You will not find them written down anywhere, but there are two rules of political protocol that are customarily observed in this country.

The first could be called the “anti-haunting” rule. When party leaders leave the political stage, willingly or otherwise, they do not hang around in retirement to haunt their successor’s performance. They are expected to go quietly into the good night. They keep their mouth shut and their advice to themselves.

Strategists for each of the federal parties will be watching the next few rounds of opinion polls intently as they assess the magnitude of the “Khadr bump.”

There is a consensus that the Trudeau government’s controversial apology to, and $10.5 million settlement with, Omar Khadr and will drive down public support for the government – possibly enough to drop the Liberals into second place behind the Conservatives.

The federal government needs some sort of Big Problem Manager – perhaps a whole Ministry of B.P. Management – to oversee the planning, organization and implementation of events like the sesquicentennial Canada Day celebration in Ottawa on Saturday.

The sesquicentennial celebrations marking Canada’s 150 years as a nation on Saturday will feature the biggest birthday bash on Parliament Hill since the centennial in 1967. It will be a great party – and, with a budget of $2.5 million, it should be.

But no matter how splendid the weather, how spectacular the entertainment, how dramatic the air show, or how eloquent the speeches, this year’s event will not hold a candle to the bash 50 years ago.

Fifty years? Can it be?