Canada's pullout of UN drought convention called 'regrettable'

The United Nations has responded to Canada's withdrawal from a UN convention that fights the spread of droughts, calling the pullout "regrettable."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said Canada was withdrawing from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification because the program has proven too bureaucratic.

He has said less than one-fifth of the $350,000 Canada contributes to the convention goes to programming, while Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird called the entire process a "talkfest" that does a disservice to Canadian taxpayers.

But in a press release issued on Friday, the convention secretariat based in Bonn, Germany, said the convention is the only legally binding instrument addressing desertification and drought and pointed out that Canada itself is "frequently subjected to drought."

The UN body also said the convention is "stronger that ever before" making Canada's decision to withdraw from it "all the more regrettable."

The UNCCD says Canada is believed to have played a significant role in the convention's progress and added that it believed Canada would "seize every opportunity to sustain the implementations of the convention for the good of present and future generations."

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5 memorable Ralph Klein moments

Former Alberta premier Ralph Klein died on Friday, leaving behind a storied political career marked by landslide election wins and attention-grabbing controversies. Here are five memorable moments from Klein's career:

'Bums' and 'creeps'

In 1982 Ralph Klein, then Calgary's mayor, slammed people who moved to the city from eastern Canada to work, calling them "bums" and "creeps" and calling on city police to "kick ass" and get unwanted newcomers out of town.

"You're welcome to stay here a couple of weeks at government expense, but if you can't make it after that particular time then don't go out and rob our banks … get the hell out of town," Klein told CBC News at the time.

Many Calgarians who were bothered by a spiking crime rate and the city's climbing homeless population stood behind their mayor's controversial comments. Klein was Calgary's mayor for nine years.

'King Ralph'

Klein delivers his victory speech after winning the 2004 Alberta provincial election. The popular politician represented the riding of Calgary-Elbow. (Andy Clark/Reuters)

Klein's nickname "King Ralph" comes from his seemingly untouchable power, and his golden ability to win elections.

Klein swept into the Calgary Mayor's office in a landslide win, became a provincial MLA in the riding of Calgary-Elbow on his very first shot in 1989 and soon became a cabinet minister.

After replacing Don Getty as Conservative party leader in 1992, Klein led his party to election wins in 1993 and again in 1997 and 2001.

Don Martin writes in his book, King Ralph, that Klein was: "A man so popular that he can campaign on the strength of his first name alone."

Battle with alcohol

Klein demonstrates how little alcohol he drank over the Christmas holidays in 2002, months after he drunkenly stormed a homeless shelter and berated people inside. (John Ulan/CP)

In 2001, a drunken Klein barged into an Edmonton homeless shelter and berated those inside about being unemployed.

Days later, then premier Klein held a tearful news conference to discuss his alcoholism.

Klein admitted to drinking the equivalent of a bottle of wine a day, and that he sometimes drank at his office to get over bad hangovers. Klein remained in office after the admission, largely with the support of Albertans.

Stronach jab

In 2006, nearing the end of his political career, Klein continued to spark controversy. At a Calgary charity roast, he told an audience: "Now Belinda roasted me as a Conservative but of course now she's a Liberal … And I wasn't surprised she crossed over — I don't think she ever did have a Conservative bone in her body. Well, except for one."

The joke was in reference to Stronach's relationship with Conservative MP Peter MacKay.

Stronach criticized the comment, calling it exactly the kind of remark that puts women off entering politics.

Klein stood by his joke. "A roast is a roast is a roast," he told reporters.

Alberta first

Klein talks to a crowd of thousands at a pancake breakfast during the 2006 Calgary Stampede. (Patrick Price/Reuters)

Klein will likely be remembered more fondly in Alberta than in the rest of the country, perhaps unlike another late Alberta Premier, Peter Lougheed. Both premiers stoked the west's prosperity, but while Lougheed was considered a nation-builder, Klein waged fierce political fights with Ottawa, the provinces and other Conservatives during his tenure.

He clashed with Ottawa over same-sex marriage legislation — though he later conceded there was little he could do to prevent same-sex couples from marrying in the province — and also blasted the federal government as he pushed for more private sector involvement in Alberta's health care system.

Klein's biggest push — an extremely popular move — was to eliminate Alberta's debt. Riding the oil boom, Klein announced at the 2004 Calgary Stampede that the province had set aside enough money to eliminate the debt by 2005.

Today, Alberta's government is billions in debt despite a strong economy.

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Ralph Klein's remarkable political life

Ralph Klein was a blunt but popular man who fiercely defended the interests of his home province of Alberta. His tenure as premier in four consecutive majority governments helped to reshape the province. Simply put, his impact on Alberta was huge and lasting.

As mayor of Calgary, he was best known for bringing the 1988 Winter Olympics to the city, while his career in provincial politics was marked by a series of battles with Liberal Ottawa and a decade-long fight to get Alberta spending under control through wild surges of bust and boom.

