NDP MPs back on the Hill for pre-sitting strategy sessions

 With less than two weeks to go before the House reopens for what will almost certainly be the final sitting of the 41st Parliament, New Democrat MPs are making an early return to Ottawa, where NDP Leader Tom Mulcair will kick off two days of 'strategy sessions' with a speech to caucus.

• Tom Mulcair's polls dilemma: Canadians like him, but will they vote for him?

Last night, CBC News reported a change in the ranks of the leader's senior advisory team: his current chief of staff, Raoul Gebert, is leaving, and will be replaced by Alain Gaul, who served as Mulcair's chief of staff when he was environment minister in Quebec City.

• Tom Mulcair shuffles senior staff ahead of election

Also back on the party org chart: Brad Lavigne, who returns in a pre-campaign advisory role after a year-long stint at Hill and Knowlton.    

Outside the precinct, Finance Minister Joe Oliver's second day on the pre-budget consultation trail takes him to Calgary, where he'll join Minister of State for Finance Kevin Sorenson for another round of closed-door meetings before heading off to a lunch speech hosted by the local chamber of commerce.

Also in Calgary today: Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who will deliver an announcement on "Canada's weather infrastructure," which, while not designated "important" by the advisory, will also include a "technical briefing" for reporters.

Elsewhere on the ministerial circuit:

• Public Works Minister Diane Finley joins Wellington-Halton Hills MP Diane Finley at the University of Guelph Arboretum, where the pair will tour a "mini trade show" after sharing the details of the latest instalment of federal cash set to be divvied up amongst local business through the Canada Accelerator and Incubator Program.
• Minister of State for FedDev Ontario Gary Goodyear starts his day by teaming up with Kitchener-area MP Peter Braid to unveil new federal cash to bolster "business innovation" in the Waterloo area, after which he returns to his home riding of Cambridge to "celebrate growth" at eSentire's new security operations centre.
• "Innovative businesses" will also be at the top of the agenda for Infrastructure Minister Denis Lebel as he shows his government's support for three Quebec City "enterprises," including outdoor lighting manufacturer Lumca.  
• Back in the National Capital Region, Minister of State for Sport Bal Gosal hosts a "round table with national sports organizations" in Gatineau.
• Finally, Justice Minister Peter MacKay drops by the Pictou Landing First Nations Community to, as the notice puts it, "make an important announcement regarding an initiative."

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