'I feel it is worth noting that Canada pushed for [White Helmets] to include women and funded their efforts to recruit and train women. Now those women are in even more danger,' a GAC official wrote.

'There’s a lot of talent; it’s not just political rhetoric. We do have our moments. At the end of the day, we’re just people,' says NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen of the range of musical talent among MPs.

The Conservative, NDP, and Green Party critics all say the federal government has failed to act to address tensions.

'All Joe [Biden] had to do last night was show up,' says former prime minister Brian Mulroney. 'He showed up, and he did better than that, he performed quite well. Not in a superior fashion, but quite well.'

Manitoba Senator Patricia Bovey is pushing to see more diversity represented in the art hanging throughout the building the Upper Chamber calls home, calling the new display the ‘first iteration’ of those efforts.

The powerful Internal Economy Committee also agreed to move some procurement discussions from behind closed doors in a bid to be more transparent about its contracts.

The efforts of the Ottawa Group were part of just a select few foreign policy priorities mentioned during the Throne Speech, ahead of a 'disappointing' move by the U.S. to appeal a WTO softwood lumber ruling.

New PBO figures do not capture the possibility of any new government programs, and work off the assumption that there will be a 'gradual' relaxing of public health restrictions within the next 12 to 18 months.

MPs from all parties are also watching the provincial election in British Columbia carefully to learn how to run a campaign in the midst of a pandemic.