This photo taken in March 2018 shows the interim House of Commons chamber being built in the West Block’s courtyard infill. (Public Services and Procurement Canada photo)

After spending the last two weeks making the rounds back in the riding, MPs are heading back to the precinct this week to kick off the post-Easter lap of the spring sitting. And for the first time in more than two months, the first day back to business isn’t expected to be dominated by fresh revelations on the SNC-Lavalin controversy, which has finally dropped from its spot at the top of the news cycle, albeit possibly not for long.

(If there’s one thing we’ve learned since the story broke in early February, it’s that there always seems to be another shoe to drop or loose end to unfurl.)

At the moment, though, the New Democrats are planning on turning the political spotlight onto what they view — and, more crucially, are hoping the public will view as — Team Trudeau’s excessive cosiness with some of Canada’s wealthiest families, firms and the lobbyists that work on their behalf, starting with the decision to “give a handout of $12 million to a multi-billion-dollar corporation owned by one of Canada’s wealthiest families.”

This refers to an eyebrow-raising grant to Loblaws to switch its stores to a more environmentally friendly refrigeration system, a move that the Liberals genuinely didn’t seem to realize would prove nearly as contentious as it has turned out to be.

It’s all part of what seems to be a concerted effort by the New Democrats — and particularly their leader, Jagmeet Singh, who has finally secured a front row seat in the Chamber, to make up for lost time by ramping up their efforts to promote their campaign platform-in-waiting using every available parliamentary platform.

In an interview with CTV Question Period that aired over the weekend, Singh listed three capital-p progressive issues that he hopes to put on the pre-election political agenda between now and the summer recess: Affordable housing, pharmacare and what he describes as “the Canadian version” of the Green New Deal that is currently dominating debate over climate change policy south of the border. The NDP leader has been enjoying a recent surge in media attention, courtesy of his new book, Love & Courage: My Story of Family, Resilience, and Overcoming the Unexpected, which hit bookstores last week.

It’s worth noting that the motion — which is scheduled for debate shortly after the House opens for business on Monday morning — does include a shoutout to the SNC-Lavalin affair. One of the provisions laments what it describes as “attempts by the Prime Minister to undermine the independence of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada and the integrity of Canada’s rule of law.”

In addition to the upcoming opposition debate on the $12 million fridge subsidy, several New Democrat MPs are planning to hit the precinct media circuit this week in support of various party-backed initiatives:

Veteran B.C. MP Peter Julian will update reporters on his backbench bid to bolster corporate accountability in Canada and around the world by extending current federal court protocols to allow foreign nationals to bring forward civil claims for alleged human rights violations committed outside Canada. It’s currently slated to begin second-reading debate on Monday.

will update reporters on his backbench bid to bolster corporate accountability in Canada and around the world by extending current federal court protocols to allow foreign nationals to bring forward civil claims for alleged human rights violations committed outside Canada. It’s currently slated to begin second-reading debate on Monday. Meanwhile, a trio of New Democrat MPs — Charlie Angus, Nathan Cullen and Matthew Dube — hold a mid-morning media availability to share their reaction to federal privacy watchdog Daniel Therrien’s findings in the Facebook privacy breach, as well as his plan to take his ongoing concerns over the social media giant’s apparently lackadaisical approach to protecting its users’ private data to federal court. (MONDAY)

and — hold a mid-morning media availability to share their reaction to federal privacy watchdog Daniel Therrien’s findings in the Facebook privacy breach, as well as his plan to take his ongoing concerns over the social media giant’s apparently lackadaisical approach to protecting its users’ private data to federal court. (MONDAY) Later this week, Angus will bring a group of Kashechewan evacuees, as well as community leaders, to Parliament Hill to “challenge the government” over its “broken promise” to “relocate the First Nations community to higher ground.”(TUESDAY)

Topping the government to-do list, meanwhile, is Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s latest omnibus budget implementation bill, which was working its way through second-reading when the Chamber went offline earlier this month, and is expected to be sent to committee by the end of the week.

Given the sheer scope and complexity of the package — which weighs in at just over 300 pages and includes multiple non-fiscal provisions — the bill is expected to be divvied up amongst multiple committees in order to ensure a thorough going-over the contents, with the FINANCE and TRANSPORT committees already set to begin pre-studying their allotted sections this week.

Also on the committee work sheet this week:

As the seemingly unending estimates process gets back up and running following the two-week break, two ministers are expected to defend their department’s anticipated upcoming expenses: Environment Minister Catherine McKenna and Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi. The ministers will field questions from MPs on their respective home committees, ENVIRONMENT (Monday PM) and NATURAL RESOURCES (Tuesday PM).

