets from Parliament Hill in our liveblog.

You can also keep track of other active liveblogs and tickers via the handy-dandy menu, which gives you instant access to all active and completed events from a single window.

Mobile-friendly auto-updating text feed available here or hit the jump for the full CoveritLive experience.]]>
You can also keep track of other active liveblogs and tickers via the handy-dandy menu, which gives you instant access to all active and completed events from a single window.

Mobile-friendly auto-updating text feed available here.

Omnibudget Liveblog: C-38 goes to committee -- and subcommittee, too!

2012-05-28T22:00:00Z

Both the Finance committee and C-38 subcommittee will kick off independent, but ultimately complementary reviews of the omnibudget bill this afternoon, with overlapping super-sized sessions set to run from 3:30 to 8:30 pm, and 6:30 to 10pm, respectively.

On the witness list at the main committee: senior officials from virtually every department that will be affected by the legislation, as well as the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Canadians for Tax Fairness, the Grain Growers of Canada, Imagine Canada and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada and blogger Vivian Krause, who has written extensively about alleged foreign funding of Canadian environmental charities.

The subcommittee, meanwhile, will hear from Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the Canadian Nuclear Association, the Federation of Ontario Cottagers' Association, the Ontario Commercial Fisheries' Association, the Canadian Construction Association, the Mining Association of Canada and the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities.

Given the conflicting schedules, it is, alas, impossible for one liveblogger to cover both meetings at the same time. Instead, I'm going to try to keep track of both rooms through the ParlVu livestreams, which should allow me to monitor interesting and/or noteworthy events in both rooms. That's the plan, anyway. We'll see how it works.

Check back at 6:30 pm for full coverage!

Mobile-friendly text feed available here.or hit the jump for full SL coverage. ]]> Both the Finance committee and C-38 subcommittee will kick off independent, but ultimately complementary reviews of the omnibudget bill this afternoon, with overlapping super-sized sessions set to run from 3:30 to 8:30 pm, and 6:30 to 10pm, respectively.

Check back at 6:30 pm for full coverage!

Mobile-friendly text feed available here.

Power & Politics' Ballot Box question

2012-05-28T20:24:56Z

Orders of the Day - Back to work, everyone!

2012-05-28T13:34:48Z

Move over, copyright reform bill -- due to the ongoing CP Rail Strike, you're about to be bumped from the House agenda -- not permanently, but for the next few days, at least, in order to clear the decks for what the government likely hopes will be the swift, and relatively procedural antic-free passage of that back-to-work bill that Labour Minister Lisa Raitt promised to bring forward this week if the parties had failed to reach an agreement by Monday.

To ensure that outcome, however, the government must first pass the preemptive time allocation motion that the government laid out last week, which, as previewed in Orders of the Day, would impose a hard deadline: once second reading has begun, MPs will have just 3.5 hours to consider the bill at all stages. Under the Standing Orders, notice is required to invoke closure on that debate -- on the motion, that is, not the bill itself -- which means that the government won't be able to bring down the hammer until Tuesday.

Once that happens, however, the House can move straight to the legislation, which, barring unforeseen delays, will likely be signed, sealed and delivered to the Senate before midnight, and law by the end of the week.

Hit the jump for the full post.

]]>
To ensure that outcome, however, the government must first pass the preemptive time allocation motion that the government laid out last week, which, as previewed in Orders of the Day, would impose a hard deadline: once second reading has begun, MPs will have just 3.5 hours to consider the bill at all stages. Under the Standing Orders, notice is required to invoke closure on that debate -- on the motion, that is, not the bill itself -- which means that the government won't be able to bring down the hammer until Tuesday.

Once that happens, however, the House can move straight to the legislation, which, barring unforeseen delays, will likely be signed, sealed and delivered to the Senate before midnight, and law by the end of the week.

In any case, a quintet of ministers -- Raitt and colleagues Denis Lebel (Transport), Joe Oliver (Natural Resources), Paradis (Industry) and Ritz (Agriculture) -- have scheduled a pre-Question Period appearance in the Foyer, during which they will, presumably, provide an update on the government's back to work battle plan, although they won't be able to discuss the bill itself, as it won't be tabled in the House until later this afternoon.

