The clock is ticking, and there are some 300 amendments to go through in committee for the elections bill before Friday – which the NDP thinks is ridiculous. Err, except they agreed to the timeline, and they filibustered for days and used up said clock. Actions have consequences, and yes, it’s an important bill that is under discussion, so they had best get to work rather than complaining about it. The Director of Public Prosecutions did appear at committee and said that the biggest concern he has is of perception of independence rather than the independence in fact. Meanwhile, Michael Sona – the only person thus far charged with the Guelph robocalls though he protests his innocence – wonders that if criminals don’t register guns, why would people who make misleading robocalls register them? It’s kind of a good point, and points to yet another flaw in the bill.

Bloomberg carries on their examination as to what has been holding up the Keystone XL pipeline, and it looks increasingly like incompetence in the Harper PMO has a lot to do with it, be it ignoring the advice that Obama gives Harper about how to handle it, or not putting out their promised regulations. Way to run a G7 country, guys! Andrew Coyne takes this and many other examples of recent blunders by the government and finds that the commentariat keeps trying to insist as though Harper were still a strategic genius who is playing us throughout, when really, he’s failing on a number of files.

As the government begins outlining its plans for the National Day of Honour for Afghanistan veterans, the Royal Canadian Legion says that it’s been left out of the loop and has been caught off-guard, given a whole ten days to prepare, which isn’t enough time to do justice to a day of that importance. So well done on the consultations yet again, government.

The RCMP have said that they will reveal why Nigel Wright didn’t get charged in due course, but it may have to wait to come out in court or by Access to Information once the investigation is completed and everything can be made public. Good to know.

Some Conservative senators are talking about voluntary early retirements in the wake of the Supreme Court reference decision, because the Senate will need fresh ideas, and so on and so on. Two things to say – a few of them will change their minds the closer they get to their self-imposed retirement date; and Harper appointed a number of people too young. The point of the Senate is to appoint people in their late fifties/early sixties, toward the end of their professional careers when they have a great deal of experience and knowledge to bring to the table – not those who are mid-career, before they’ve had a chance to really make their mark. Meanwhile, Pierre Poilievre has nothing to offer other than unclever quips about the Liberals’ Senate reform proposals.

Some First Nations chiefs, including Manitoba’s Derek Nepinak, say they’re going to pull out all of the stops in order to stop the First Nations education bill, even though the AFN has agreed to go ahead with it.

Canada is imposing more sanctions on Russia for the situation in Ukraine.

Former PMO Comms Director Andrew MacDougall pens a column that says he was unhappy as anyone about the spin he produced, but blamed it on the Internet exacerbating the 24-hour news cycle, so that when reporters’ lives are all about gathering reaction, it makes talking points essential. I don’t entirely buy that. It’s becomes media avoidance, not preparing for reaction, and MacDougall might be surprised that if MPs and ministers got a bit of media training and actually learned their files that they could handle themselves before the microphones.

Laura Beaulne-Stuebing looks at the coming baby boom among MPs, and how life is changing for female MPs who try to arrange with childcare. And yes, she checks in with new dads as well. New father Scott Brison offered some suggestions for how to make greater “efficiencies” in Parliament to benefit families, which is the subject of my column on Loonie Politics this week.

Economist Stephen Gordon looks at overall employment trends and finds a softened labour market in 2012/13, despite the slowly decreasing unemployment numbers.

Two would-be challengers to the nomination in Calgary Skyview wonder why their bids were disqualified and why Devinder Shory was protected as the incumbent, who won by acclamation. They say that the Liberals could have a shot at the riding, and that their supporters might move their votes there in order to vote against Shory.

Jim Prentice is putting together a team for a bid for the Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership to replace Alison Redford. The official announcement won’t be made for a couple of weeks, however.

And here’s an interview with one of the journalists who wrote the Maclean’s/L’Actualité story on rape in the military, which everyone should read.