A little over a week after the United States and Israel launched what would turn out to be the first wave of an ongoing series of military strikes on Iran, MPs could get the opportunity to put their thoughts on the latest conflict in the Middle East on the parliamentary record as early as later today.

In a post to X last night, Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon served notice that he had “proposed to other parties (that) a debate on the hostilities in Iran and the Middle East and the impact for Canadians abroad” be held in the House of Commons this evening.

As of last night, neither the Conservatives nor the New Democrats have gone public with their respective response to the government’s offer, nor has either party responded to media queries, Canadian Press reports.

For his part, interim New Democrat leader Don Davies had already scheduled a mid-afternoon media availability to make the case for his party’s request for “an emergency debate on Canada’s response to the military conflict in Iran,” which will likely be supplanted by the take-note debate proposed by the government. (1:30 p.m.)

Shortly after MacKinnon’s post went up, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that he had “convened the Incident Response Group to discuss the ongoing hostilities in Iran and the Middle East,” as well as his government’s “effort to protect Canadians in the region and work with partners to de-escalate the conflict,” as per the summary published to social media.

The full readout reiterates that Canada “was not consulted, did not participate, and has no plans to participate in the offensive actions against Iran that are being undertaken by the U.S. and Israel,” and notes that the “initial conflict has spread widely as a result of attacks by Iran and its proxies on other countries across the broader Middle East.”

In addition to going over the latest developments, the group also “reviewed potential changes to the threat landscape in Canada and underlined the importance of continued vigilance to enhance domestic security,” and “agreed that partners in the region must have their security and sovereignty protected,” the recap reveals.

“The prime minister provided updates from his recent discussions with leaders in the region and the G7. Canada continues to support efforts to de-escalate the situation, and to call for an immediate end to attacks on civilian infrastructure  — in line with international law.”

In a separate readout, Carney noted that he had spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump, about “a range of issues, including the economy, developments in the Middle East, and trade relations between the two countries,” with the two leaders agreeing to “remain in close contact.”

According to his public itinerary, Carney is not planning to be in his front-and-centre seat in the House of Commons this afternoon.
He will, however, hold a tête-à-tête with visiting Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz (10:30 a.m.) and “attend a community iftar” this evening (7:15 p.m.)

Also on the government’s to-do list: As flagged by What We’re Watching, MacKinnon has also filed the necessary procedural paperwork to put forward a motion that, if adopted, would effectively force an end to the prolonged standoff at the JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS committee over Justice Minister Sean Fraser’s proposal to expand the current hate crimes laws.

If adopted, the motion would not only impose a hard deadline on the committee to complete clause-by-clause review by the end of the next scheduled meeting, but would also preemptively limit the remaining debate on the floor of the House of Commons to a single sitting day each for report stage and third reading.

Debate on the motion could get started as early as this afternoon, although as is standard in a minority scenario, the Liberals will need the support of at least four opposition members — not just to enforce the proposed timeline, but to allow the motion itself to proceed to a vote, as the the Conservatives could simply move their ongoing push to block the legislation from the committee to the floor of the House of Commons.

Before that gets underway, New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan will wrap up the opening round of debate on her backbench pitch to “close loopholes in Canada’s arms export laws,” which, she contends, “allow Canadian-made weapons and components to end up in the hands of governments accused of war crimes and human rights abuses.” (11 a.m.)

Also on the radar: A trio of Team Carney front benchers — Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, Defence Minister David McGuinty and Secretary of State (Defence Procurement) Stephen Fuhr —will gather at an unnamed location somewhere in Ottawa to unveil what the advisory — which, it’s worth noting, was issued under the banner of the National Research Council of Canada —  describes as “new investments to strengthen defence industrial capacity.” (12 p.m.)

ON AND AROUND THE HILL

Conservative MP Shuvaloy Majumdar joins representatives of the Montreal Institute for Global Security and China Strategic Risks Institute for the launch of a “special report” that “will offer a detailed analysis
of how China’s expanding activities in the Arctic represent a growing strategic challenge for Canada,” according to the advisory. (11 a.m.)

Later this morning, officials with the National Council of Canadian Muslims and Oxfam, as well as “Palestinian community members,” will provide an update on what the advisory calls the “growing crisis of illegal settlement expansion in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.” (12 p.m.)

OUTSIDE THE PRECINCT

• Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu joins Orléans-area Liberal MP Marie-France Lalonde on a morning visit to OakWood Headquarters, which bills itself as “Ottawa’s premier full-service design and build firm,” to share the details of a “significant investment” that, as per the advisory, will “strengthen workforce development across (a) key economic sector.” (9:15 a.m.)
• Secretary of State (Labour) John Zerucelli heads across the river to Gatineau to team up with Quebec employment minister Pascale Déry, as well as local Liberal MP Greg Fergus and his provincial counterpart, Suzanne Tremblay, to highlight new funding to boost “green skills training.” (11 a.m.)
• Rounding out the roster, MacKinnon — who, in addition to serving as House leader, is also the cabinet lead on transportation — will start the week at the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, where, alongside Ontario transport minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, Toronto Port Authority CEO Roelof-Jan Steenstra and Nieuport Aviation president Jennifer Quinn, he’ll “mark the opening” of a new “preclearance facility.” (9:30 a.m.)

FRESH FROM iPOLITICS

HOT OFF THE WIRES