With exactly one week to go until the official launch of the 43rd parliament, Andrew Scheer has booked a mid-morning appearance in the West Block Foyer to announce what his office is billing as the “Conservative Leadership Team” — which, in this context, means the MPs to be tasked with managing Commons and caucus logistics on a day-to-day basis: the House leader and chief whip, as well as their designated deputies if applicable.

But while such postings are viewed as mission-critical choices in a minority setting, Scheer should be prepared for the attending media to be just as, if not more interested in questioning him about his own leadership challenges — and specifically, the now open debate within Conservative circles over whether he should stay on in the wake of the party’s lacklustre showing in last month’s election.

The latest move to destabilize his hold on the job: Conservative Victory, which describes itself as “a Canadian non-profit formed to advocate for an open leadership race in the Conservative Party of Canada,” and is calling on Scheer to “immediately step aside” ahead of the mandatory leadership review that will be held at the party’s upcoming convention, and “and run in a competitive race against a full field of contestants.”

As the Globe and Mail notes, “the campaign is being led by Kory Teneycke, a Toronto lobbyist who ran Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s leadership and election campaigns; Jeff Ballingall, the founder of Ontario Proud and Canada Proud, two websites dedicated to defeating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that have amassed a significant online following; and John Reynolds, a former Conservative MP who co-chaired former prime minister Stephen Harper’s successful 2006 election campaign.”

Also set to unveil his party’s opening critic roster today: New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh, who, as per the advisory, will also outline how his newly diminished caucus “will be focused on making sure that the government doesn’t work for the rich and powerful, but that it works on behalf of the everyday people who elected it.”

As for Trudeau, he’s slated to hold a morning tête-à-tête with Nunavut Premier Joe Savikataaq before turning his attention to local matters for the rest of the day, which, as per his itinerary, will include a closed-door “roundtable discussion” with municipal leaders as part of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ pre-session conference to share their respective and collective priorities for his government’s first 100 days in office.

He’ll also hold a one-on-one meeting with Fédération québécoise des municipalités president Jacques Demers and be sworn in as the Honourable Member for Papineau in a private ceremony later this afternoon.

And while it’s not listed on his official agenda, he’ll likely get a briefing from his newly installed deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freeland, following her whistle shop trip to Washington, DC yesterday for what may or may not turn out to be a final round of negotiations on the proposed new North American free trade deal.

ALSO ON THE HILL

Independent Senators Group facilitators Yuen Pau Woo and Raymonde Saint-Germain have scheduled a noon briefing for media following a “three-day working retreat,” during which ISG members “discussed the need for further modernization of the Senate.” (12:30 PM)

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AT COMMITTEE

Regular House and Senate committee meetings will resume when the House and Senate re-open for parliamentary business.

Committee highlights courtesy of our friends at iPoliticsINTEL.

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