Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair, whose party represents the majority of Quebec's federal seats (including several held by student-aged MPs), brushed off questions, saying the student tuition battle was "first and foremost a matter of provincial jurisdiction."

The federal Liberals were no more eager to wade into the fray. Senior Quebec MP and Liberal House Leader Marc Garneau also called it a "provincial matter" in refusing to comment.

Conservative MPs were equally reticent -- until now.

More, after the jump...

Governor General David Johnston was caught musing by The Canadian Press earlier this week about his idea for a new program that could see the government offer funding for young people who are interested in academic or work exchanges abroad, or in other parts of Canada.

On the surface, it seems like a sort of motherhood idea anyone could or should get behind: relatively non-controversial, potentially low-cost, and heck, who could be against a governor general focused on an education agenda who's out to help young people better themselves?

But the current political climate is such that funding for youth exchange programs, and one program in particular, has become extremely political.

More, after the jump...

(Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

The 2011 federal budget, passed with fanfare last June after the Harper government won its majority on May 2, included a small economic stimulus program intended to help small businesspeople.

The stated objective for the "hiring credit for small business" was to "stimulate new employment and support small businesses."

But in the way it's administered, it also supports taxfilers who are not actually small businesses.

Never mind that the notion of Pierre's son changing teams wasn't rooted in any sort of factual basis even before his defensive tweet and almost-melodramatic rant in the foyer of the House of Commons after question period on Tuesday.

His federalist bloodlines - on both sides - as well as his own track record as a political actor should have been enough to dismiss the early headlines as nationalist muckracking.

So why the protracted parsing of a few selected words on his part?

First, let's take attendance.

In Halifax, with bells on: Defence Minister and Nova Scotia's representative in cabinet, Peter MacKay, introducing around his new bride, Nazanin Afshin-Jam.

Not invited to the event in Halifax: As reported by CBC Halifax, NDP Premier Darrell Dexter, who lobbied hard for his province to win the larger of the two contracts up for grabs. (Though the government did maintain all along that lobbying would not influence the contract decisions.)

Also not at the event in North Vancouver: B.C. Premier Christy Clark, who also did her best to make the west coast case for their share of the procurement.

But perhaps the most interesting thing to happen during Harper's coast-to-coast shipbuilding blitz took place during the question and answer session in North Vancouver.

More, after the jump...

(Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

When you cover the political beat, indulging in a little tabloid guilty pleasure doesn't usually call to mind something you need to ask the foreign minister's office.

But a British tab piece about some of the gifts received by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge from various trips abroad included mention of the gift of three pairs of shoes for the Duchess from Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird.

Shoes? Did someone say shoes? The inquiring (mostly female) minds in our office wanted more details.

The Canadian designer behind the gift, and the low-down from Baird's spokesman, after the jump...

The list on Copps' campaign website features a rather liberal usage of the title "honourable."

Most style guidelines, including those of Heritage Canada, support using the "honourable" honorific for Senators, Supreme or Federal Court judges, and privy councillors (a title bestowed for life after one's swearing in as a cabinet minister or another senior role requiring top security clearance.)

Not all of the current and former MPs on this endorsement list are privy councillors. Indeed, those who are also have the initials P.C. after their names. (Current list of privy councillors here.)

While Copps is seen as a leading contender, who knew endorsing her bestowed such honours?

Liberals will elect the new party president at their biennial convention in Ottawa Jan. 13-15.

UPDATE: The list, still dated Jan. 3, seems to have been updated to remove the extra honorifics - and to drop four names from the previous list of 56: MPs Scott Andrews and Sean Casey and former MPs Jean Augustine and Yasmin Ratansi - although the promise of "many more to come..." remains.

A call to the Copps campaign yielded a full voice mailbox. We've sent an email and will update further when we hear back. 

UPDATED UPDATE: Malcolm Bernard, a spokesman for Sheila Copps, said the site has been updated and now includes all 56 names, including Andrews, Casey, Augustine and Ratansi.

Bernard said the site is organized by volunteers and "the endorsements are pouring in."

"We're making sure we're getting it right," he said. "We're sorting (the list) all out and adding to it in in real time, and they're editing it as best they can," he said.

There will be more endorsements, Bernard said.

"Lots of organizations update their sites throughout the day, including the CBC," noted Bernard.

On Sunday, NDP MP Bruce Hyer appeared to suffer from a similar affliction during the NDP leadership debate in Ottawa. Unfortunately, he was seated just over the shoulder of two top leadership contenders, and his long blinks were very much caught on tape.

Video, after the jump...

Many of the key battles, and the celebrations, centre on the Niagara region. But elsewhere in Ontario, and particularly in Eastern Ontario border communities along the St. Lawrence, the bicentenary will also be marked with legacy projects and historical re-enactments.

Gananoque, east of Kingston (pop. 5,000 or so year-round, but higher in summer tourist season), is one such community. Founded by a British loyalist along a key St. Lawrence River supply line for the British, Gananoque was the site of one of the war's earliest skirmishes. 

Now local businesses are hoping for a boost from next summer's celebrations.

But why wait to start celebrating? At least that's what Sue McDermid from the Gananoque Business Improvement Association thought when planning started earlier this fall for this year's Santa Claus parade.

More, after the jump...

Here's the minister speaking to the CBC's Julie Van Dusen on Parliament Hill Thursday, in advance of his trip to Durban, South Africa next week for the United Nations climate conference.

Video, after the jump:

Here's who said what when scrummed by reporter Julie Van Dusen, and what happened when they met on the stairs.

Video, after the jump...

Video of their full performance, after the jump...

Among the proposals: opening up party nomination or even leadership selection processes to some kind of "primary" election system, to encourage voter participation from the general public, not just party members.

The idea, much-discussed among both grassroots members and the higher echelons (including interim leader Bob Rae and party presidential candidate Sheila Copps) is not so much new as it is new-to-Liberals.

Surveying the action on Liberal blogs and Twitter so far, a few points stand out from the online debate leading up to the white paper's release.

More, after the jump: