Angela Merkel on Parliament Hill to meet with Stephen Harper

The House of Commons may be shut down for the week, but Parliament Hill denizens can expect a flurry of activity later today when German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives at Centre Block for an early evening meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

• Angela Merkel to brief Stephen Harper on Ukraine talks

According to the advisory issued by the Prime Minister's Office, the two leaders are slated to hold a 55 minute tête-à-tête before taking part in the traditional stroll down the Hall of Honour, where they will deliver a joint statement to the waiting press.

UPDATE: According to a just-in notice, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau will hit the stage at the National Press Theatre this morning for what his office is billing as an 'important' press conference.

Outside the precinct:

• International Development Minister Christian Paradis delivers fresh federal support to Thetford Mines-based Groupe DSD Inc. as part of the Canadian Initiative for the Economic Diversification of Communities Reliant on Chrysotile.
• FedDev Ontario Minister Gary Goodyear joins Newmarket MP Lois Brown and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters vice-president Mathew Wilson for a tour of Palcam Technologies Ltd.
• Elsewhere in Ontario, Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford drops by the Lake of the Woods Discovery Centre in his home riding of Kenora to unveil new "investments" to support "joins, growth and economic prosperity" throughout the region.
• Moving west to Winnipeg, Canadian Heritage Minister Shelly Glover teams up with Manitoba jobs minister Kevin Chief and Mayor Brian Bowman to share the details of a new joint infrastructure project at the former Greyhound bus depot.
• National Revenue Minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay and Vancouver MP Wai Young will be front and center at a Family Day event in Robson Square, where the pair will "highlight tax relief and benefit measures for families."
• Finally, Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq announces new support for Northwest Territories tourism during a visit to Yellowknife.

Meanwhile, New Democrat Leader Tom Mulcair spends the day in Toronto, where he'll drop by the Ale House Brew Pub to tout his party's proposals to help small business before making an evening appearance at a roundtable hosted by the Canadian Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada.

Finally, Finance Minister Joe Oliver heads to Istanbul to confer with his G20 counterparts on the state of the global economy. 

Mobile readers: Follow the Parliament Hill ticker here.