LAST NIGHT ON THE HILL — Public Safety Minister MARCO MENDICINO strolled by his lonesome into a committee room in the basement of West Block, without even a satchel. "Hello, hello, hello," he said to the MPs and senators already around the table. He joked with Sen. PETER HARDER, who was seated behind a mess of empty food wrappers. Mendicino joked about making a quick exit. "Do you mind if I leave to eat?" he quipped to quiet chuckles. No such luck. The mood was light before Bloc Québécois MP RHÉAL FORTIN gaveled the meeting into session. Not for long. — Parallel tracks: Mendicino was testifying at the special committee that is investigating the government's invocation of the Emergencies Act in February after blockades snarled commerce at border crossings — and life in downtown Ottawa. The parliamentary probe is separate from the public inquiry announced by the government on Monday, headed up by Justice PAUL S. ROULEAU. Both the committee and the inquiry are mandated by the Emergencies Act itself. If there's one knock against what we'll christen the Rouleau Commission, it's that he's tasked with scrutinizing many angles of the trucker convoy and blockades — evolution, impact on the economy, funding sources, and the police response — but the judgment of the federal government itself appears not to be on the agenda. — Brass tacks: Tory MP GLEN MOTZ opened questions with a plea that Mendicino release all documents that fed the government's decision to invoke a law that had never before been invoked. Mendicino demurred. Motz took it as a yes. The backstory: The feds recently shielded Cabinet documents on the invocation from a legal challenge of the government's unprecedented action at Federal Court. Tories really, really, really want to see those documents. No dice on Tuesday evening, though Mendicino did tell reporters Monday that Rouleau would have access to classified docs. (Which will never satisfy an opposition bent on poking a vulnerable government for weaknesses.) — Unparliamentary language: Motz was a police officer for 35 years, and said he developed a pretty strong "BS detector." He corrected the record to "lie" detector, but not before Liberal MP ARIF VIRANI complained about declining decorum in the room. Off mic, Motz gestured to the minister. "I could have used another word," he said. "I'm easy," replied Mendicino. — Clear lines: It wouldn't be a Canadian committee meeting without a deep dive into a jurisdictional morass. Mendicino told MPs it became clear during the weeks-long occupation — "painfully so" — that Ottawa Police patrol Wellington Street but stop the moment they reach the Parliamentary Precinct, which covers everything north of Wellington from the Rideau Canal to Kent Street. Oh, and the buildings south of Wellington between Elgin Street and Bank Street. Confused? Of course you are. Here's a map. Sen. LARRY CAMPBELL, a former Mountie, asked RCMP Commissioner BRENDA LUCKI, who appeared at the committee by videoconference, if she could clarify the RCMP's role in downtown Ottawa. Lucki explained: The various forces coordinated their efforts. The Mounties oversaw the Parliamentary Protective Service, which is directed by the House of Commons and Senate and responsible for the precinct north of Wellington Street. Ottawa Police, she clarified, are responsible for Wellington Street several feet away. Clear as mud. Earlier, Mendicino told the committee he hoped they'd sort out how so many police forces in such a concentrated area "are able to cooperate" when it matters. — Speak of the devil: Ottawa police are prohibiting motor vehicles from a wide swath of downtown Ottawa this weekend as a "Rolling Thunder" protest rolls into town — That's all, folks: When the committee adjourned before 8 p.m., the tension in the room broke. Motz and fellow Tory MP LARRY BROCK walked over to Mendicino, shook his hand, and exchanged a quiet moment of collegiality. Remember the old Looney Tunes cartoon with the sheepdog and the wolf? They'd punch in for work, do battle all day as the wolf tried to nab all the sheep he could, and then punch out afterwards and make small talk? Yeah, this was that. The committee was soon back in action when Justice Minister DAVID LAMETTI entered the room for 90 minutes in the hot seat, but Playbook had to file. — The last word goes to an unnamed parliamentarian who chuckled with a colleague on the sidelines of the meeting: "This ain't the Senate, Toto." Did someone forward Ottawa Playbook your way? Save someone’s time by signing up directly. Click here to sign up to this free newsletter. COUNT ON THIS — Statistics Canada is releasing a second batch of 2021 Census results this morning, and it marks the first time demographic data will reflect gender diversity. The technical change to the Census was announced two years ago. Folding in questions about sex at birth and gender is intended to address gaps in limited reliable data on transgender and non-binary populations in Canada. Today’s release will distribute updated data breaking down Canada’s population by age and type of dwelling. Let’s see how many millennials there are, a.k.a Canada’s biggest voting bloc.
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