Meanwhile, on the omnibudget front, both the Finance committee and C-38 subcommittee are set to begin hearings today, with overlapping meetings that are currently scheduled to run from 3:30 until 8:30 pm and 6:30 to 10pm, respectively, with witness lists that appear, at least at first glance, to produce testimony that will be all but unanimous in its enthusiastic support for the bill.

On the witness list at the main committee: senior officials from virtually every department that will be affected by the legislation, as well as the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Canadians for Tax Fairness, the Grain Growers of Canada, Imagine Canada and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada.

UPDATE: According to an updated schedule, blogger Vivian Krause will also appear before the committee.

The subcommittee, meanwhile, will hear from Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the Canadian Nuclear Association, the Federation of Ontario Cottagers' Association, the Ontario Commercial Fisheries' Association, the Canadian Construction Association, the Mining Association of Canada and the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities.

Before that gets underway, however, NDP finance critic Peggy Nash will hit the House of Commons Foyer to share the findings of its "nationwide consultations" on the bill.

Also hitting the Foyer footlights this morning: Liberal House Leader Marc Garneau will "outline" the Third Party's "parliamentary strategy in the coming days," including its "approach" to the refugee reform and omnibudget bills, which are currently at report and committee stage, respectively, and are both almost certainly on the government's wish list of legislation that it would very much like to shepherd through the House before the summer recess.

Elsewhere on the Hill, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo will meet with NDP Leader Tom Mulcair this morning.

Outside the precinct, Transport Minister Denis Lebel provides details on a new program to "test the safety and environmental performance of advanced vehicle technologies" in an afternoon event at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, and International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda drops in on a local school to launch a new initiative that "will help Canadian children learn about global development initiatives" in cooperation with Right to Play.

In Toronto, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver gives a keynote address at the Energy Matters Summit and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty hits the Hockey Hall of Fame to deliver one of his government's signature "announcements".

Finally, Defence Minister Peter MacKay will "mark a new chapter of care for CF personnel and their families" at CFB Halifax.

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

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=03912b8768" >Parliament Hill Liveblog</a>

Power & Politics' Ballot Box question

2012-05-25T20:40:25Z

Orders of the Day - The government unveils its CP Rail back-to-work bill battle plans

2012-05-25T13:03:24Z

As the Victoria Day parliamentary recess wraps up, there's really, truly nothing on the official Hill agenda for today -- all the better to store up the necessary physical, mental and psychic energy that will be required to survive the mounting frenzy of legislative catch-up leading up to the summer break, really.

Courtesy of the Notice Paper, we can, at least, get some idea how the government intends to proceed with the still theoretical Canadian Pacific back-to-work legislation, should its intervention be required when the House returns next week.

Although the details of the bill itself are not yet available, judging from the time line proposed in the accompanying time allocation motion (which, I should note, is technically not actually a time allocation motion, per se, but would have the same effect), a repeat of last year's NDP-led filibuster against the Canada Post back-to-work bill seems all but impossible: just three and a half hours will be allotted to debate: two hours for second reading, an hour at committee of the whole and a final half hour for third reading, followed by a 30 minute bell and a vote.

Then again, should the aforementioned opposition parties choose to dig in their collective heels, there are always means by which the business of the House can be delayed, or even preempted entirely, although in the end, Walsh's Law applies: it's just math. Ultimately, the government can win every vote, provided that it maintains the support of a majority of MPs.

Still, with the omnibudget bill about to go under marathon-style committee review, the copyright bill about to begin the final legislative leg of its journey through the Commons and, of course, the clock ticking down on the deadline for the main estimates, which must be passed by June 23rd when the supply cycle runs out, every sitting day counts.

Hit the jump for the full post.

]]>
Courtesy of the Notice Paper, we can, at least, get some idea how the government intends to proceed with the still theoretical Canadian Pacific back-to-work legislation, should its intervention be required when the House returns next week.

