Meanwhile, the government’s conflict of interest commissioner has formally contacted Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office in an investigation into how and why the PM’s chief of staff rescued Conservative Senator Mike Duffy from a scandal over ineligible living and travel expense claims by giving the Senator $90,000 to repay the money before an independent audit report was made public.

Liberals say win indicates a change coming in Atlantic region, but tough to project Labrador byelection result nationally.

The government has given the House Finance Committee until midnight on Tuesday, May 28, to pass the legislation and to report it back to the House of Commons for third and final debate and passage.

The federal Cabinet wants to take control over collective bargaining at the CBC to rein in the cost of wages and pension plans for unionized employees, not out of a desire to interfere politically with the Crown corporation’s independence as Canada’s national public broadcaster, says government backbencher Ryan Leef.

Federal public servants in the media branches of more than two dozen government agencies and departments have used the term ‘Harper Government’ to announce federal funding, tax breaks, and a range of government handouts and projects in more than 500 news releases since last December.

OpenText’s Tom Jenkins says government must now work as ‘convening power’ and bring research and commercial sectors together.