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:

Last year, the NDP's "New De-MO-crat" Mo-bros raised $16,000 for Prostate Cancer Canada and the Movember Foundation. This year, with a bigger caucus to recruit from and spurred on by the loss of former NDP leader Jack Layton after his public fight with prostate cancer, the New Democrat Mo-bros hope to surpass last year's fundraising.

Not to be outdone, MPs from other parties are also getting in on the act. Justin Trudeau, whose father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, also had prostate cancer, is the captain of the Li-Bros this year.

Justin shaved for the final time during an interview with Heather Hiscox on CBC News Network.

Conservative Larry Miller was the second MP to step up to the plate at the public shave-off the NDP hosted in the foyer on Tuesday morning.

But it was veteran NDP MP Peter Stoffer's sense of humour that carried the day, as his well-known moustache again bit the dust for a good cause.

Video, after the jump....

In a nutshell: there are too many farmers in western Canada for these seven MPs to be considered to be in a conflict of interest when they vote on changes to the grain industry, regardless of the impact such changes may have on their private business holdings.

The relevant paragraphs from Dawson's advisory opinion, after the jump...

"A majority government does not confer absolute power or create a dictatorship," wheat board chair Allen Oberg's statement reads. "Winning a majority of seats in the House of Commons does not bestow the right to sidestep rules created by previous governments in the interests of fairness, democracy and due process."

Cue the legal scholars. This isn't just about who gets to sell what wheat, where anymore.

More, after the jump...

(Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

On Tuesday, the government gave notice of its intent to introduce legislation to repeal the long-gun registry.

Once this tip o' the hand is made on the notice paper, the bill may be introduced in the House of Commons within 48 hours. So some sources suggested and some media reported (mea culpa) that the legislation was coming as early as Thursday.

On Wednesday afternoon, we were told they were "dotting i's and crossing t's" on the bill.

It's now Friday, and we've seen no bill. What happened?

More, after the jump...

The exact number of new seats for Ontario, B.C., Alberta, and now perhaps Quebec in this bill appear different from previous legislation, but it appears safe to say that new seats are coming for British Columbia, and riding boundaries will need to be adjusted.

But how? Some have speculated that one of the new seats could be allocated to Vancouver Island, and that would likely adjust the boundaries for its southern-most seats.

And that's where the partisan games begin. Or at least, according to Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.

More, after the jump...

His public battle with prostate cancer helped raise awareness of the disease when he made his first cancer diagnosis public.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing for men is key to early diagnosis and treatment of the disease. But MPs and their spouses may neglect this essential health check in their busy schedules.

Today, House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer, in coooperation with the group Prostate Cancer Canada, are going to make it a little easier for MPs to find the time for that test.

More, after the jump.