Although the details of the bill itself are not yet available, judging from the time line proposed in the accompanying time allocation motion (which, I should note, is technically not actually a time allocation motion, per se, but would have the same effect), a repeat of last year's NDP-led filibuster against the Canada Post back-to-work bill seems all but impossible: just three and a half hours will be allotted to debate: two hours for second reading, an hour at committee of the whole and a final half hour for third reading, followed by a 30 minute bell and a vote.

Then again, should the aforementioned opposition parties choose to dig in their collective heels, there are always means by which the business of the House can be delayed, or even preempted entirely, although in the end, Walsh's Law applies: it's just math. Ultimately, the government can win every vote, provided that it maintains the support of a majority of MPs.

Still, with the omnibudget bill about to go under marathon-style committee review, the copyright bill about to begin the final legislative leg of its journey through the Commons and, of course, the clock ticking down on the deadline for the main estimates, which must be passed by June 23rd when the supply cycle runs out, every sitting day counts.

On the ministerial circuit today:

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney wends his way back to Toronto after spending most of the week gladhanding his way across the East Coast. His first stop: the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council, where he will provide the details of a "new agreement" to "help regulators take action against unscrupulous immigration representatives." After that, it's off to the Empire Club for a speech.

Also in Toronto today: Environment Minister Peter Kent and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who will make a joint appearance at the West Rouge Community Centre, during which the duo will announce -- well, to be scrupulously accurate, confirm, as promised in last year's Speech from the Throne -- the creation of the Rouge National Urban Park

Before that gets underway, however, Flaherty will start his day in Oshawa, where he will serves as guest speaker at an "economic development forum" hosted by the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

Back in Ottawa, fresh from yesterday's adventures in employment insurance reform-related strategic revelation, Human Resources Minister Diane Finley pops by the Centretown Citizens apartment complex to share the details of new funding for affordable housing and take part in an "official opening."

Also out and about in the capital: Conservative MP Vic Toews, who will stand in for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews at Missing Children's Day at a local school.

Elsewhere in Ontario, his backbench colleague Guy Lauzon brings glad tidings -- very likely in the form of a government cheque -- to the local soybean sector in Inkerman.

Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear attends the annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Waterloo, where he will unveil "new research partnerships among the academic, private, public and not-for-profit sectors."

Moving west, Minister of State (Transport) Steven Fletcher makes a second attempt at an "important announcement" at VIA Rail's Winnipeg Union Station, an event that was originally scheduled to take place yesterday, but was apparently postponed.

Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver welcomes attendees to the Alberta Chambers of Commerce annual general meeting in Sherwood Park.

In Atlantic Canada, meanwhile, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Peter Penashue "celebrates the completion" of a new building at Memorial University, and finally, in Quebec, Senator Claude Carignan represents the government at the opening of a new seniors home in Mercier.

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

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=03912b8768" >Parliament Hill Liveblog</a>

Power & Politics' Ballot Box question

2012-05-24T20:31:51Z

Liveblog - Former MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj pleads his case

2012-05-24T16:21:12Z

Former Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj is back in Ottawa, although not, at least as yet, as a duly, if belatedly, elected Member of Parliament, although that does seem to be his ultimate goal.

Wrzesnewskyj will make himself available to the media at Liberal Party headquarters at 1 p.m. ET, where he will provide an update on the court challenge that culminated -- at least so far -- in last week's decision by an Ontario judge to declare the results of the 2011 election in Etobicoke Centre null and void.

Hit the jump for more and for the full Scribble Live experience. Mobile users, just click here.
]]> Wrzesnewskyj is back in Ottawa, although not, at least as yet, as a duly, if belatedly, elected Member of Parliament, although that does seem to be his ultimate goal.

Wrzesnewskyj will make himself available to the media at Liberal Party headquarters at 1 p.m. ET, where he will provide an update on the court challenge that culminated -- at least so far -- in last week's decision by an Ontario judge to declare the results of the 2011 election in Etobicoke Centre null and void.

