Justin Trudeau News – iPolitics AM: Trudeau joins Freeland, Champagne for COVID update, MPs resume probing Vance allegations

After spending the first half of the one-week House hiatus huddled behind the closed doors of his office, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be back on the radar today, courtesy of a midday appearance in the precinct, where, as per the official advisory, he’ll deliver an on-camera update on the ongoing pandemic alongside two mission-critical front benchers: Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who also serves as deputy prime minister, and Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne. (11:30 AM)

As is standard practice, the notice offers no clues on whether the trio will be announcing new policy or unveiling new measures.

They should, however, be ready to field questions on how their minority government intends to secure the necessary support for her upcoming budget in the wake of a unanimous committee report “urging” Trudeau “to promise he won’t call a federal election while the COVID-19 pandemic rages across Canada,” which, as Canadian Press notes, “makes no similar call for opposition parties to promise not to trigger an election during the pandemic by voting non-confidence in the government.”

It’s a safe bet that Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet will face a similar line of inquiry from reporters when he joins his finance critic, Gabriel Ste-Marie, to outline their party’s expectations for the upcoming budget during a mid-afternoon press conference in the West Block press theatre. (1:30 PM)

And while her party’s three-person contingent in the Commons doesn’t have the votes to change the outcome of a make-or-break confidence vote, Green Leader Annamie Paul may also address the looming confidence test when she makes herself available to reporters after wrapping up another virtual town hall session on long-term care. (9:30 AM)

Also on the Hill agenda: The NATIONAL DEFENCE committee continues to probe the allegations of inappropriate behaviour on the part of former Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance, as well as “sexual misconduct issues” within the military as a whole during a two-hour session with former Canadian Armed Forces ombudsman Gary Walbourne. (2:30 – 4:30 PM)

As CBC News reported earlier this week, committee members “took the unusual step of summoning Walbourne after he declined an earlier, friendlier and less formal invitation to testify on the advice of his lawyer.”

The CBC report also notes that the Conservatives, who were behind the motion to summon him to appear, “went to great lengths to underline that his testimony is covered by parliamentary immunity,” which, it stresses, could be “critical,” as Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan “has declined to answer the committee’s questions directly about a meeting between him and Walbourne on March 1, 2018, where the former ombudsman — according to sources — raised concerns about Vance.”

Meanwhile, ENVIRONMENT members hold a closed-door session to work on their report to the House on zero emission vehicles, as well as finalize drafting instructions for a second report on the enforcement of federal environmental protection laws. (2:30 – 4:30 PM)

IN THE CHAMBER

The House of Commons has adjourned for a one-week constituency break, and will resume regular proceedings on March 8, 2021, while the Senate will remain closed until March 16, 2021.

OUTSIDE THE PRECINCT

Justice Minister David Lametti teams up with Indigenous Services Minister and fellow Montreal-area MP Marc Miller to share the details of new financial support for Montreal-based Botler AI, which, as CTV News reported last year, has been working with the federal justice department “to launch a new web tool that will use artificial intelligence to guide victims of harassment and misconduct.” (9:15 AM)

Also making the rounds in Quebec today: Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier with fresh federal funding to boost the province’s “fishing industry” (10 AM) and Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau with support for Sorel-Tracy-based dairy processing plant Fromageries Bel Canad. (10:30 AM)

Meanwhile, Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly, who also serves as Team Trudeau’s lead on Official Languages, highlights “various initiatives put in place” under the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy during a press conference with representatives from the Canadian Teacher Federation, the Canadian School Boards Association, la Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones and l’Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne. (11 AM)

Finally, Seniors Minister Deb Schulte announces new support for “automotive-related manufacturers” during a virtual appearance in Concord. (1 PM)

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