As yet, there’s no official word from his office on whether Prime Minister Mark Carney will be back in his front-and-centre seat when the House of Commons reopens for business tomorrow.

It’s a safe bet, however, that when he does return to the chamber, he’ll be facing a flurry of pointed follow-up questions from across the aisle on how his minority Liberal government is responding to the latest developments in the Middle East amid the ongoing U.S-Israel joint military strikes on Iran.

As CBC News notes, last week, Canada “signed on to a joint statement by the leaders of seven countries calling on Iran to immediately cease all attempts to block the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping and expressing a readiness to contribute to efforts to reopen the Strait,” albeit with no details on exactly what that might involve.

“Defence Minister David McGuinty said Canada is ‘considering’ aiding Iran’s neighbours if they seek assistance from the NATO alliance,” CBC notes.

“CBC News reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office to get clarity on what kind of contribution Canada would be in a position to offer. A spokesperson from Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand replied, saying in an email that ‘any potential support would be guided by the needs on the ground, Canada’s legal and policy frameworks, and ongoing consultations with partners and allies.’”

Meanwhile, with just four days left on the clock before the House of Commons shuts down for the two-week Easter hiatus, the Liberals have laid the procedural groundwork to get Justice Minister Sean Fraser’s controversial proposal to expand the current hate crime laws through third reading before MPs head back to their ridings on Thursday afternoon.

As per a motion adopted with the support of the Bloc Québécois earlier this month, just one sitting day has been set aside for each of the two remaining stages, with report stage currently slotted in for Monday, which could put the final debate in the queue for Wednesday.

As it stands, regular House proceedings are currently set to wrap up on Thursday to allow New Democrats to make the trek to Winnipeg, where party members are set to choose a new leader next weekend.

Also on the docket: The latest supplementary estimates, which must be approved — or, alternately, rejected — before the current supply cycle ends on Mar. 26, although as Process Nerd points out, “barring a sudden programming change, the procedural stage has been set for the winter supply cycle to wind down two days ahead of schedule, as the government has tentatively set aside Mar. 24 as the seventh and final opposition day, which, by tradition, takes place immediately before those make-or-break votes on the estimates.” (Tuesday)

The Conservatives have filed the necessary paperwork to use their last allotted day to make the case for their party’s plan to “double automotive production through a tariff-free auto pact,” which, as per the non-binding motion currently on notice, would include “making it easier to build and buy Canadian by removing the GST on all Canadian-made vehicles, ending counterproductive Liberal EV mandates and rebates,” as well as “protecting North American supply chains by maintaining the minimum 75 per cent North American content and existing CUSMA rules of origin” and “creating a harmonized North American cybersecurity and data standard, while banning vehicles using software connected to China or Russia.”

As per standard parliamentary conventions, both the estimates and the accompanying interim supply bill are automatically designated as questions of confidence, but there’s no requirement to hold a recorded vote, but deemed to have been “adopted on division,” which indicates that the motion was passed, but not unanimously.

Despite the imminent deadline for the House to decide whether to give the green light to the spending requests, several cabinet ministers are in the queue to appear before their respective home committees to go over the “subject matter” of the proposed expenditures put forward by department and agencies under their purview, including Citizenship and Immigration Minister Lena Diab (Monday a.m.), Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree (Tuesday p.m.) and Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali. (Thursday a.m.)

Outside the chamber, prospective future Parliamentary Budget Officer Annette Ryan is booked in for what will likely be a highly-charged back-and-forth with MPs on the FINANCE committee, which, as Canadian Press notes, is tasked with reviewing her nomination before the House of Commons votes on whether to approve the appointment. (Monday p.m.)

“Ryan, a longtime public servant and currently a deputy director at Canada’s financial intelligence agency, Fintrac, was named as cabinet’s pick to be the next parliamentary budget officer earlier this month,” the wire service notes — a move that has already sparked concern amongst the opposition parties, who have publicly urged the government to give the job to current interim PBO Jason Jacques.

“In a letter to Carney sent March 5, Poilievre said he had “serious” reservations about the prime minister’s suggested appointment and urged him to install Jacques to a full seven-year term,” CP reports.

“Poilievre accused Carney of trying to “muzzle” the PBO by letting Jacques’ interim term expire. Some Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs backed that push, and the standing committee on government operations and estimates passed a motion on March 10 recommending that Jacques take on the permanent position, despite Liberal opposition.”

Also on the radar: Three new reports from Auditor General Karen Hogan, which, as per her office, include the results of her investigation into whether Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada “was effectively implementing reforms to the International Student Program,” an overview of the government’s ongoing efforts towards “modernizing the pay system” and an update on whether the RCMP “recruited and posted new regular members in a timely and effective way to meet operational requirements,” as well as “special examinations” of the Atlantic Pilotage Authority and VIA Rail Canada Inc.(Monday a.m.)

Shortly after the reports go live, a trio of Team Carney front benchers — Government Transformation Minister Joël Lightbound, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab and Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree — will hold a media availability to respond to the latest findings on behalf of their respective departments, while Hogan and her team will field questions at PUBLIC ACCOUNTS. (Monday a.m.)

Elsewhere on the committee circuit:

Justice Minister Sean Fraser heads to JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS to present his pitch to crack down on gender-based violence, boost child protection laws and address issues related to chronic delays in the court system, which was referred to committee over a month ago, but was caught in the cross-table standoff over the anti-hate bill. (Monday a.m.)

