I’ll amend my statement from yesterday when I said it seemed the Conservatives were making good on their promise to get the Pooled Registered Pension Plan Act through quickly. Lo and behold, Government House Leader Peter Van Loan yesterday successfully moved to limit debate on C-25 (he sighted enthusiastic support as the reason), meaning the bill could be handed over to committee tomorrow.
With that, the obscure private-sector pension plan is at the top of the legislative agenda in the House of Commons for the third day in a row. Because it’s caucus Wednesday, however, and each party will spend the morning sequestered in different rooms on the Hill, things won’t get going in the Commons until 2 p.m.
Also on the agenda is the first debate on a Senate bill that aims to review the financial system — amending the consumer-protection framework, and making changes to several acts governing the financial systems. The bill was introduced by Leader of the Government in the Senate, Marjory LeBreton.
The House will also continue debate at second reading of NDP MP Mathieu Ravignat’s private member’s bill that would force independent and party-affiliated floor-crossing MPs to by-elections. As it stands, MPs are free to change their minds and announce a move to their constituents. The proposed legislation states that an MP who chooses to leave a party to sit as an independent wouldn’t have to be re-elected.
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In committee:
The headline show today will likely be Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and Justice Minister Rob Nicholson helping the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee kick off its study into the omnibus crime bill this afternoon. The committee is going hard at this study, extending its hours and inviting about 100 witnesses throughout the month. Once the committee reports back to the other senators, the bill will only have a couple of more bases to round before it becomes law.
The Senate Aboriginal peoples committee is moving along in its examination of the federal government’s constitutional, treaty, political and legal responsibilities to Aboriginals. Tonight, the members will focus on the status of the British Columbia treaty process, and will hear from two members of the provincial government and two from the federal level.
Over on the Commons side, the human resources committee will be hearing witnesses on the private member’s bill from Conservative MP Richard Harris, which would change the Employment Insurance Act, repealing the provision that allows for qualifying periods and benefit periods to be extended as the result of time spent in jail or prison. The committee will also be hearing from the national director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and the president of Victims of Violence.
The government operations committee, meanwhile, will hear from three union representatives as it continues its study of Shared Services Canada, the agency announced last summer that’s supposed to streamline the dozens of networks, data centres and email systems on which the government currently operates. The committee will also spend time behind closed doors this afternoon reviewing the process for considering the estimates and supply.
These are some of the meetings we’ll be keeping an eye on. A full list of Commons committee meetings can be found here. Click here for Senate committees.
The rest:
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is scheduled to launch Black History Month tonight at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, highlighting the contributions of black soldiers during the War of 1812.
Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver is set to deliver a speech about the future of the forestry sector to a Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada gathering in Montreal this afternoon.
Conservative MP Kellie Leitch, parliamentary secretary to human resources minister, will be in St. John’s, Newfoundland to announce an initiative intended to help unemployed older workers.
Interim NDP leader Nycole Turmel will be speaking this afternoon at the Gatineau, Que. branch of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada‘s annual general meeting, discussing the New Democrats’ views on public service cuts and its impacts on Canadians.
The Canadian Federation of Students is holding rallies across the country today, calling for reductions in tuition fed, decreases in student debt and increases in education funding. Barb Byers, executive vice president of the Canadian Labour Congress will be speaking at the event on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
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