Energy East is going to be a new crisis of national unity, comes the overwrought cries of the Conservatives in response to the opposition of several Quebec mayors, including Denis Coderre, to the pipeline. And you just have to sigh a little and shake your head, because what else can you do, particularly because you’ve got two fairly powerless mobs yelling at one another and shaking their fists? The Alberta government, mind you, isn’t stirring things up, and the Quebec government, who has more of a say in this than the local governments do, is not making the same bellicose noises against the pipeline. Instead you’ve got Brad Wall stirring the pot, trying to score points for his upcoming election, and Rona Ambrose making patently ridiculous statements about how this is supposedly like the National Energy Programme of the early 1980s, which boggles the mind. And never mind the fact that Trudeau has indicated general support for the pipeline (predicated on a proper environmental assessment and getting the requisite “social licence” from the communities that is passes through), apparently that’s not good enough either for Ambrose and the Conservatives, who continue to insist that all government positions be bellicose statements – because that worked out so well for them when they were in power. Trudeau has a meeting with Coderre this morning, and no doubt it’ll be discussed, but the fact that you have groups who aren’t involved in the decision-making trying to pit Alberta and Quebec against one another just makes it look like the two kids in the backseat who are hollering “Mom! He’s touching me!” It’s tiresome and infantile, and if they’re trying to make Trudeau look like the reasonable grown-up in all of this, well, they just might get their wish.

Good reads:

• The government has said they will sign the TPP next week – a necessary step so that it can be tabled in parliament for debate – but signing doesn’t mean ratification.
• The government has lost their bid to toss out the court challenge over senate vacancies. Will they go to full trial? We’ll have to see.
• The Conservatives are trying to make an issue out of Stéphane Dion’s first press release about the violence in Israel.
• Quebec may have to update its law on physician-assisted dying as it may not meet the Supreme Court’s ruling.
• Former Supreme Court Justice Ian Binnie will table his Senate expenses arbitration report next month, and new oversight rules are coming in a few weeks.
• Changes to electoral rules mean that parties can now robocall on the day of elections.
• Here is more of the context around the comments of the Clerk of the Privy Council on student protests that Mulcair tried to make hay with yesterday.
• Surprising me not at all, Michael Chong muses about a leadership bid, and he takes shots at Kevin O’Leary along the way.
• Kady O’Malley offers eleven thoughts for the return of parliament.
• Mike Moffatt explains why the TPP won’t cost 20,000 manufacturing jobs like people keep insisting.

Odds and ends:

Mauril Bélanger has indicated that he will indeed use his upcoming Private Members’ Business slot to try and change the lyrics to O Canada.

Here’s a Q&A with Pontiac MP Will Amos.

Memo to MPs: You don’t have to wear party colours all the time, particularly if your party colour is orange, as most people can’t actually pull it off.

#BravoZulu Maureen Wellwood on your promotion. She becomes the first infantry regular force female LCol. pic.twitter.com/OQLkF8009o

— Canadian Armed Forces (@CanadianForces) January 25, 2016