The Canadian AIDS Society held a special “It’s A Red Tie Affair” fundraiser. Below, NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis with Jordan Tarini from the Canadian AIDS Society.

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Transport Minister John Baird.

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Equal Voice, an organization dedicated to getting more women elected, held a reception at The Métropolitain Brasserie & Restaurant. Below, Helena Guergis, Minister of State for the Status of Women.

Donna Dasko (left) of Equal Voice chats with Liberal MP Marlene Jennings.

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The Scene. The Prime Minister’s chair, as an inanimate object, was unlikely to answer. But Michael Ignatieff insisted on asking anyway.

“Mr. Speaker, today we learn from the Auditor General that, for its entire time in office, the government has failed to develop any national emergency preparedness plan. That includes planning for epidemics and pandemics like H1N1. Does that not begin to explain why the government’s response to this crisis has been so slow and confused?” he wondered aloud. ”We have heard from the Minister of Health. When will we begin to hear from the Prime Minister? When will he stand up, take responsibility for the government’s mistakes and correct the situation?”

The Prime Minister was otherwise engaged with escorting the Prince and Camilla around rural Newfoundland. John Baird, Mr. Harper’s de facto deputy, was away as well, while the Health Minister was in Vancouver. No worries though, because this seemed to be a question about emergency preparedness and that is distinctly the purview of the Public Safety Minister and that minister, the typically unshy Peter Van Loan, was most certainly in his seat.

And yet, here came Tony Clement, the Minister of Industry and master flailler of arms.

“Mr. Speaker, let me dwell in the realm of facts,” Mr. Clement boldly offered. “The fact of the matter is that there have been six million doses of H1N1 vaccine that have already been delivered to the provinces and territories.

“That’s what you said yesterday!” lamented a Liberal.

“We currently have more H1N1 vaccine per capita than any other country in the world,” Mr. Clement reviewed. “The vaccine is being distributed as quickly as it is being produced and there will be sufficient H1N1 vaccine available in Canada for everyone who in fact needs or wants to be immunized.”

“Merry Christmas!” chirped a Liberal, yesterday’s points and counterpoints now sufficiently covered. Continue…

The seventh annual Champions of Mental Health Awards were held at the Fairmont Château Laurier ballroom. Margaret Trudeau, seen below with son Justin, got an award for being open about suffering from bipolar disorder.

Also on the awards list were Defense Minister Peter MacKay (left) and General Walter Natynczyk, Canada’s Chief of Defense Staff, for their work launching the “Be the Difference” mental health campaign in the Canadian Forces.

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To honour the Jewish holiday of Succoth (Feast of Tabernacles), a special ceremonial succah was set up in the East Block courtyard. Representatives from Chabad and Bnai Brith were on hand for the celebration. Below, Conservative MP James Lunney.

Frank Dimant of B’nai Brith (left) with Liberal MP Joe Volpe by the succah.

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From Question Period this afternoon.

Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North, NDP): “Does the minister realize H1N1 is not a postal code?”

Leona Aglukkaq (Minister of Health, CPC): “Mr. Speaker, the only party that thinks H1N1 is a postal code is that party.”

12:39:44 PM
Hey, look, it’s an impromptu scrum-in-waiting! Turns out that the NDP’s Judy Wasylycia-Leis will be stopping to chat with reporters about Brother Doer’s ascension to the ambassadorship, so we’re now hanging out just down the hall from where the health committee will be meeting. It’s downright serendipitous!

Incidentally, ITQ had a Doer Sighting of her own on the way here — he was striding purposefully from Wellington to the Chateau Laurier, entirely ignored by the passing crowds of tourists, and entirely content with such. I was going to yell out a greeting, but he vanished behind the pillars before I’d de-shaded-and-ipoded. Alas.

12:42:00 PM
And here’s Judy — who looks just plain delighted to be here. “This decision just makes perfect sense,” she says, before giving kudos — yes, *kudos* — to the prime minister for recognizing what a fine job Doer would do. “He’s a pan-Canadian politician … he’s a diplomat by all accounts, he’s easygoing and fun to be with … But more importantly, he has a *strong* vision of Canada.” She lists some of his accomplishments — water, health — and promises that he will “stand up for Canada”. Wait, isn’t that some other party’s slogan?

