Vic Toews is all over the news right now, and quite possibly all over Question Period later today. Yesterday morning Toews was on The West Block and basically said that the RCMP “communications protocol” was put into place so that he doesn’t get ambushed by opposition questions in the House after the parliamentarians who had those meetings bring up things they discussed. Aww, muffin! Access to information documents also show that Toews tried to limit the RCMP’s apology to the families of victims of serial killer Robert Pickton. The RCMP ended up rejecting said revisions, saying they came in too late, but it appears to be a case of overreach, and likely an attempt to forestall any attempts of legal action that an admission that the RCMP could have done more to stop Pickton is likely to generate.

It has been revealed that Toews’ office also overruled interview requests from the media attempting to speak with Omar Khadr, even though the warden had granted them. The reason cited: consideration of the “nature of the offences” of which he had been convicted. Wayne Easter, a former Solicitor General, called the move an extraordinary overreach of the minister’s authority, and he’s probably right. Meanwhile, Khadr plans to appeal his war crimes conviction at the US federal court now that he’s back in Canada.

People are starting to wonder why it’s taken Jim Flaherty five months to announce the Mark Carney’s successor as Governor of the Bank of Canada, especially if Tiff Macklem is the obvious choice.

The federal government is proposing new regulations that tinker with the list of projects that trigger a federal environmental assessment as opposed to a provincial one.

Reports obtained from National Defence show that they were planning on the loss of several F-35s in the first few years of operation – before the full planned 65 had been delivered, in fact – because the loss of several aircraft early in their lifecycle seems to be the way these things happen in a fleet’s service life.

On the occasion of the two hundredth anniversary of the Battle of York, newly revealed documents show the level of obsessive detail that the PMO was engaged in around the creation of that War of 1812 commercial that aired everywhere last year.

Emmett Macfarlane weighs in on the Supreme Court patriation investigation, and Thomas Mulcair’s insinuation of a conspiracy. While Macfarlane is critical of the Court’s handling of the case, the true scorn is reserved for Mulcair for the attempt to undermine the Supreme Court and its legitimacy.

Over in the Labrador by-election, Liberal MP Gerry Byrne is questioning statements made by Peter Penashue about Coast Guard changes, which contradict those of the Coast Guard Commissioner. In Byrne’s estimation, one of them isn’t telling the truth, and he appears to be putting his stock in the Commissioner. Mind you, there are a lot of things of questionable validity that Penashue has said thus far in said campaign, which should be increasingly troubling to those on the ground.

Here is an interesting long read about BC Premier Christy Clark, who is now in the fight for her political life.

Here is a look at how Prince Philip became the first Extraordinary Companion of the Order of Canada, which was long overdue, as well as a look at his presentation of new colours to the Royal Canadian Regiment.

And here’s a look at the “Kate effect” being put to use for the charities that she is a patron of.