In the process, he pushed the provincial Conservative party to a more populist stance and created what was called the low-tax, low-regulation "Alberta advantage," which culminated in 2005 when the province became the only Canadian government to be entirely debt-free.

Klein resigned as premier in 2006 after his party gave him only a lukewarm endorsement during a leadership review. He had fallen out of the public spotlight as his health worsened.

His political career began in 1980 when, as a local TV reporter who had been covering Calgary city hall for the better part of a decade, he made an improbable bid for mayor.

He won in an upset that set the stage for two subsequent wins — in 1982 and 1986 — and a nearly decade-long reign as mayor. He moved into provincial politics in the 1989 general election and succeeded Don Getty as premier three years later. The Conservative dynasty that Peter Lougheed had built looked to be running out of steam at that point. But Klein's common touch was such that he righted the ship in the 1993 provincial election and never looked back.

The early years

Born on Nov. 1, 1942, to Philip Klein, a one-time wrestler and road contractor, and Florence Gray, a waitress, Ralph was raised in Calgary primarily by his mother, stepfather and maternal grandparents after his parents divorced when he was six.

He dropped out of high school at 17 and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force before completing his high school diploma and attending Calgary Business College. He became principal of the college and also worked in public relations before joining the CFCN newsroom in 1969.

Fired up by a city plan to tear down several blocks of a historic neighbourhood to make way for a civic centre, Klein surprised fellow journalists in 1980 when he turned his fervent opposition to the project — and the city's apparent disregard for residents affected by it — into the basis of a mayoral campaign.

Campaigning on a shoestring budget against two established candidates, including the favoured incumbent, Ross Alger, Klein and his long-shot bid attracted what he would later call "the greatest bunch of vagabonds, misfits and beautiful people."

Klein won with 47 per cent of the popular vote, beating Alger by 16,000 votes.

As mayor, Klein oversaw Calgary's winning bid to host the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, which turned a profit and left the city with world-class venues where Olympic athletes still train. He also pushed for development of a light rail transit system to the city's south end.

The early part of Klein's tenure as mayor was a boom time for Calgary. Klein raised the ire of central Canada when he took a swipe at "bums" and "creeps" flooding into city looking to cash in on its good fortunes. He and others also blamed the influx of job seekers from other parts of Canada for the city's rising crime rate.

It was not the only time Klein's verbal bluntness landed him in trouble. As an MLA in 1990, he referred to Edmonton as "a fine city with too many socialists and mosquitoes" adding, "at least you can spray the mosquitoes."

Tearful news conference

In 2001, he made headlines for another trait for which he was almost as well-known as his bons mots: his drinking.

Ralph Klein gets a hug from his wife, Colleen, during a party in Calgary celebrating Klein's 10 years as premier on Dec. 12, 2002. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Klein's fondness for alcohol was no secret, from his days holding court at Calgary's legendary and now defunct St. Louis Hotel and Bar behind City Hall to his admission years later that he sometimes drank during office hours to help get over severe hangovers.

In December 2001, Klein showed up at an Edmonton homeless shelter on his way home from a party and ended up in a heated argument with a homeless man. Shelter workers said Klein threw a handful of money on the floor before his driver hustled him out.

Two days after the story became public, Klein held a teary news conference to apologize for the incident and said he would quit drinking.

When Klein made the jump into provincial politics under the Tory banner in 1989, he surprised many who assumed he was a Liberal supporter. After then-premier Getty resigned, the party elected Klein as leader in 1992.

In the months before he called an election, Klein worked to put as much distance between himself and the old leader as possible. He reduced the number of cabinet ministers from 26 to 17, cut more than 2,500 of the province's 32,000 civil service jobs and ended pensions for MLAs elected since 1989.

During the campaign, he ditched the party's traditional colours and played up "Ralph's team," winning over the electorate with impromptu stops at diners and coffee shops. On June 15, 1993, Klein led the Conservatives to another majority.

Bust and boom

Under Klein's premiership, the Tories successfully tackled Alberta's debt, which began to soar in early 1990s when the oil and gas industry suffered the effects of a global recession. But by 2005, Alberta was the only debt-free province, having erased the $23 billion in red ink that was on the provincial books when Klein took office.

As a kind of reward, Klein announced every Alberta resident would receive a $400 dividend cheque — which some dubbed "Ralph Bucks.''

But the cuts that allowed Klein to eliminate the province's debt came at a price. His government slashed the civil service and drastically reduced spending on health care and social services. Many also blamed Klein's government for allowing development of Alberta's oilsands to grow unchecked.

The oilsands were one of several issues on which Klein did not see eye to eye with other provinces. Klein clashed with his provincial and federal counterparts, notably in 2000 when he threatened to invoke the notwithstanding clause to block legal recognition of same-sex marriage following a court decision in Ontario. In 2005, same-sex unions were adopted in Alberta after Klein gave up the fight.

Following the 2004 Alberta election, Klein announced he would not run again, but he ended up leaving politics sooner than anticipated.

In March 2006, Klein offered to step down as leader in October 2007 and remain premier until a new leader was chosen early in 2008. But at a party convention two weeks later, the Tories gave him an approval rating of only 55 per cent. That prompted a disappointed Klein to move up his resignation. He was replaced by Ed Stelmach in December 2006.

After leaving politics, Klein took up advisory and academic posts. In 2008, he was awarded France's Legion of Honour for fostering ties between Alberta and France, which invests heavily in the province's oilsands. Four years later, Klein was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Klein was married twice, first to Hilda May Hepner, with whom he had two children, and in 1972 to Colleen Hamilton, with whom he had a daughter. His family also included Hamilton's two children from a previous relationship.

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Stockwell Day: Ralph Klein was 'genuine,' kept his word

Ralph Klein owed me nothing.

When he ran for the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party in 1993, I supported another worthy candidate. For that effort, I fully expected to be overlooked in his selection of ministers for his new cabinet.

I will always remember his phone call two days before the new cabinet was to be announced.

He had just won the biggest battle of his career so far. He was now numero uno in Alberta. He had won the right to call the shots. He didn't have to concern himself with an also-ran like me.

As a matter of fact, before he became premier, he was a freshly minted minister in Don Getty's cabinet and I was the whip. On more than one occasion, I had called him or his unruly executive assistant, a guy named Rod Love, to exercise my authority and express my displeasure regarding his tardy arrival to morning cabinet meetings.

Now the shoe was surely on the other foot. I fully expected this surprise call would be a terse "thank you" for my previous services along with instructions to make way for the new whip.

His tone was neither triumphant nor dismissive. It was something I can only categorize as "just Ralph." Something I would become accustomed to in the years ahead — earthy, genuine, human.

"Hey Stock, how's it going?" he asked, as if he meant it.

I responded to his sincerity with a touch of caution. "Fine, Premier, thank you."

His next line was vintage Ralph — always catching the recipient off guard with his transparent vulnerability.

"Stock, I need your help," he said, without a flicker of pretense. "I would like you to be in cabinet as my minister of labour." For me, the rest was history.

For Ralph, it was just another unassuming encounter with a fellow traveller on the road called Life. For the next seven years, I would be witness to untold examples of those moments of contact between the man they called King Ralph and those who willingly committed themselves as his cheerful subjects — personal, individual moments that thousands of us now recall with crystal clarity.

You know, those times when we say to ourselves, "Why can't I be more like that?"

Don't get me wrong — like all of us, the man had his faults. The difference was, Ralph didn't try to hide his. Ralph was Ralph. That endearing quality allowed him to do and say things that mere mortals could never get away with.

Certainly, many of his unforgettable quips and comments will live on in posterity. Many columnists, I'm sure, will recall the lines that shocked and sometimes infuriated.

I recall with fondness some of his simple observations, which were profound enough to drive seismic policy decisions, and that would alter how politics was done.

On taxation, when I was Alberta's treasurer (minister of finance) and oil prices were below $18 a barrel: "Stock, any politician can raise taxes, it's a no-brainer. We have to give people a break. The only way taxes are going is down."

On media, when we would whine in caucus about journalists: "Hey people, I used to be one of them. Get used to it, and never forget the three C's that guide them: Chaos, Controversy and Confusion. Now let's get back to work."

On staying the course if you believed the cause was right: "Whatever you do, don't blink."

On Albertans: "The greatest people in the greatest province in the greatest country on Earth."

On a cold afternoon on the balcony at Government House, when he advised me in private that a dear friend of his would have to be asked to leave cabinet. On that occasion, no words from Ralph, just tears running down his cheeks.

On his beautiful and stalwart wife, Colleen, after some unfair media comment about her, with fire in his eyes: "Attacking me is one thing — that's life in politics. But when they touch my family, they cross the line."

On why Alberta's aboriginal chiefs trusted him: "I dunno, I guess it's because I keep my word."

On the billboards that started (and ended) his successful 1997 election campaign was a simple line that should speak to all of us, especially politicians, about his legacy:

"He Kept His Word."

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Baird, Jordan's King Abdullah to discuss Syria at meeting

The ongoing turmoil in Syria will be a major of topic of discussion when Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird meets with Jordan's king on Sunday.

Baird is due to meet with King Abdullah on Sunday afternoon after talks with Jordan's foreign minister earlier in the day.

Jordan has taken in more than a quarter of a million Syrian refugees and Canada is providing $11.5 million Cdn to help Jordanian officials handle the influx.

Government sources say in addition to Syria, Baird will talk about increased political and economic cooperation between the two countries and likely the Middle East peace process.

Canada signed a Free Trade Agreement with Jordan last fall.

Middle East tour

After his meetings in Jordan, Baird will visit several other countries including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Cyprus and Israel.

He also plans to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad where aid to the Palestinians will be a major topic.

Canada's five year $300 million commitment expires Sunday and Baird has made no promises to renew the aid.

The Harper government has been troubled by the Palestinians winning a historic UN General Assembly vote in November granting status to the Palestinians as a non-member observer state.

The Harper government is a staunch supporter of Israel, and Canada was one of nine countries in the 194-nation assembly that voted against the Palestinian statehood bid.

Baird was among those who expressed concerns the Palestinians would use their new status to file war crimes charges against Israel in the International Criminal Court.

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Baird set for 'constructive' talks on busy Middle East tour

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird will spend nearly all of Parliament's two-week Easter break in the Middle East, leaving tonight on a tour that will see him confronting a full range of difficult files: from Canada's funding to assist the Palestinian Authority to the resettlement of Syrian refugees.

Entering question period on Thursday, Baird told reporters that the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria and security concerns with Iran were topping his agenda for the trip, which starts in Jordan but moves on to short stops in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain in its early days.

From there, it's on to Cyprus where he'll meet with the financially-troubled country's foreign minister and participate in a memorial service.

The longest leg of the trip will focus on meetings in Israel and the West Bank with leaders on both sides of the newly-resurrected peace process.

"I look forward to constructive dialogue with all of them," Baird said.

Canada strongly opposed the Palestinians' successful effort in November to win elevated status at the UN, and has warned them against using it to file an international legal complaint against Israel.

Canada also opposes the Palestinian bid to win membership with the United Nations cultural organization, UNESCO.

Palestinian officials have said they would have no choice but to pursue Israel at the International Criminal Court to halt construction of new settlements in what it claims as its territory.

"We obviously had a fundamental difference of opinion with the Palestinian authority," Baird told reporters, with a hint of a smile. "I think they know our views well. But I think it's tremendously important in my responsibilities to engage in dialogue."

Baird 'anxious' to speak to Palestinians

When asked specifically about the settlements, Baird noted only that he would be meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and would be "congratulating him on forming a new government, and for reaching out in concrete ways... to indicate his desire to return to the negotiating table without pre-condition."

Baird called the appointment of former foreign minister Tzipi Livni to negotiate with the Palestinians "a very helpful move and extends an olive branch to the Palestinians."

Livni has a strong relationship with the Palestinian Authority and has a reputation for being dovish in peace negotiations. However, other members of Netanyahu's coalition, including his defence and housing ministers, are sympathetic to the settlers.

Baird said he hoped both sides would return to the table and find a path forward to peace so a two-state solution could take hold.

Baird said he had several meetings in the West Bank scheduled during his time in the region.

But pressed as to whether Canada would be renewing its development aid for the Palestinian Authority, which is about to expire, Baird said Canada had given a lot of support, in partnership with the United States, to develop the Palestinians' capacity for law enforcement and security.

"I think those investments are some of the best investments we've made in this country," Baird said, declining to say whether Canada's five-year, $300 million development aid package would be renewed. "We're going to be in a dialogue to find out what their priorities are."

"Some of the projects have fallen a bit short, which is normal, and we're committed to finishing those," Baird continued. "I'll be wanting to ask obviously President Abbas, Prime Minister Fayed and my counterpart, minister al-Maliki, what their agenda is going forward, whether it's in security, it's in health, education, or elsewhere."

Baird added that he was "anxious" to have those discussions.

Aid for Syria coming?

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney may have previewed an upcoming announcement of Baird's Wednesday, hinting that Canada is likely to contribute more to ongoing humanitarian aid efforts.

Kenney told reporters attending an announcement about the expansion of a resettlement program for Bhutanese refugees that Canadian officials are preparing contingency plans for a possible United Nations request to take in people fleeing the ongoing conflict in Syria.

But a large-scale resettlement program won't resolve the growing Syrian refugee crisis, Kenney said.

"We're talking about millions of either convention refugees or non-registered de facto refugees or internally displaced persons in Syria," Kenney said.

"And anyone who thinks we can just bring people in by the tens of thousands doesn't understand the complexity of the situation."

Kenney has come under repeated criticism from Syrian-Canadian groups and refugee advocates for failing to provide a concrete strategy to deal with more than a million people have left the country since the two-year-old civil war began.

Critics have complained of delays in processing applications from Syrians already in Canada who have applied to bring their family members to Canada. Kenney says the backlog is expected to be cleared by May.

Kenney said officials from his department were recently in Lebanon and Jordan assessing the situation of Syrians who had fled there. Jordan is where Baird's tour will begin.

When the Syrian conflict forced Canada to close its office in Damascus, the processing of refugee applications for thousands of non-Syrians seeking resettlement in Canada was also affected. That office shutdown saw the number of refugees admitted by Canada last year drop well below targeted numbers.

No desire for 'talkfests' on Iran

On the Iran file, Baird said he was looking for more than just dialogue with his counterparts on this trip.

While saying that he supports American efforts to engage in a negotiation process with Iran and accepts their requests for patience, "we cannot continuously engage in these talkfests with an indefinite timeline," Baird said.

Baird's trip will conclude in London, where he'll attend the G8 foreign ministers meeting on April 10 and 11.

With files from The Canadian Press

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Canada's pullout of UN drought convention called 'regrettable'

The United Nations has responded to Canada's withdrawal from a UN convention that fights the spread of droughts, calling the pullout "regrettable."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said Canada was withdrawing from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification because the program has proven too bureaucratic.

He has said less than one-fifth of the $350,000 Canada contributes to the convention goes to programming, while Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird called the entire process a "talkfest" that does a disservice to Canadian taxpayers.

But in a press release issued on Friday, the convention secretariat based in Bonn, Germany, said the convention is the only legally binding instrument addressing desertification and drought and pointed out that Canada itself is "frequently subjected to drought."

The UN body also said the convention is "stronger that ever before" making Canada's decision to withdraw from it "all the more regrettable."

The UNCCD says Canada is believed to have played a significant role in the convention's progress and added that it believed Canada would "seize every opportunity to sustain the implementations of the convention for the good of present and future generations."

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Alberta's 'King Ralph' remembered

Ralph Klein, the colourful and controversial politician who led Alberta for 14 years, is being remembered as a populist leader who never lost his common touch.

The former Alberta premier died surrounded by friends and family in a long-term facility in Calgary on Friday.

"To me, he wasn't King Ralph, as some described him," said Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a news release. "Instead, during a colourful political career he remained Citizen Ralph — a man equally at home in the Petroleum Club as he was in the St. Louis Hotel. A man who said what he believed and did what he said.

'Ralph Klein's ability to connect with Albertans from all walks of life was absolutely remarkable.'— Alberta Premier Alison Redford

"Alberta and Canada have lost a unique and significant leader. While Ralph's beliefs about the role of government and fiscal responsibility were once considered radical, it is perhaps his greatest legacy that these ideas are now widely embraced across the political spectrum."

Klein led Alberta's long-ruling Progressive Conservative Party from 1992 to 2006, presiding over four consecutive majority governments. In the 2001 election, Klein's Conservatives won with 62 per cent of the popular vote — the highest-ever level of support for the party that has led Alberta for more than four decades.

The 70-year-old is survived by his wife, Colleen Klein, five children and grandchildren.

"In his public life, while many will now debate what he stood for, he himself simply believed that public service was important, that it need not be complicated, and that it revolved around people," said Colleen, on behalf of the Klein family.

"In his private life, his greatest gift to his family was that when the long work days were over, and he came home, it was his sanctuary, and the politics stopped at the door.

"The nature of his illness made it very difficult to express his thoughts these past years which I know was a real challenge for him, but Ralph very much knew and appreciated the well wishes and warm messages he received," said Colleen.

'Mayor Klein'

Before entering politics, Klein got his start as a TV reporter and media personality in Calgary. In 1980, he took a shot at that city's mayorship, winning the bid in an upset. He led that city for nine years, including during the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said Friday he was deeply saddened to learn of Klein's death.

"Our thoughts and condolences are with his wife, Colleen, and their family in this difficult time," wrote Nenshi in a statement.

"Ralph Klein taught us, as Calgarians, that we don't need to put on airs. We don't need to pretend we're something we are not in order to be a truly great city in this world," Nenshi said.

"The many highlights of his career and political legacy will undoubtedly be shared over the coming days, and many Albertans will mourn him as a beloved former premier. But Calgary was always the city he called home. A true born-and-raised Calgarian, he served as mayor from 1980-1989 and, to me, he will always be Mayor Klein."

Klein's family has asked the City of Calgary to organize a public "celebration of life" for Klein and the city said details will be shared as arrangements are made.

Alberta Premier Alison Redford said Friday that Klein's passing is a loss to all Albertans.

"Ralph Klein's ability to connect with Albertans from all walks of life was absolutely remarkable," said Redford.

"He could walk from the Petroleum Club in downtown Calgary to the curling rink in St. Paul and carry on a conversation with absolutely everyone he met. Ralph was a real man of the people."

Not just an Albertan

Former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien said he was friends with Klein since the early 1980s and that while the two had their differences, he always found him very fair and co-operative.

"He was [a] populist, close to the people and ... he was not a guy who wanted to play the big shot."

Chrétien saluted Klein for not being brash about Alberta's wealth, saying Klein was aware he was privileged to have resource revenue but showed a great desire to keep Canada united.

