Shakedown book tour, day three -- and a book signing tomorrow at Chapters

What a great day. I flew from Toronto to Ottawa, and went straight to Newcap Radio's innovative Live 88.5 radio station -- a music and talk station aimed at twenty- and thirty-somethings. What a lively format -- I hope it's rolled out into other cites, too.

Then I met with a documentary crew from the Catholic TV station Salt and Light TV, and then a reporter from the student newspaper, the Charlatan. Then over to the Hill Times, where I had a feisty interview with Harris MacLeod. It was more of a debate than an interview. I actually wish it was in front of a public forum -- of course I enjoy friendly interviews, but I think the sparring of a debate sharpens up the arguments. I can hardly wait for his review.

I had an hour of downtime, and zipped up the Hill to catch the second half of Question Period. Ten years ago, I worked on Parliament Hill, as the QP staffer for the opposition Reform Party. It's quite a different feeling to sit on the other side of the room.

The evening was capped off with a wonderful reception and dinner hosted by the Fraser Institute at Ottawa's tony Rideau Club. My friend Nigel Hannaford, the Calgary Herald columnist, joined me on the stage for a 90-minute review of human rights commissions and free speech. I signed some books -- we quickly ran out of all the ones we brought -- and then a smaller group retired to dinner, where the conversation continued. The Fraser Institute sure knows how to organize a great affair.

Tomorrow's my last day in Ottawa. I'll be on CFRA radio -- twice, actually, at 8 a.m. and then again at 12:30 p.m. ET. Some TV, too -- Rogers T and a quick hit on Ottawa's CTV affiliate. And I've been invited for a sit-down meeting with the editorial team at the Ottawa Citizen, who have been strong advocates for freedom of speech.

I think my favourite part of the day will be my visit to the Chapters-Indigo store on Rideau and Sussex. I'll only be there for an hour, from 1 till 2 p.m., but I think that I'll have a chance to meet a lot of people, especially given the store's location, right near Parliament.

If you're in Ottawa and have some free time -- or even a long lunch hour -- please pop by the Chapters to say hi, and I'd be happy to sign a book for you.

I'll do my best to keep twittering about my day, so feel free to follow me there.