Both the Senate and the House of Commons will resume sitting on Monday, Sept. 19.
Tuesday, July 3:
- International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda announced that she is stepping down from her cabinet position, as well as relinquishing her seat as the Member of Parliament for Durham.
- Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose hosted a roundtable discussion with industry stakeholders in Calgary, discussing ways to effectively engage small and medium-sized enterprises and leveraging procurement to benefit Canadian industry and the economy.
Wednesday, July 4:
- Prime Minister Stephen Harper named Julian Fantino as the new minister of international co-operation. He was previously associate minister of national defence. Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency) (La Francophonie) Bernard Valcourt was appointed as the new associate minister of national defence.
- Le Domaine Forget de Charlevoix Inc. of Saint-Irénée, Québec received federal funding to improve its seasonal lodging facilities and optimize its tourism experience. The $1.22 million in non-repayable funding comes from the Canada Economic Development's Quebec Economic Development Program.
- Kongsberg Inc. of Shawinigan received financial assistance to improve its competitiveness through the construction of a new state-of-the-art production line. The $401,760 repayable contribution was awarded through Canada Economic Development's Business and Regional Growth program.
- Design Catamaran Inc. of Trois-Rivières received funding to help it execute a strategy to commercialize its products in the United States and Europe. The $147,500 in repayable funding comes through Canada Economic Development's Community Diversification program.
- John Lewis Industries Ltd. of La Tuque, Quebec received $900,000 in repayable financial assistance through the Temporary Initiative for the Strengthening of Quebec's Forest Economies to modify existing machinery, acquire specialized equipment and modernize its production chain.
Thursday, July 5:
- The Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates published its report on Strengthening Parliamentary Scrutiny of Estimates and Supply.
- Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced the launched a Best Practices in Settlement Services website to bring together stakeholders and best practices in one place.
- Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose hosted a roundtable discussion with local business leaders, corporate executives and community stakeholders in Calgary to discuss ways to promote women's leadership and participation on boards of directors.
- Transport Minister Denis Lebel announced that community facilities, such as community centres, recreational facilities and other types of community infrastructure are now eligible for repairs and upgrades under the new community infrastructure improvement fund. The CIIF has a national budget of $150 million to be invested over two years, and is in effect until March 31, 2014.
- Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz met with farmers in Woodstock, Ontario, to discuss agriculture policies.
- Statistics Canada published a study looking at the employment growth rates of small versus large firms in Canada from 1999 to 2008. The study found that while small firms in the business sector create proportionally more jobs than large firms, this pattern disappears once the age of the firm, industry and time period are taken into account. As of 2008, the Canadian business sector was made up of more than one million incorporated and unincorporated firms with employees. Forty-eight per cent of the firms had more than 1, but fewer than 10 employees.
Friday, July 6:
- Statistics Canada released June 2012 results of the Labour Force Survey. The unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 7.2 per cent, as a result of fewer people searching for work. The number of public sector employees increased by 39,000 in June. The number of people working in Ontario increased by 20,000 in June, and the unemployment rate stood at 7.7 per cent, virtually unchanged from 12 months prior.
- Statistics Canada also released figures on Building Permits for May, 2012. Municipalities issued building permits worth $7 billion in May, an increase of 7.4 per cent from April, and the highest level since May, 2007. The increase comes after a 4.4 per cent decline in April.
Eye on the Hill is prepared by Ottawa-based government relations and communications firm Flagship Solutions.
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