The former prime minister said it was always fun to be around Klein because he was not a snob.

"We lost a great guy, Alberta lost a great man and Canada lost a great Canadian too."

Paul Martin, who was in the prime minister's office while Klein was premier and worked with him on improving the Canada Pension Plan, agreed that Klein's legacy extends well beyond Alberta's borders.

"The one thing I always noticed about Ralph Klein was that while he was the premier of Alberta, he was also a great Canadian. He did look for the national interest," Martin said.

"We've lost a Canadian today who has made a major contribution to his country," said Martin.

"He was a lot of fun, he was a great deal of fun. You could talk serious matters, but you didn't have to necessarily wallow in them."

'One of us'

Don Getty, who was premier of Alberta just before Klein, said Friday he admired his successor.

"I found him to be a very warm, very humorous person. Much smarter than a lot of people might have given him credit for being," said Getty.

Alberta Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith called Klein's leadership courageous.

"As a leader, Ralph was tough enough to keep his promises, humble enough to admit his mistakes, and disciplined enough to follow through on his vision."

Smith went on to say it was sad Klein would not be around to offer guidance to a new generation of politicians.

Former Reform party leader Preston Manning called Klein a "man of the people."

"I think part of his attraction to Albertans was that they felt he was one of us. He also, of course, was a strong fiscal conservative and managed to reduce the debt and deficit and taxes at a time when that had to be done. So I think his legacy will be that he left the province stronger than when he came to power and that he endeared himself to an awful lot of Albertans."

[View the story "Prominent Canadians bid farewell to Ralph Klein" on Storify]

Storified by CBC News Community· Fri, Mar 29 2013 15:34:34

Laureen & I join Albertans & Canadians in paying tribute to Ralph Klein. We have lost a unique & significant leader. http://ow.ly/1UgbSwStephen Harper

Very sorry about Ralph Klein's passing - he was an original, a gifted politician and a man without pretense. He will be missed.Bob Rae

Blessings to Premier Klein's family. Ralph was a terrific Canadian. He represented his people with passion and strength. #cdnpoli #abpoliJustin Trudeau, MP

Ralph Klein never ran for national office, but profoundly changed the arc of Canadian politics. In many ways, he was our Thatcher.Jason Kenney

Rest in Peace, Ralph Klein. A great leader who never lost touch with the common sense of the common people. Thank-you for a life of service.Jason Kenney

Condolences to family and friends of former Alta Premier Ralph Klein. 1942-2013. A towering figure in our political life. #cdnpoliElizabeth May MP

I am saddened by the loss of Ralph Klein. May his resilience and dedication live on in our memories.David Johnston

A straight talking leader with vision, capacity for the toughest decisions & a grassroots touch is a very special leader. RIP Ralph KleinBrad Wall

Rest In Peace Ralph Klein. Our sincerest condolences to the Klein family.Mayor Rob Ford

May Premier Klein rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers are with Colleen and the Klein family. http://alberta.ca/NewsFrame.cfm?ReleaseID=/acn/201303/33897B7AD3B0F-0CE2-D9D7-9DC2E0A0B91D2589.html #ableg #pcaaAlison Redford

Ralph Klein, the hugely popular though often controversial man known as "King Ralph," or just plain Ralph, led Alberta's long-ruling Progressive Conservative Party from 1992 to 2006 and presided over four consecutive majority governments.

The former premier, who died Friday surrounded by family and friends in a Calgary-area long-term care facility, was 70.

CBC News - Interactive - Klein CondolencesRalph Klein: 1942-2013 Guestbook of condolences

With files from the Canadian Press

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Ralph Klein's remarkable political life

Ralph Klein was a blunt but popular man who fiercely defended the interests of his home province of Alberta. His tenure as premier in four consecutive majority governments helped to reshape the province. Simply put, his impact on Alberta was huge and lasting.

As mayor of Calgary, he was best known for bringing the 1988 Winter Olympics to the city, while his career in provincial politics was marked by a series of battles with Liberal Ottawa and a decade-long fight to get Alberta spending under control through wild surges of bust and boom.

In the process, he pushed the provincial Conservative party to a more populist stance and created what was called the low-tax, low-regulation "Alberta advantage," which culminated in 2005 when the province became the only Canadian government to be entirely debt-free.

Klein resigned as premier in 2006 after his party gave him only a lukewarm endorsement during a leadership review. He had fallen out of the public spotlight as his health worsened.

His political career began in 1980 when, as a local TV reporter who had been covering Calgary city hall for the better part of a decade, he made an improbable bid for mayor.

He won in an upset that set the stage for two subsequent wins — in 1982 and 1986 — and a nearly decade-long reign as mayor. He moved into provincial politics in the 1989 general election and succeeded Don Getty as premier three years later. The Conservative dynasty that Peter Lougheed had built looked to be running out of steam at that point. But Klein's common touch was such that he righted the ship in the 1993 provincial election and never looked back.