VETERANS AFFAIRS members get an update on the $560 million contract awarded to Partners in Canadian Veterans Rehabilitation Services (PCVRS), which, as the Toronto Star reports, is a “joint venture between subsidies of Loblaw and an Australian firm” that has come under criticism from veterans and health care workers over “delays and redundant assessments,” as well as “inadequate rehabilitation plans that ignore or contradict health care professionals’ advice,” with senior departmental officials set to testify alongside PCVRS executives, WCG Services CEO Tania Bennett and Lifemark Health Group president Sonya Lockyer. (Monday a.m.)

Later that day, SCIENCE AND RESEARCH members circle back to their ongoing study of the “governance and accountability of federal science policy and institutions” with expert testimony from AI Governance and Safety Canada, BioCanRx, Genome Canada, Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Tech-Access Canada and University of Toronto associate vice-president Timothy Chan. (Monday p.m.)

The SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS hear from Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Hong Kong Watch and Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, as well as other advocacy groups, as they dig into the “global impact of transnational repression.” (Monday p.m.) 

NATURAL RESOURCES members continue their self-initiated examination of Canada’s energy exports with back-to-back testimony from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed, Canadian Nuclear Association CEO George Christidis, Hydrogen Canada president Bryan Moon and University of Ottawa professor Marie-Christine Doran.(Tuesday a.m.)

Also on Tuesday: INTERNATIONAL TRADE members explore trade relations between Canada and the South American members of the Mercosur trading bloc with representatives of the Canadian Meat Council, Chicken Farmers of Canada and Fertilizer Canada. (Tuesday a.m.)

Over at ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, MPs take a closer look at the industrial carbon pricing system during a panel discussion with representatives of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Pembina Institute and Resource Works Society, as well as the Canadian Climate Institute, Clean Prosperity and Université du Québec à Montréal associate professor Charles Séguin. (Tuesday p.m.)

Rounding out the roster, the SPECIAL JOINT COMMITTEE ON MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING will focus on the current eligibility requirements — and, more specifically, the eligibility of people “whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness,” during a two-hour session with academic, legal and medical experts. (Tuesday p.m.)

In and around the precinct:

• Black Class Action Secretariat CEO Nicholas Marcus Thompson joins “representatives from more than 20 labour unions, human rights
  organizations, civil society and community organizations” to unveil a “major national initiative to advance the modernization of Canada’s federal employment equity framework” and “ensure that all Canadians have a fair opportunity to contribute to and be represented in decision-making across federally regulated sectors.” (Monday p.m.)
• The lead organizers of the Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver Pride festivals launch a joint call for “urgent federal support (to) help ensure Pride events remain strong, safe and sustainable,” as well as outline how “post-pandemic rises in security, policing, permits, insurance and staffing costs are creating significant financial challenges.” (Tuesday a.m.)
• New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan hits the West Block Foyer with a delegation of “post-secondary student representatives” to “highlight the Liberal government’s plan to cut student financial aid and student grants.” (Tuesday p.m.)
• Union of Safety and Justice Employees national president David Neufeld teams up with Memorial University research chair Rosemary Ricciardelli to release a new report that “provides a timely, evidence-based look at the realities facing frontline rehabilitation staff,” including “significant workload pressures, organizational challenges, and impacts on staff wellbeing,” which “directly influence the effectiveness of rehabilitation programming and, ultimately, public safety outcomes.” (Wednesday a.m.)
• The Coalition for a Better Future, in conjunction with the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management, holds a half-day event to go over the findings of its latest “scorecard report,” which, as per the notice, offers a “clear assessment of Canada’s progress on 21 key indicators, including living standards, innovation and investment capacity, and progress toward a greener, more resilient economy,” with coalition co-chairs Lisa Raitt and Anne McLellan, Secretary of State (Rural Development) Buckley Belanger, Liberal MP and FINANCE committee chair Karina Gould, Conservative MP Greg McLean, Farm Credit Canada CEO Justine Hendricks and LiUNA! Canada public relations director Victoria Mancinelli among the “featured speakers.” (Thursday a.m.)

Hitting the ministerial circuit: Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson heads to Houston for CERAWeek, “the foremost annual gathering in the energy sector,” according to the programme, which brings together senior executives, ministers, “top officials” and “media representatives” to “cultivate relationships and exchange transformative ideas” — and which, as Reuters reports, is set to get underway “as the escalating U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has become a nightmare for energy markets, as unprecedented attacks on infrastructure and shipping disruptions sent global oil prices soaring while governments scrambled to fight ​inflation and avoid recessions.” (Monday through Tuesday)

Later this week, Carney will headline a $1,775-per-ticket reception in Halifax, N.S., alongside Nova Scotian front benchers Fraser and Metlege Diab. (Thursday p.m.)

That same night, Poilievre is slated to make the rounds at an evening event that, according to the notice, will be held at a “private residence” in Vaughan, Ont., that shares a postal code with what a recent real estate listing describes as the “most coveted cul-de-sac in Thornhill.” (Thursday p.m.)

Elsewhere on the Greater Toronto Area hustings: Secretary of State (Labour) John Zerucelli and Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon mingle with local supporters at an Etobicoke, Ont. banquet hall (Thursday p.m.) and a downtown event venue (Friday p.m.), with all proceeds to go to their respective riding associations.