After pushing through new legislation that gives him extraordinary powers to determine who can be barred from entering the country, immigration minister Jason Kenney now says he’ll let a parliamentary committee determine the guidelines around it. Instead of, you know, putting limits in the legislation in the first place so that he’s not vested with so much arbitrary power in the first place. Also, it launders any potential political fallout when the powers are abused, because he gets to say “the committee set those limits, not me.”

The rebranding of the Canadian Museum of Civilization means it is now the Canadian Museum of History, which will be more of a unified history museum, which we don’t really have here in the Nation’s Capital. It won’t be another war museum, and no, the minister can’t exert curatorial influence. Part of this idea of networking smaller museums around the country is one where they can share artefacts between them for focused exhibits, which is great – assuming, of course, that they have the budgets to transport these artefacts around the country.

The two big winners from the shipbuilding procurement contract wanted the details of said contract kept secret. Transparency! But after that story was in print, Irving later decided to drop the request, for what it’s worth. Meanwhile, National Defence won’t give any timelines for the Arctic patrol ships or the Joint Support Ships – but Public Works says 2018. Coordination!

Paul Wells discusses more about the meaning of that major deputy minister shuffle.

Here are more details about that inappropriate ACOA appointment that popped up in QP yesterday, and the fact that said appointee may still be drawing salary and benefits while he tries to fight for his job at the courts.

Kady O’Malley looks into whom Nexen has been lobbying on the Hill.

The Deputy Clerk of the Commons appeared at committee yesterday to defend Privilege, in the wake of that incident regarding the Auditor General not being able to release certain documents under Access to Information. Marc Bosc’s basic argument is that privilege exists for a reason, so don’t be too hasty to loosen the rules.

Laura Stone talks to Deborah Coyne about her Liberal leadership run, and the tour she’s taking in BC and the North right now. Meanwhile, most Liberals are flat out dismissing any speculation of Dalton McGuinty running to be leader, in large part because his entry would go against his own message of party renewal.

And here is your recap of last night’s politics talk shows.