The former trafficked prostitute that Robert Goguen asked that braindead question to the other day at committee was out defending him and his awful, aren’t-I-clever straw man of a question to the press, saying that she refused to let him apologise, and accused the media of basically inventing a controversy. It’s utterly unbelievable. Meanwhile, one of the architects of the Sweden’s “Nordic model” has said that the proposed Canadian law won’t stand up to the Charter, in particular because of the portions that still criminalise the sex workers, such as if they are working at a place where children could be present. (And on a side note, there are no credible studies that show there to be a real decline in prostitution in Sweden, as the figures that show a decline are mostly police stats, which don’t capture how it’s been pushed further underground). Here’s a look at seven of the voices we’ve heard so far in the prostitution bill hearings at the Commons justice committee, from all ends of the spectrum. Of course, there has been plenty of testimony from women who have been victimized terribly, but little of it seems relevant to the bill because what they suffered is already illegal and not actually the scope of what the bill is supposed to be achieving, thus further muddying the waters.

Thomas Mulcair has headed to Manitoba to do his own tour of the flooding, but his attempt to get a briefing on the situation by the Canadian Forces on the ground was nixed by the minister, who said that they couldn’t spare the time or personnel for the next 48 hours as the flooding crests. While Mulcair’s spokesman immediately decried the government playing politics with the situation, the cynic in me wonders if Mulcair himself wasn’t doing just that, being photographed looking concerned at the situation (as all politicians do, to be fair).

On another topic, with two more MPs expecting babies, Mulcair has written to the Speaker and Board of Internal Economy about providing “reasonably costed pay-for-service, drop-in childcare” for Parliamentarians. And I get that motherhood in such a demanding job is difficult because they have votes and things, but these are also people with the means to afford childcare options that most other people can’t. Setting up this kind of childcare with few guarantees that it will be regularly used seems like a poor use of resources, especially if it’s intended to be a drop-in system. So one day the childcare worker would get three kids for six hours, and none the next day, and then two for an hour on another day? And said caregiver is supposed to be doing what the rest of the time? Considering how few MPs there are with infants – mothers in particular – I have a hard time seeing how this is feasible in the longer term.

The Canadian Forces have asked that former Supreme Court Justice Marie Deschamps to conduct an independent, outside review of how the military deals with sexual misconduct in its ranks. Deschamps will, however, have some limits on what she is able to look at, which could mean that the investigation won’t have the scope to deal with some of the systemic problems in the system.

Joe Oliver announced that Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have joined in with their new planned national securities regulator. Still plenty of provinces left to bring aboard, however.

Tony Clement decries that the unions have spurned his olive branch of trying to consult with them on transforming sick leave in the public service rather than just doing it at the bargaining table.

Oh, look – more tales of wrangling between military brass and Peter MacKay when it comes to plans for the Afghanistan memorial, which will tour the country this fall and winter.

Five people have been arrested for a abusing the Temporary Foreign Workers programme in Toronto, while a Nova Scotia trucking company was investigated and found that they weren’t actually abusing the programme after all, and they have been removed from the blacklist.

Dean Del Mastro took the stand yesterday, denied that he panicked when he was told he was dropped from the “blue plan” of ridings getting national help, and much to my surprise, didn’t start crying as he has in pretty much every other forum of late. But then again, he’s back on the stand today…

John Baird has warned the Eritrean embassy to stop collecting a “Diaspora tax” – basically a shakedown of its immigrants in Canada – or risk having their consulate closed. This being said, they nevertheless signed onto FATCA, which is basically the Americans doing the same thing. Interesting.

Former Liberal cabinet minister Tony Ianno is joining his wife, Christine Innes’, suit against Justin Trudeau and wants $1.5 million for the suffering he’s endured by allegations that he tried to bully and intimidate young Liberal volunteers when Innes wanted not only the Trinity–Spadina nomination, but was trying to position herself for the nomination in University–Rosedale in 2015, post-redistribution, going up against Chrystia Freeland. I’m still not sure about Ianno and Innes’ endgame, given that everything they’re doing is damaging the party brand that they claim to cherish.

A former provincial NDP minister in Manitoba has won the federal Liberal nomination for Kildonan–St. Paul in that province.

And the Sir John Carling building at the Experimental Farm here in Ottawa is slated for destruction this weekend – here’s how that will happen.