Finance Minister Jim Flaherty speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Dec. 12, 2011.CHRIS WATTIE
Tory MP James Rajotte, the chairman of the influential Commons finance committee, is set to release the committee's pre-budget consultation report Wednesday afternoon in the House.
So far so good. Unlike the 2010 edition, this report – which is considered by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in framing his spring budget – has remained secret.
There was much controversy last year after a staffer in Tory MP Kelly Block's office emailed a draft copy of the report to Conservative-leaning lobbyists.
This year's report is the result of several months of cross-country touring. The committee considered 410 submissions and heard from more than 150 witnesses.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has repeatedly said the 2012 budget will focus on economic growth and protecting jobs, reducing the deficit and returning to balanced budgets.
And for the first time since Stephen Harper's Conservatives formed government, they have a majority. That means they control the finance committee and as a result, its pre-budget report will make for more interesting reading than in previous years.
"For years, this document was merely a hodge-podge of opposition wishes," The Globe's Steven Chase wrote in May. "Now, because Conservatives hold the pen, they will ultimately telegraph the themes of their next fiscal plan."
'The first step is fairly easy'
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is having his blood tested to determine if he is a potential kidney donor.
In a letter sent out to the entire community on Parliament Hill – MPs from all parties, senators and staffers – Mr. Baird appealed for everyone to do the same in an effort to find a living donor for his chief of staff, Garry Keller.
"I will be getting tested on Wednesday," he writes. "And I encourage you to do the same, in the chance that one of us might be able to provide the gift of life for one of our own on Parliament Hill."
Mr. Keller, 35, was diagnosed with kidney failure seven years ago. He has been on dialysis every since as well as on the list for a cadaver organ. But his age and rare blood type (B) have conspired against him receiving a new kidney.
Recently, his doctors suggested he begin looking for a living donor as the dialysis will begin to damage his other organs.
"As you may be aware, one of my employees, Garry Keller, has been facing a difficult struggle with kidney failure for the last six years," the minister writes. "Garry has brought a great deal of attention to the importance of organ donation in going public with his struggle."
Mr. Keller's situation also inspired a take-note in the House of Commons about the importance of organ donation. And Mr. Baird noted that a number of people on the Hill have "expressed interest" in wanting to help. So, a clinic is being set up on the Hill Wednesday from 11: 30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Speaker's Lounge.
"The first step is fairly easy, with a simple blood test to determine whether you are a match or not."
Better than a Shawinigan handshake
Jean Chrétien's recent fundraising letter warning the Conservatives are poised to undo the Liberal legacy from abortion rights to same-sex marriage has helped the party attract 6,669 donors, including 2,500 first-time "contributors," according to a memo to supporters from Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae.
The Liberals launched their Million Conversations Campaign to raise funds to launch a series of policy discussions in 2012. The money they raised – through the pointed letters from Mr. Chrétien and other former Grit prime ministers, John Turner and Paul Martin – helped to raise enough money to hold 1,004,750 conversations, says the note.
The party was asking for just $5 from contributors.