UPDATED – Students, seniors on election bill witness list

As Hill denizens count down the hours until the polls close in Quebec, the spring omnibudget bill will be at the top of the legislative agenda when the House re-opens for business on Monday.

Before that gets underway, however, Conservative MP Scott Reid gets his final chance to convince his colleagues to support his proposal to elect future Commons speakers by a single, preferential ballot. His motion will be put to a vote on Wednesday evening, and, if passed, would send the matter to committee for further study.

Finally, later this evening, representatives from the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, the Congress of Union Retirees of Canada, the Canadian Teachers Federation and the Canadian Federation of Students are among the witnesses slated to share their thoughts on the government’s bid to rejig Canada’s election laws at tonight’s extended evening session of Procedure and House Affairs.

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Elsewhere on the committee circuit:

  • Agriculture resumes its brisk but thorough study of legislation designed to end the ongoing grain backlog with testimony from Agriculture, Transport and Justice officials before moving to clause-by-clause.
  • Over at Foreign Affairs, members will get an update on the situation in Ukraine, courtesy of OSCE Project Coordinator Madina Jarbussynova, Munk School of Global Affairs director Janice Stein, Freedom House president David Kramer and the McCain Institute for International Leadership.
  • Fisheries and Oceans continues its study of the European Union ban on Canadian seal products, while Canadian Heritage gets a departmental perspective on the state of the entertainment software industry before going behind closed doors to begin drafting their report.

Also on the Hill:

  • Representatives from the Canadian Diabetes Association hit the stage at the Centre Block press theatre to introduce a “Diabetes Charter for Canada.”
  • House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer hosts a noon-hour reception for “We Day”.

UPDATE: According to a just-in advisory, Conservative backbencher Michael Chong will hit the National Press Theatre this afternoon to present an updated version of the Reform Act, his private members’ bill to give caucus members the power to trigger leadership review, and reduce the power of a party leader to block nominations.
Outside the precinct:

  • Justice Minister Peter MacKay teams up with Public Safety Minister Steve Blaney to kick off the National Victims of Crime Awareness Week Federal Symposium.
  • Canadian Heritage Minister Shelly Glover is set to speak at the annual Canadian Women in Communications and Technology Awards Gala.
  • Defence Minister Rob Nicholson makes what is being billed as a “major infrastructure announcement” at CFB Halifax.
  • In Toronto, meanwhile, Finance Minister Joe Oliver speaks at a Canadian Club-hosted lunch, while Minister of State for Sport Bal Gosal does the honours at the official launch of the Pan Am and Parapan 2015 Games volunteer program.
  • Minister of State for FedDev Ontario Gary Goodyear “joins the celebration” of “Improvements” to the Cooper Marsh Conservation Area in Lancaster, which, according to the advisory, were “supported” by the Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund.
  • Moving west, Industry Minister James Moore touts the just-released Digital Canada 150 plan during a speech at the University of Calgary School of Public Policy.
  • Finally, Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq will show her government’s support for northern infrastructure during an visit to the Nunavut Legislative Assembly.

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