A third front bench stalwart, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale heads to PUBLIC SAFETY to lay out the rationale behind his proposal to streamline the pot pardon — or, to use the official term, “record suspension” — system, with officials from the RCMP and the Parole Board of Canada also set to be on hand to answer more technical queries. (Monday PM)

Meanwhile, Bank of Canada governor Stephen S. Poloz is scheduled to go before both the House and Senate FINANCE committees to discuss the latest monetary policy report. (Monday and Wednesday PM)

Over at ACCESS TO INFORMATION, PRIVACY AND ETHICS, having apparently exhausted, at least for now, their investigation into the SNC-Lavalin controversy, MPs are about to embark on a new research mission focused on the “ethical aspects of Artificial Intelligence and algorithms,” starting with a briefing by subject matter expert Ben Wagner,founder of the Centre for Internet & Human Rights at European University Viadrina, as well as Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute scientific director Yoshua Bengio. (Tuesday PM)

Moving to the Senate side, the NATIONAL SECURITY review of the government’s long-promised overhaul of the national security and intelligence regime — which the Liberal election platform pledged to revisit to address “problematic elements” of the controversial changes brought in by the previous Conservative government.

Leading the list of witnesses slated to appear when hearings resume on Monday: Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien, Canadian Civil Liberties Association executive director Brenda McPhail and academics Errol Mendes and Craig Forcese, who were among the most vocal — and highly-cited — critics of the Conservatives’ anti-terror initiatives.

Also scheduled to appear: Representatives from B’Nai Brith Canada, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, former high-level national security advisor Wesley Wark and retired senator Hugh Segal, who now chairs the NATO Association of Canada.

Elsewhere on the Senate committee to-do list: The ongoing reviews of the government’s proposed revamp of the federal environmental assessment system and its bid to ban tanker traffic off the Northern B.C. coast are both still well underway.

After spending last week surveying Atlantic Canadians on the assessment plans, the committee on ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES has scheduled several more rounds of hearings in Ottawa, while TRANSPORT hits the road in Western Canada to further explore the near-unanimous opposition to the tanker ban amongst energy producers and other resource sectors.

Last but not least, the Senate RULES committee is circling back to its existential roots with a working session to develop a “mission and purpose statement” for the Upper House, as well as go over the existing rules and protocols to ensure that they “incorporate the multiple roles of the modern Senate,” with senators Stephen Greene and Paul Massicotte set to offer their thoughts on the issue. (Tuesday AM)

Also on the Hill: Anti-Semitic harassment, hate crimes and press freedom .

B’nai Brith Canada releases its annual report on antisemitic incidents, which, according to the advisory, “lists more than 2,000 cases of harassment, vandalism and violence” in 2018. The group notes that the total sets a new record for a third consecutive year, prompting it to ask if this is “a new normal” for Canada. (MONDAY)

Finally, the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom marks World Press Freedom Day by “honouring award-winning journalists and media workers” from across Canada who have, in their judgment, “done exemplary work in defence of press freedom during the past year.” Delivering the keynote speech this year: Reuters editor-in-chief Stephen J. Adler, whose reporters, the advisory notes, “are facing imprisonment and intimidation from authoritarian governments around the world.”

On the pre-election fundraising circuit: Trudeau rallies GTA Liberals, Maxime Bernier talks “political correctness”

Trudeau is set to take centre stage at the Mississauga Convention Centre, where, for the comparatively modest price of just $250, local Liberals can enjoy one of his signature “Evening With…” appearances. The invitation, though, does offer especially enthusiastic donors the opportunity to “maximize [their]donation” by shelling out $1,600, which would cap their allowable contributions for the entire year. (WEDNESDAY)

Meanwhile, People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier kicks off a two-day mini-blitz of southern Ontario with a meet-and-greet in Kingston, which, it’s worth noting, appears to be free to attend, although donations would, presumably, be more than welcome. (WEDNESDAY)

Bernier is also booked in for an afternoon panel appearance in Toronto, where, alongside BlazeTv Youtube “content creator” Lauren Chen, Toronto lawyer Jared Brown and Queen’s University law professor (and “outspoken critic of politically correct dogma”) Bruce Pardy, he’ll “take on” the question of “correcting political correctness.” As per the notice, all 75 available seats have now sold out at $20, but Bernier fans may still be able to catch the fledgling party leader at a post-panel pub night at a local pool hall. (THURSDAY)

Also out and about:

Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier heads to Charlevoix’s Maritime Museum to deliver what the advisory is billing as an “important announcement” on the National Shipbuilding Strategy. (MONDAY)

Border Security Minister Bill Blair pays a visit to his one-time stomping grounds at Toronto Police headquarters, where, alongside Ontario solicitor general Sylvia Jones, he’ll launch the “next phase” of his government’s ongoing campaign to boost public awareness of the dangers of drug-impaired driving, as well as unveil new financing earmarked for provincial anti-drug-impaired driving efforts. (MONDAY)

Elsewhere in Ontario, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau drops by the St-Albert Cheese Co-Op with new federal cash to support dairy processing and tour a local farm. (MONDAY)

Programming note: What We’re Watching will not be published next Monday, but will return to its regular weekly schedule on May 13.