According to the advisory, he also plans to call on the PM to "announce the date of a by-election immediately" and "commit to a fair fight that follows the letter and spirit of the Canada Elections Act."

(At this point, it's worth noting that the sitting MP for that riding, Conservative Ted Opitz, who was Wrzesnewsky's opponent both on the hustings and in court, still has five days to launch an appeal of that ruling. Given that, the demand for a by-election seems a wee bit premature.)

Come back at 1 p.m. for the full - or at least, Borys W.'s side thereof - story via our live blog, below.

Mobile users, follow the live blog here.

Liveblog: The government (finally) unveils its employment insurance reforms ...

2012-05-24T14:15:00Z

After days of playing coy on how it plans to reform the employment insurance system, the government, it appears, is finally ready to share the details with Canadians.

Later this morning, Human Resources Minister Diane Finley is set to hit the stage at the National Press Theatre for an "important announcement," and although the official advisory is maddeningly vague on the topic du jour, the government has made it clear, albeit via back channel communications with media, that she will unveil at least part of the Conservative vision for a more efficient regime, thus putting to rest, at least in theory, the increasingly dire, if wildly contradictory stream of speculation, informed and otherwise, that has dominated the discussion thus far.

Then again, if the recent slow-motion reveal on Old Age Security changes is anything to go by, if the government harbours hopes of regaining control over the conversation, it already has its work cut out for it. It turns out that giving notice -- via leak or unexpected prime ministerial musings in Davos -- of one's intention to move forward on a particular file with no accompanying context on what one intends to actually do almost always results in apocalyptic worst-case-scenario-izing by an apprehensive public, which immediately seized upon and lovingly nurtured by one's political opponents.

The resulting damage, it seems, can be devilishly difficult to undo. To paraphrase Mark Twain, a leak can travel halfway around the world before the official release with backgrounder has its boots on.

In any case, both opposition parties are sending over MPs to provide on-the-spot EI reaction, with Peggy Nash holding court at the NPT on behalf of the New Democrats, and Cape Bretoner Rodger Cuzner doing the same for the Liberals.

Check back at 10:30 for full coverage!

Mobile-friendly text feed available here or hit the jump for the full CoveritLive experience. ]]>
Later this morning, Human Resources Minister Diane Finley is set to hit the stage at the National Press Theatre for an "important announcement," and although the official advisory is maddeningly vague on the topic du jour, the government has made it clear, albeit via back channel communications with media, that she will unveil at least part of the Conservative vision for a more efficient regime, thus putting to rest, at least in theory, the increasingly dire, if wildly contradictory stream of speculation, informed and otherwise, that has dominated the discussion thus far.

Then again, if the recent slow-motion reveal on Old Age Security changes is anything to go by, if the government harbours hopes of regaining control over the conversation, it already has its work cut out for it. It turns out that giving notice -- via leak or unexpected prime ministerial musings in Davos -- of one's intention to move forward on a particular file with no accompanying context on what one intends to actually do almost always results in apocalyptic worst-case-scenario-izing by an apprehensive public, which immediately seized upon and lovingly nurtured by one's political opponents.

Check back at 10:30 for full coverage!

Mobile-friendly text feed available here.

UPDATED - Orders of the Day - HRDC Minister Diane Finley (finally) lifts the curtain on planned EI reforms

2012-05-24T11:51:13Z

After days of playing coy on how it plans to reform the employment insurance system, the government, it appears, is finally ready to share the details with Canadians.

Hit the jump for the full post.

]]>
Later this morning, Human Resources Minister Diane Finley is set to hit the stage at the National Press Theatre for an "important announcement," and although the official advisory is maddeningly vague on the topic du jour, the government has made it clear, albeit via back channel communications with media, that she will unveil at least part of the Conservative vision for a more efficient regime, thus putting to rest, at least in theory, the increasingly dire, if wildly contradictory stream of speculation, informed and otherwise, that has dominated the discussion thus far.

