Climate change is real, says Peter Kent, but don't expect us to get serious about it!

What do you do when you are a Canadian Environment Minister who respects the science of climate change and believes we need polices to deal with global warming, but your Prime Minister and many of your colleagues take the opposite view?

When you're Peter Kent, you do a lot of twisting and turning.

That was on display late Monday afternoon when Kent appeared before the House Environment Committee, and spoke with journalists afterward.

Ontario prison contacts police in sex-for-drugs probe

An Ontario women’s prison facility, already under the microscope for the 2007 death of teen Ashley Smith, has reached out to local police for assistance in an investigation into potential criminal activity involving a prison guard accused of trading drugs for sex.

Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) spokesperson Wendy Smith refused to comment on the allegations made by several inmates that a guard was involved in sex with an inmate in exchange for contraband. Nor would she say why CSC called police. But in an emailed statement Tuesday, Smith told CBC News “in all cases where an individual is suspected to be involved in criminal activity, police are advised.”

John Baird Hails 'Miracle' Of Israel As Ceasefire Negotiated With Gaza

OTTAWA - With hope of an Israel-Gaza ceasefire beckoning Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird hailed the "miracle" of a Zionist Israel while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton began the hard diplomatic work of brokering an end to the violence.

Speaking to a glittering Jewish community fundraising gala, Baird called the birth of Israel a "miracle to behold," describing it as "a phoenix-like rising … from a barren desert to the dynamic country we see today."

Scrums: Mischaracterization

Question period Tuesday was almost over when New Democrat MP Anne Minh-Thu Quach stood up with a question for Environment Minister Peter Kent about something he said Monday in committee. He was reportedly unable to specify how much his department is spending on reducing greenhouse gasses in different sectors.

“The precise number is far less important than our government’s decision that we would not be sending billions of hard earned Canadian dollars abroad to buy hot air credits from depressed eastern European economies,” Kent said, and promised a bit later that his department would get back to the committee with some figures.

The Commons: Holier than thou (as long as thou is Greece)

The Scene. Peggy Nash had asked why the Prime Minister wouldn’t be in Halifax on Friday to meet with the premiers—”Since the Prime Minister is rarely here on Friday…”—and Jim Flaherty had duly enumerated all of the conversations the Prime Minister has had with the premiers these last seven years and now Ms. Nash was apparently done playing nice.

“Mr. Speaker, the fact is the premiers of this country are getting together to discuss, among other things, the economy, but the Prime Minister is refusing to join them,” she prefaced. “According to the IMF, we will have fallen behind the U.S. in growth by 2015. Greece’s economy is expected to grow faster than ours.”

Ontario Lib MP says Alberta Tories' views don't belong in Parliament

OTTAWA - A Liberal MP from Ottawa says Conservatives from Alberta don't belong in Parliament unless they adopt a more national view of the energy industry.

"They are national legislators with a national responsibility, but they come across as very, very small-p provincial individuals who are jealously guarding one industrial sector, picking the fossil fuel business and the oilsands business specifically, as one that they're going to fight to the death for," said David McGuinty.

We Fight Ottawa Press Gag

Blacklock’s Reporter today served legal notice it will challenge a gag ruling that disqualifies the online publisher from the Ottawa Press Gallery unless management divulges proprietary information.

“If this precedent stands independent journalism is dead on Parliament Hill,” said Blacklock’s board. “No newspaper, radio or TV station would tolerate these arbitrary requirements, yet the gallery would ban an online publisher.”

Senator who lives near Ottawa gets $20K housing allowance

Sen. Patrick Brazeau receives an annual $20,000 taxpayer-subsidized housing allowance for claiming his principle residence is in Maniwaki, Que., but other residents tell CTV News they’ve rarely seen him there.

Senators are entitled to the annual allowance if their principal residence is at least 100 kilometres outside Ottawa, and Maniwaki is 130 kilometres from the capital.

Canadian Heritage spends $1.45-million on one War of 1812 TV ad during Olympics, feds spend $8-million total to commemorate British-U.S. war

PARLIAMENT HILL—The Conservative government has lavished nearly $8-million since April, 2011, on promoting the War of 1812 anniversary this year, from millions of dollars for costly TV advertising to more than $1,000 in wine bottle neck ties.

The Canadian Heritage department was the biggest spender, paying $1.45-million to CTV for prime time space to broadcast one War of 1812 ad during the summer Olympic Games, with a further $1.2-million bill for the ad’s planning and production costs.

Arguments wrap up in libel case against Mayor Rob Ford

Mayor Rob Ford’s testimony in the $6 million libel case against him was “disingenuous” and “based on fabrications,” the lawyer representing restaurateur George Foulidis said Tuesday on the last day of the hearing.

When Ford told court that evidence of corruption happened behind closed doors, he wasn’t being honest, lawyer Brian Shiller charged. And when Ford testified that “anonymous” callers told him about money being exchanged under the table, he did so because it couldn’t be verified.

Addressing the foundation of Ford’s defence, Shiller said that while politicians have significant latitude to discuss controversial issues of public importance, that doesn’t provide cover to “fabricat(e) criminal allegations.”