SILLY SEASON, ACT ONE — Justice Minister DAVID LAMETTI took a bold stand Wednesday. Against ... proroguing.
“Those aren't my decisions but I would definitely be opposed to it, because I've got a lot of work to do,” he said. Also seemingly against are Transportation Minister OMAR ALGHABRA and Liberal MP GREG FERGUS. The subject came up Wednesday in scrum after scrum, days after the National Post’s JOHN IVISONraised the prospect of some kind of reset for a tired government at its midway point. A prorogue? A shuffle? Liberal MP SEAN CASEY called it a perennial rumor, declaring it midway through the summer sillies — a day before June 1, even. “I don't know where this is coming from,” he said. “We’re in the middle of silly season, there's all kinds of foolish rumors and I’d put that in this category.” That has Playbook wondering, when is the official kick-off date for silly season? When the hot house that is the Hill runs on overdrive and the stakes amp up over everything, speculation and rumors abound, partisanship levels run dangerously high in the veins of MPs and all-around strange things start happening in the rush to rise for the summer. House Speaker ANTHONY ROTA declined an interview on the topic. In any case, buckle up. The next few weeks will be a ride. NEXT UP IN JUNE HELL — The government has signaled plans to table a proposal to make “permanent changes to the Standing Order” in the House to entrench hybrid Parliament. Some hon. members: Oh, oh! Public Services and Procurement Minister HELENA JACZEK has signed a five-page government response to a House committee report recommending rule changes to keep a hybrid parliament. Spoiler: Conservative and Bloc members are opposed. Hybrid provisions were first adopted in the early days of the pandemic. The rules, which allow MPs to work remotely and vote via an app, are set to expire at the end of this month. Parliamentary interpreters have long complained that poor audio quality is to blame for headaches and tinnitus. Those with hearing injuries can only work four-hour shifts, creating a labor shortage of interpreters in the House. In lengthy responses Jaczek committed to improve their working conditions. JOHNSTON DOUBLES DOWN — Former governor general DAVID JOHNSTON says he has no plans to bail on his special rapporteur role, even though the Commons passed a non-binding motion to dump him from the post. “I deeply respect the right of the House of Commons to express its opinion about my work going forward, but my mandate comes from the government,” Johnston said in response to the move. Vote results for JAGMEET SINGH’s opposition-day motion fell on party lines, with the NDP, Conservatives and Bloc Québécois teaming up against the Liberals: 174 to 150. It puts Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU on the defensive yet again over foreign interference, as the opposition parties renewed their calls for a public inquiry and referred instructions to draft a plan for one to the House procedure and affairs committee. TODAY’S SHOWDOWN — The Commons procedure and House Affairs picks up its study of Beijing’s alleged intimidation campaign against Conservative MP MICHAEL CHONG with Trudeau’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor JODY THOMAS in the hot seat. The political jousting won’t pick up speed until the second panel when Emergency Preparedness Minister BILL BLAIR takes questions. Blair was the public safety minister mentioned in Johnston’s report, the one who didn’t see a Canadian Security Intelligence Service memo warning about Beijing's plan to target Chong. | 