The early years

Born on Nov. 1, 1942, to Philip Klein, a one-time wrestler and road contractor, and Florence Gray, a waitress, Ralph was raised in Calgary primarily by his mother, stepfather and maternal grandparents after his parents divorced when he was six.

He dropped out of high school at 17 and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force before completing his high school diploma and attending Calgary Business College. He became principal of the college and also worked in public relations before joining the CFCN newsroom in 1969.

Fired up by a city plan to tear down several blocks of a historic neighbourhood to make way for a civic centre, Klein surprised fellow journalists in 1980 when he turned his fervent opposition to the project — and the city's apparent disregard for residents affected by it — into the basis of a mayoral campaign.

Campaigning on a shoestring budget against two established candidates, including the favoured incumbent, Ross Alger, Klein and his long-shot bid attracted what he would later call "the greatest bunch of vagabonds, misfits and beautiful people."

Klein won with 47 per cent of the popular vote, beating Alger by 16,000 votes.

As mayor, Klein oversaw Calgary's winning bid to host the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, which turned a profit and left the city with world-class venues where Olympic athletes still train. He also pushed for development of a light rail transit system to the city's south end.

The early part of Klein's tenure as mayor was a boom time for Calgary. Klein raised the ire of central Canada when he took a swipe at "bums" and "creeps" flooding into city looking to cash in on its good fortunes. He and others also blamed the influx of job seekers from other parts of Canada for the city's rising crime rate.

It was not the only time Klein's verbal bluntness landed him in trouble. As an MLA in 1990, he referred to Edmonton as "a fine city with too many socialists and mosquitoes" adding, "at least you can spray the mosquitoes."

Tearful news conference

In 2001, he made headlines for another trait for which he was almost as well-known as his bons mots: his drinking.

Ralph Klein gets a hug from his wife, Colleen, during a party in Calgary celebrating Klein's 10 years as premier on Dec. 12, 2002. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Klein's fondness for alcohol was no secret, from his days holding court at Calgary's legendary and now defunct St. Louis Hotel and Bar behind City Hall to his admission years later that he sometimes drank during office hours to help get over severe hangovers.

In December 2001, Klein showed up at an Edmonton homeless shelter on his way home from a party and ended up in a heated argument with a homeless man. Shelter workers said Klein threw a handful of money on the floor before his driver hustled him out.

Two days after the story became public, Klein held a teary news conference to apologize for the incident and said he would quit drinking.

When Klein made the jump into provincial politics under the Tory banner in 1989, he surprised many who assumed he was a Liberal supporter. After then-premier Getty resigned, the party elected Klein as leader in 1992.

In the months before he called an election, Klein worked to put as much distance between himself and the old leader as possible. He reduced the number of cabinet ministers from 26 to 17, cut more than 2,500 of the province's 32,000 civil service jobs and ended pensions for MLAs elected since 1989.

During the campaign, he ditched the party's traditional colours and played up "Ralph's team," winning over the electorate with impromptu stops at diners and coffee shops. On June 15, 1993, Klein led the Conservatives to another majority.

Bust and boom

Under Klein's premiership, the Tories successfully tackled Alberta's debt, which began to soar in early 1990s when the oil and gas industry suffered the effects of a global recession. But by 2005, Alberta was the only debt-free province, having erased the $23 billion in red ink that was on the provincial books when Klein took office.

As a kind of reward, Klein announced every Alberta resident would receive a $400 dividend cheque — which some dubbed "Ralph Bucks.''

But the cuts that allowed Klein to eliminate the province's debt came at a price. His government slashed the civil service and drastically reduced spending on health care and social services. Many also blamed Klein's government for allowing development of Alberta's oilsands to grow unchecked.

The oilsands were one of several issues on which Klein did not see eye to eye with other provinces. Klein clashed with his provincial and federal counterparts, notably in 2000 when he threatened to invoke the notwithstanding clause to block legal recognition of same-sex marriage following a court decision in Ontario. In 2005, same-sex unions were adopted in Alberta after Klein gave up the fight.

Following the 2004 Alberta election, Klein announced he would not run again, but he ended up leaving politics sooner than anticipated.

In March 2006, Klein offered to step down as leader in October 2007 and remain premier until a new leader was chosen early in 2008. But at a party convention two weeks later, the Tories gave him an approval rating of only 55 per cent. That prompted a disappointed Klein to move up his resignation. He was replaced by Ed Stelmach in December 2006.

After leaving politics, Klein took up advisory and academic posts. In 2008, he was awarded France's Legion of Honour for fostering ties between Alberta and France, which invests heavily in the province's oilsands. Four years later, Klein was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Klein was married twice, first to Hilda May Hepner, with whom he had two children, and in 1972 to Colleen Hamilton, with whom he had a daughter. His family also included Hamilton's two children from a previous relationship.

