The grandly titled Standing Committee of the House of Commons on Foreign Affairs and International Development kicks things off with a meeting on Feb. 2 (why, that's just next week!... Indeed, the NDP, at least, is chomping at the bit to get the Natural Resources Committee going so it can grill witnesses from AECL, CNSC and NRCAN Minister Lisa Raitt about Chalk River.

In news likely to make headlines on blogs only, we have learned that the Chinese Canadian Conservative Association is demanding that federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff fire Warren Kinsella for what they allege are some racially insensitive remarks about Chinese food.

You are likely to hear politicians from each side advance a series of numbers from the budget that best supports their individual position. As you hear the spin war begin about the size of the deficit and the size of the stimulus package, the following might be helpful. Much of the following is based on the analysis of the budget by the economists at BMO Capital Markets . . .