MPs call for radical RCMP reform Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get it delivered weekday mornings. MPs are asking the government to radically change the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, reforming its paramilitary structure, do more to tackle systemic racism, beef up oversight and consider ending the contract-policing model that sees Mounties providing service in much of the country. Liberal MP John McKay, chair of the House public safety committee, which produced the report, said Thursday it is "time for a reckoning" for the force. But the report is just the most recent in a long list of similar documents that governments have not acted on. NDP MP Jack Harris, whose parliamentary motion led to the study, is warning that Trudeau "has a history of failing to act on reports." Conservative MPs on the committee disagreed with the call to end contract policing, saying it does not make sense "to replace the RCMP as the primary local law enforcement agency for large areas of Canada with a patchwork of new community police forces." An historic nomination: Mahmud Jamal, who Justin Trudeau nominated as the next Supreme Court justice on Thursday, says he experienced discrimination "as a fact of daily life" while growing up. Jamal is to replace Rosalie Abella, who Maclean's Paul Wells profiles in this month's issue. Jamal, born in Kenya, will be the first person of colour on the top court. He said recently that he and his family struggled at times after moving to Canada. "As a child and youth, I was taunted and harassed because of my name, religion or the colour of my skin." He has appeared in 35 appeals before the top court, and taught at McGill University and Osgoode Hall Law School. Called to the bar: The Conservatives plan to boycott an intelligence review body as long as the Trudeau government refuses to provide uncensored records to the Commons regarding the firing of scientists from Canada’s top infectious disease lab. The Liberals have declined to comply with an order of the House to turn over the document explaining why scientists Xiangguo Qiu and Keding Cheng were expelled from the Winnipeg National Microbiology Lab and later fired. The government says the documents would jeopardize national security and proposed giving them to the security committee. MPs intend to call the head of the Public Health Agency of Canada to the bar of the House for a reprimand, the first time such a thing has happened since 1913. Cactus club: The Globe is reporting that the Conservatives were billed for a secret political war room targeting Maxime Bernier in the 2019 election. The Daisy Group consulting firm, led by former Liberal adviser Warren Kinsella, ran a “seek and destroy” effort called Project Cactus. The Globe has obtained an image of an invoice from Daisy addressed to “John Walsh Conservative Party of Canada.” Bernier is suing Kinsella for defamation. And now Freeland attacks Paul: Chrystia Freeland is firing back at Green Leader Annamie Paul, who called her a “female shield” to the Prime Minister. “I am not a token, nor would I ever accuse another woman politician of being some man’s token—that is not how a feminist treats another woman,” Freeland said in a statement. “I’m a proud feminist who serves in a feminist government with a feminist Prime Minister.” Paul claimed Freeland played a role in enticing Jenica Atwin to cross the floor to the Liberals, which set off a crisis within the Greens, undermining her leadership. $5-billion! The ongoing renovation of Centre Block will cost between $4.5 billion and $5 billion and run for a decade, the government said Thursday. Procurement Minister Anita Anand said that while it is a “significant investment,” it is “necessary.” Second dose advice: The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommended Thursday that people who received a first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine receive a second dose of an mRNA vaccine, such as Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. Evidence suggests "better immune responses” when an individual receives a first dose of AstraZeneca and a second dose of an mRNA vaccine, the agency said. Kingston will remove a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald from a park in his hometown and his name will be taken off a local school. The statue will eventually go up in the cemetery where Canada's first prime minister is buried. Kenney story retracted: An Alberta outlet has retracted its story alleging that Jason Kenney and his ministers held rule-breaking dinners at an Italian restaurant. — Stephen Maher | 