As the House prepares to shut down for a week-long constituency break, MPs will get their first chance to share their thoughts on the government's controversial proposal to give the RCMP full 'operational' control of security on Parliament Hill — from the front lawn, through the precinct to the doors of the Commons Chamber itself.

The motion to be formally put forward by Government House Leader Peter Van Loan this morning offers no specific details on how, exactly, such a major shift in protocol would actually work — to whom would the newly anointed RCMP overseers ultimately report, for instance, and what measures, if any, would be put in place to ensure the continuing separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of government.

Meanwhile, a few blocks from Parliament Hill, the Supreme Court will hand down its decision on physician-assisted suicide, which will almost certainly put the issue back on the political — and possibly parliamentary — agenda, no matter which way the court rules.

  • International Development Minister Christian Paradis "highlights the important role of municipalities" at an International Development Week event hosted by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, l'Union des municipalités du Québec and the city of Montreal.
  • Treasury Board President Tony Clement heads back to his home turf with an appearance at the Muskoka Airport in Gravenhurst, where he unveil new support for "business development and growth" throughout the region.
  • Elsewhere in Ontario, Labour and Status of Women Minister Kellie Leitch drops by the Ministers' Regional Office in downtown Toronto for what the advisory describes as an "important announcement," but provides no further details on precisely what it will involve, although it appears to be in her capacity as minister responsible for Status of Women.
  • Moving west, International Trade Minister — and, for the time being, interim Acting Foreign Affairs Minister — Ed Fast will be front and centre at a 'Go Global' export workshop in Saskatoon.
  • Health Minister Rona Ambrose returns to her hometown of Edmonton with a "significant investment" in research earmarked for the Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science at the University of Alberta, while in Calgary, Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford makes a "brief statement" on the the status of the European Fuel Quality Directive.
  • Finally, Western Economic Diversification Minister Michelle Rempel shows her government's support for emergency management training during a visit to the Dr. Donald B. Rix Public Simulation Building in New Westminster.

Also out and about today: Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau delivers what the media notice bills as a "major speech on the environment and the economy" at the Calgary Petroleum Club.

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