In what has become a legislative tradition, the government will once again bring forward a bill to reform Canada's copyright regime today, a perennial effort that may at last come to fruition now that it holds a majority in the House of Commons. To celebrate the occasion -- and, most likely, privately hoping that this is the last time he'll have to introduce this particular piece of legislation -- Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore will join cabinet colleague Christian Paradis at Cinema Paradisio to make a "brief statement" and take questions.
Also making an announcement outside the precinct today: Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who will do so at the Life Sciences Centre at the University of Ottawa.
Meanwhile, back on the Hill, the Ethics committee will kick off what is ostensibly, at least, a fact-finding mission into the relationship between the New Democratic Party and the labour movement -- specifically, the former's sale of advertising space/sponsorship rights to the latter at its most recent convention, an arrangement that will almost certainly be portrayed by the Conservative contingent as worryingly cosy, at best, and at worst a possible circumvention of laws banning unions from direct donations to political parties.
Also making an announcement outside the precinct today: Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who will do so at the Life Sciences Centre at the University of Ottawa.
Meanwhile, back on the Hill, the Ethics committee will kick off what is ostensibly, at least, a fact-finding mission into the relationship between the New Democratic Party and the labour movement -- specifically, the former's sale of advertising space/sponsorship rights to the latter at its most recent convention, an arrangement that will almost certainly be portrayed by the Conservative contingent as worryingly cosy, at best, and at worst a possible circumvention of laws banning unions from direct donations to political parties.
Which, to be clear, is an entirely legitimate line of inquiry. The problem, in this case, is the choice of forum: matters related to election law fall directly under the mandate of Procedure and House Affairs, a committee that the Conservatives also control by virtue of majority vote, and at which they could have easily passed the identical motion while staying comfortably within its mandate. Why they instead chose to force the matter at Ethics, where it was initially -- and, as far as I can tell, entirely correctly -- determined to be out of order by the chair, is, and may remain a mystery. Perhaps they simply forgot that PROC exists.
In any case, one can only feel preemptively sympathetic towards the first witness set to be heard this morning: Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson, who, as it stands, now faces an awkward morning of explaining, over and over, that the loaded questions that will be pointed in her direction by members on the government side of the table fall outside her jurisdiction, which covers public office holders, not political parties.
Elsewhere on the committee front:
In the Chamber today, the first Opposition Day of the fall semester gives the NDP the opportunity to bring forward one of the party's signature kitchen-sinkers, which stands in the name of party finance critic Peggy Nash, and reads as follows:
Also making an announcement outside the precinct today: Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who will do so at the Life Sciences Centre at the University of Ottawa.
Meanwhile, back on the Hill, the Ethics committee will kick off what is ostensibly, at least, a fact-finding mission into the relationship between the New Democratic Party and the labour movement -- specifically, the former's sale of advertising space/sponsorship rights to the latter at its most recent convention, an arrangement that will almost certainly be portrayed by the Conservative contingent as worryingly cosy, at best, and at worst a possible circumvention of laws banning unions from direct donations to political parties.
Hit the jump for the full post.
In what has become a legislative tradition, the government will once again bring forward a bill to reform Canada's copyright regime today, a perennial effort that may at last come to fruition now that it holds a majority in the House of Commons. To celebrate the occasion -- and, most likely, privately hoping that this is the last time he'll have to introduce this particular piece of legislation -- Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore will join cabinet colleague Christian Paradis at Cinema Paradisio to make a "brief statement" and take questions.Also making an announcement outside the precinct today: Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who will do so at the Life Sciences Centre at the University of Ottawa.
Meanwhile, back on the Hill, the Ethics committee will kick off what is ostensibly, at least, a fact-finding mission into the relationship between the New Democratic Party and the labour movement -- specifically, the former's sale of advertising space/sponsorship rights to the latter at its most recent convention, an arrangement that will almost certainly be portrayed by the Conservative contingent as worryingly cosy, at best, and at worst a possible circumvention of laws banning unions from direct donations to political parties.
Which, to be clear, is an entirely legitimate line of inquiry. The problem, in this case, is the choice of forum: matters related to election law fall directly under the mandate of Procedure and House Affairs, a committee that the Conservatives also control by virtue of majority vote, and at which they could have easily passed the identical motion while staying comfortably within its mandate. Why they instead chose to force the matter at Ethics, where it was initially -- and, as far as I can tell, entirely correctly -- determined to be out of order by the chair, is, and may remain a mystery. Perhaps they simply forgot that PROC exists.
In any case, one can only feel preemptively sympathetic towards the first witness set to be heard this morning: Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson, who, as it stands, now faces an awkward morning of explaining, over and over, that the loaded questions that will be pointed in her direction by members on the government side of the table fall outside her jurisdiction, which covers public office holders, not political parties.
Elsewhere on the committee front:
- Procurement Ombudsman Frank Brunetta goes before Government Operations to discuss his most recent annual report.
- Finance works its way through the list of witnesses invited to take part in the traditional fall pre-budget consultations
- International Trade members get an update on the status of Canada's international and free trade negotiations from departmental officials and consider a motion from Liberal MP Wayne Easter
- Public Safety investigates the use of drugs and alcohol in prisons with the help of Corrections Service of Canada Commissioner Don Head and representatives from the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers
- Aboriginal Affairs deals with unspecified committee business
- Introductory briefing sessions continue at Veterans Affairs, Citizenship and Immigration, and Human Resources.
In the Chamber today, the first Opposition Day of the fall semester gives the NDP the opportunity to bring forward one of the party's signature kitchen-sinkers, which stands in the name of party finance critic Peggy Nash, and reads as follows:
That, in the opinion of this House, the government should: (a) take immediate action to promote job creation and address the persistently high unemployment rate among Canadian workers, particularly high among young Canadians, in the context of the International Monetary Fund prediction of yet higher unemployment rates in the future unless swift action is taken; (b) take immediate action to ensure all Canadians can rely on a stable and guaranteed pension as they plan their retirement in a period of record household debt and declining stock markets; (c) take immediate action to fix the crumbling infrastructure essential to our economy and the security of Canadians; and (d) maintain the full public sector contribution to the Canadian economy so as to take advantage of low interest rates, undertake strategic public investments, increase Canada's competitiveness, avert another serious recession and create jobs in Canada.Believe it or not, by NDP standards, that's downright terse.
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.
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