Then again, if the recent slow-motion reveal on Old Age Security changes is anything to go by, if the government harbours hopes of regaining control over the conversation, it already has its work cut out for it. It turns out that giving notice -- via leak or unexpected prime ministerial musings in Davos -- of one's intention to move forward on a particular file with no accompanying context on what one intends to actually do almost always results in apocalyptic worst-case-scenario-izing by an apprehensive public, which immediately seized upon and lovingly nurtured by one's political opponents.

The resulting damage, it seems, can be devilishly difficult to undo. To paraphrase Mark Twain, a leak can travel halfway around the world before the official release with backgrounder has its boots on.

In any case, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair will likely have something to say about the announcement at his press conference in La Baie later today, where he will appear alongside local NDP MP Dany Morin.

UPDATE: According to the gallery listserv, both opposition parties are sending over MPs to provide on-the-spot EI reaction, with Peggy Nash holding court at the NPT on behalf of the New Democrats, and Cape Bretoner Rodger Cuzner doing the same for the Liberals.

Meanwhile, back in Ottawa, former Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj is -- well, back in Ottawa, although not, at least as yet, as a duly, if belatedly, elected Member of Parliament, although that does seem to be his ultimate goal.

Later this afternoon, he will make himself available to the media at Liberal Party headquarters, where he will provide an update on the court challenge that culminated -- at least so far -- in last week's decision by an Ontario judge to declare the results of the 2011 election in Etobicoke Centre null and void.

According to the advisory, he also plans to call on the PM to "announce the date of a by-election immediately" and "commit to a fair fight that follows the letter and spirit of the Canada Elections Act."

(At this point, it's worth noting that the sitting MP for that riding, Conservative Ted Opitz, who was Wrzesnewsky's opponent both on the hustings and in court, still has five days to launch an appeal of that ruling. Given that, the demand for a by-election seems a wee bit premature.)

On the ministerial circuit:

Treasury Board President Tony Clement makes his way home to Parry Sound, where an "important funding announcement" will be made at the Fireside Cafe.

Back in Toronto, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson will be in attendance as the Canadian Centre for Child Protection launches a new child search service, and Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney convenes a "consultation roundtable" on "business travel between the United States and Canada."

Also in Toronto: Minister of State Steven Fletcher, who will attend the "official opening" of Via Rail's new Panorama Lounge before heading to Manitoba for an "important announcement" at Winnipeg's Union Station.

Elsewhere in Ontario, Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear will reveal a new initiative to "boost economic growth and jobs" in a speech to the London Chamber of Commerce, and Minister of State for Sport Bal Gosal drops by Mississauga-based Eat-In Foods Inc. to show support for food processors.

Veterans Affairs Minister Steve Blaney heads to Dorval with good news for four local projects, as elsewhere in La Belle Province, Transport Minister Denis Lebel holds a news conference on the Cooperative de solidarite Valoribois.

On the east coast, the show of federal support continues apace, with New Brunswick once again hosting ACOA Minister Bernard Valcourt as he delivers more funding for local projects, with still more glad tidings set to be heralded in Saint John and Miramichi by local Conservative MPs Rodney Weston and Tilly O'Neill Gordon, respectively.

In St. John's, Senator Norman Doyle will serve as surrogate for the transport minister at the Fortune Fire Hall, and back on the Island, Revenue Minister Gail Shea unveils "major" new investment in Charlottetown Metal Products under the Atlantic Innovation Fund.

Finally, in Nova Scotia, Defence Minister Peter MacKay is in Wolfville with "financial support" for the local college -- Acadia -- and the provincial wine industry, while Scott Armstrong hits the West Colchester Consolidated School in Bass River. (With money, presumably. Just assume that's the case for all ministerial appearances, really, unless otherwise explicitly stated.)

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

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Power & Politics' Ballot Box question

2012-05-23T20:34:58Z

We asked: What will solve the Quebec student crisis?

Here are the results:

More arrests/fines: 22%
Negotiations: 68%
Not sure: 10%

(Note: This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.) ]]>
Here are the results:

More arrests/fines: 22%
Negotiations: 68%
Not sure: 10%

(Note: This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)