As flagged by iPolitics last night, Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon has now officially served notice of his pitch to reconfigure House committees to reflect the rebalanced House dynamics now that the Liberals have a narrow working majority in the chamber.

If adopted, the new order — which would remain in place for the duration of the current parliament —  “would increase the number of members on committees where Liberal MPs act as chairs to 12, with seven of those seats reserved for Liberals,” while the membership of committees traditionally chaired by an opposition member “would be fixed at 10, with Liberal MPs to take up five seats,” which would give the Liberals “an effective majority on every committee,” iPolitics notes.

MacKinnon has scheduled a mid-morning press conference outside the House of Commons to provide more details on the motion, which could be called for debate as early as tomorrow, although without all-party support, the government would likely have to invoke closure to get it to a vote. (9:30 a.m.)

Shortly after MacKinnon shared a preview of the motion on social media, Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer posted a reply that reiterated his party’s objections to the plan.

“Instead of focusing on making life more affordable for Canadians, (Prime Minister Mark Carney) is using precious time in the House to make life easier for Liberals,” he noted.

“They are giving themselves the power to shut down investigations into Liberal corruption; to block the release of documents; to hear from whistleblowers. We know what Liberals do when they think they won’t get caught (Green Slush Fund, ArriveScam, Indigenous procurement). Carney is proving to be just another Liberal. Stacking the deck to avoid accountability. Shame.”

Back in the chamber, MPs are set to vote on the latest batch of backbench proposals to make it through second–reading debate, including Sen. Marty Deacon’s proposal to develop a “national framework on sports betting advertising,” which was adopted by the Upper House last fall and is now being shepherded through the House of Commons by Liberal MP Bardish Chagger.

Also in the queue: Three other private members’ proposals from Liberal MPs: Viviane Lapointe’s bid to allow courts to issue restitution orders to front-line and community organizations, Gurbax Saini’s call for a “national framework for food price transparency” and Alana Hirtle’s proposal to instruct the GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AND ESTIMATES committee to “undertake a study on alternative ways to make use of underused and surplus federal lands and buildings, in ways that help reinvigorate communities by serving as centers that provide services for veterans.”

After that wraps up, MPs will kick off the opening round of debate on the government’s plan to implement the Red River Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Treaty.

According to his itinerary, Prime Minister Mark Carney is not currently planning to be in his front-and-centre seat to face his opposition adversaries in the House of Commons today, but will join his fellow Liberals at the weekly closed-door caucus confab this morning (10 a.m.), and will “meet with students to mark Earth Day” this afternoon. (1:15 p.m.)

Also on the radar: Justice Minister Sean Fraser and Women and Gender Equality Minister Rechie Valdez hit the West Block Foyer to highlight “new federal supports (and) stronger actions for victims and survivors of crime” during a midday media availability that, as the advisory notes, “comes as committee study of the Protecting Victims Act (C-16), (which) proposes one of the most consequential reforms to the Criminal Code in a generation to better protect victims and survivors and keep kids safe from predators,” is due to wrap up at JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS later today. (12:30 p.m.)

Meanwhile, two Team Carney front benchers are booked in for separate afternoon appearances on the Senate committee circuit: International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, who will field another round of questions on a proposed new trade deal with Indonesia at FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE and Health Minister Marjorie Michel, who will provide an overview of her government’s proposal to boost the “interoperability of health information technology” at SOCIAL AFFAIRS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. (4:15 p.m.)

ON AND AROUND THE HILL

New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan teams up with the No Cuts to Care Coalition, which includes members of the Canadian Refugee Health Network, Canadian Doctors for Medicare, Canadian Paediatric Society and Canadian Muslim Healthcare Network, as well as Sara Habibyar, who, as per the notice, is a “former refugee and public health professional,” to urge the government to “reverse” planned cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program, which are currently on track to take effect on May 1, and “will harm patients and place greater strain on the healthcare system.” (9:15 a.m.)

Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet joins World Uyghur Congress executive director Rushan Abbas, as well as other human rights activists and Bloc Québécois MPs Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe and Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, to provide an update on Savard-Tremblay’s backbench proposal to strengthen current border inspection protocols to ensure imported goods were not “mined, manufactured or produced wholly or in party by forced labour or child labour.” (11:30 a.m.)

Representatives of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapy urge the government to “add occupational therapy in the Canadian Student Loan Forgiveness Program,” which, the advisory notes, was “recently expanded (to) include ten additional health professionals,” but still leaves out occupational therapists, who are “integral to primary care teams.” (9 a.m.)

OUTSIDE THE PRECINCT

Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand will start her day in the lobby of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly in Iqaluit, where, according to her office, she’ll share the details of new federal “investments (to) strengthen Nunavut’s economy, infrastructure and Arctic security.” (10:30 a.m.)

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