12:43:50 PM
Questions — first, the obvious: Will he find it difficult to work for this particular prime minister? Not at all … Although it sounds like she’s expecting him to “stand up” for Canadian health care, in the light of all those nasty things that some Americans have been saying about our beloved Medicare, which seems like a bit of a long shot, as far as I can tell. Isn’t there a rule about Canadian ambassadors getting involved in American domestic disputes?

12:45:37 PM
She sort of breezes past the question about whether this will create “good will” leading up to the fall session, thereby possibly saving us from a fall election, but notes that, while this is a sign that Harper is able to reach beyond his “nucleus” of close advisors, it’s not going to change the lay of the land.

12:46:47 PM
Julie Van Dusen notes that just last week, the NDP was “parading” Doer and Darrel Dexter around as twin icons of NDP winnibility, “and now Stephen Harper has poached him.” According to Judy, that just shows that even Harper can recognize talent.

She also thinks that there are two issues on which he’ll be particularly strong: the environment, and “standing up for Kyoto” — are we starting to notice a theme? — as well as water (think Devil’s Lake) — and health care. “He can help set the record straight,” according to Judy. He can make those fatcats down in Washington see reason. “The role of an ambassador in the United States is to stand up for Canadian values,” she tells us. So — he should hire Ari Fleischer to get him on FoxNews, and take Bill O’Reilly to task? Wow.

“You think he’s going to be pro-Kyoto and bring Omar Khadr home?” JVD wonders, with just a hint of scepticism (and amid some chortles from the rest of us).

“Well, you can dream,” she notes.

12:51:04 PM
And now, back to your regularly scheduled questions on H1N1. This has been the most bizarrely two-track day, y’all. I’m not going to liveblog the rest of her scrum, because she’s not saying anything new, so you can head over to the other thread for all the flu coverage you can possibly handle.

The NDP party held its year-end BBQ in the courtyard of East Block. Here is leader Jack Layton.

Edmonton NDP MP Linda Duncan.

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The Canada-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group was recently created on the Hill at a meeting in a West Block conference room just a few doors down from Ruby Dhalla’s office.

(Left to right) Winnipeg Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge, Philippines Ambassador Jose Brillantes and NDP Winnipeg MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis. Bruinooge and Wasylycia-Leis are the co-chairs of the new group.

MPs (standing) and three congresswomen from the Philippines (sitting).

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The Canadian Friends of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Canada-Israel Committee held a special reception on the Hill in honour of Israel’s 61^st year of independence.

Toronto-area Tory MP Peter Kent and Merle Goldman, Associate National Director of the Canadian Friends of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Conservative B.C. MP James Lunney, Chair of the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group.

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Speaker Peter Milliken held a special reception for the group Buy-A-Net. This Kingston, Ont.-based organization raises money to purchase insecticide-treated bed nets and anti-malaria medicine for Ugandan villages.

Winnipeg NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis.

The Speaker (right) and His Excellency George Marino Abola High Commissioner-designate for the Republic of Uganda.

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It is, rather obviously, a bit soon to declare her handling of the swine flu outbreak a resounding success, but Canadian Press files a good quick take on Leona Aglukkaq’s performance in the early going.

The caution exhibited by the former health minister for the Nunavut territorial government apparently doesn’t just apply to pandemic decisions. Aglukkaq deflected almost all questions during her three news conferences to her officials, including chief public health officer Dr. David Butler-Jones…

Aglukkaq called the three opposition health critics Sunday before speaking to reporters about the flu outbreak, then arranged an in-depth briefing for them with her officials Monday. Her Sunday call, said Bennett, was “to ask for advice and also to make sure we were on the same page and comfortable with the path going forward.”

NDP health critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis described the Conservative minister’s gesture as a new experience — “quite a shock, actually.” ”For a rookie minister, she’s on top of this file and she’s responded very effectively,” said Wasylycia-Leis. “She’s probably one of the better rookie MPs in the House.”

The Canada Israel Committee and the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee held a special Israeli wine meets Canadian cheese reception on the Hill. Here is Israeli Ambassador Miriam Ziv with Conservative James Lunney, Chair of the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Committee.

Transport Minister John Baird (left) and Adam Chambers, Jim Flaherty’s aide.

Baird with Justin Trudeau.

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