And that was the premiers’ meeting. Aside from the opposition to the Canada Jobs Grant programme as it is currently structured, they wanted disaster mitigation to stand apart from their infrastructure demands, which of course they want federal funds for both. They also agreed to work together on the issue of cyberbullying, and on some healthcare initiatives related to things like home care, diagnostic imaging, and brand-name pharmaceuticals. John Geddes has a brief rundown of the meeting as a whole, and notes how curiously late the infrastructure working group comes after the federal budget. Andrew Coyne looks at all of the things that these premiers could accomplish that are in their own jurisdiction, and yet they choose to spend their time ganging up on the federal government instead, demanding cash.

Poor Brad Wall. It seems that his little presentation on Senate abolition to the other premiers went nowhere. Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne went so far as to say that the whole institution shouldn’t be judged by a couple of errant senators, and the role of the institution was a discussion for another day. The other premiers basically said that they have other priorities. Poor Brad. *Sad trombone.*

As the RCMP continue to dig into Senator Mac Harb’s past housing claims, Liberal Senate Leader James Cowan notes that he was unaware of said claims – but also notes that it’s not his job to know the housing circumstances of every Liberal Senator. Which is true. Charlie Angus, however, seems to indicate that his own leader and fellow caucus members know all of the particulars of his own housing arrangements – otherwise, why would he expect the Liberal Senate caucus to know all about Harb’s?

Those striking foreign service workers are ramping up their job action and refusing to work at the fifteen busiest visa offices on Monday after the government tried to put “paralyzing” conditions on their offer for binding arbitration. And so it continues.

It seems that Public Safety is one of the departments that seeks public opinion the least, compared to other departments. I’m guessing it’s because Vic Toews already knew what the people want.

In addition to being minister of Employment and Social Development, the latest batch of cabinet orders shows that Jason Kenney is also a minister of state to assist the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. It’s a weird way of going about keeping his fingers in the multiculturalism pie, but that’s how they’re going about it.

NDP MP Paul Dewar has been fined $7000 by the CRTC for improper robo-called polling done during his failed leadership campaign. Oh, but he was totally cooperative in the investigation, which means something, I guess.

Philippe Lagassé has ten questions about the royal succession bill that he’s hoping the courts will answer.

And Susan Delacourt reminds us that prorogation is a perfectly natural thing, that it’s not bad, and we’re in fact due for one as the current legislative agenda has pretty much exhausted itself. Of course, we would all know that if we paid greater attention to civic literacy in this country, or didn’t use it selectively to fit our preconceptions, however we all know that’s not the case.