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Stockwell Day: Ralph Klein was 'genuine,' kept his word

Ralph Klein owed me nothing.

When he ran for the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party in 1993, I supported another worthy candidate. For that effort, I fully expected to be overlooked in his selection of ministers for his new cabinet.

I will always remember his phone call two days before the new cabinet was to be announced.

He had just won the biggest battle of his career so far. He was now numero uno in Alberta. He had won the right to call the shots. He didn't have to concern himself with an also-ran like me.

As a matter of fact, before he became premier, he was a freshly minted minister in Don Getty's cabinet and I was the whip. On more than one occasion, I had called him or his unruly executive assistant, a guy named Rod Love, to exercise my authority and express my displeasure regarding his tardy arrival to morning cabinet meetings.

Now the shoe was surely on the other foot. I fully expected this surprise call would be a terse "thank you" for my previous services along with instructions to make way for the new whip.

His tone was neither triumphant nor dismissive. It was something I can only categorize as "just Ralph." Something I would become accustomed to in the years ahead — earthy, genuine, human.

"Hey Stock, how's it going?" he asked, as if he meant it.

I responded to his sincerity with a touch of caution. "Fine, Premier, thank you."

His next line was vintage Ralph — always catching the recipient off guard with his transparent vulnerability.

"Stock, I need your help," he said, without a flicker of pretense. "I would like you to be in cabinet as my minister of labour." For me, the rest was history.

For Ralph, it was just another unassuming encounter with a fellow traveller on the road called Life. For the next seven years, I would be witness to untold examples of those moments of contact between the man they called King Ralph and those who willingly committed themselves as his cheerful subjects — personal, individual moments that thousands of us now recall with crystal clarity.

You know, those times when we say to ourselves, "Why can't I be more like that?"

Don't get me wrong — like all of us, the man had his faults. The difference was, Ralph didn't try to hide his. Ralph was Ralph. That endearing quality allowed him to do and say things that mere mortals could never get away with.

Certainly, many of his unforgettable quips and comments will live on in posterity. Many columnists, I'm sure, will recall the lines that shocked and sometimes infuriated.

I recall with fondness some of his simple observations, which were profound enough to drive seismic policy decisions, and that would alter how politics was done.

On taxation, when I was Alberta's treasurer (minister of finance) and oil prices were below $18 a barrel: "Stock, any politician can raise taxes, it's a no-brainer. We have to give people a break. The only way taxes are going is down."

On media, when we would whine in caucus about journalists: "Hey people, I used to be one of them. Get used to it, and never forget the three C's that guide them: Chaos, Controversy and Confusion. Now let's get back to work."

On staying the course if you believed the cause was right: "Whatever you do, don't blink."

On Albertans: "The greatest people in the greatest province in the greatest country on Earth."

On a cold afternoon on the balcony at Government House, when he advised me in private that a dear friend of his would have to be asked to leave cabinet. On that occasion, no words from Ralph, just tears running down his cheeks.

On his beautiful and stalwart wife, Colleen, after some unfair media comment about her, with fire in his eyes: "Attacking me is one thing — that's life in politics. But when they touch my family, they cross the line."

On why Alberta's aboriginal chiefs trusted him: "I dunno, I guess it's because I keep my word."

On the billboards that started (and ended) his successful 1997 election campaign was a simple line that should speak to all of us, especially politicians, about his legacy:

"He Kept His Word."

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Baird set for 'constructive' talks on busy Middle East tour

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird will spend nearly all of Parliament's two-week Easter break in the Middle East, leaving tonight on a tour that will see him confronting a full range of difficult files: from Canada's funding to assist the Palestinian Authority to the resettlement of Syrian refugees.

Entering question period on Thursday, Baird told reporters that the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria and security concerns with Iran were topping his agenda for the trip, which starts in Jordan but moves on to short stops in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain in its early days.

From there, it's on to Cyprus where he'll meet with the financially-troubled country's foreign minister and participate in a memorial service.

The longest leg of the trip will focus on meetings in Israel and the West Bank with leaders on both sides of the newly-resurrected peace process.

"I look forward to constructive dialogue with all of them," Baird said.

Canada strongly opposed the Palestinians' successful effort in November to win elevated status at the UN, and has warned them against using it to file an international legal complaint against Israel.

Canada also opposes the Palestinian bid to win membership with the United Nations cultural organization, UNESCO.

Palestinian officials have said they would have no choice but to pursue Israel at the International Criminal Court to halt construction of new settlements in what it claims as its territory.

"We obviously had a fundamental difference of opinion with the Palestinian authority," Baird told reporters, with a hint of a smile. "I think they know our views well. But I think it's tremendously important in my responsibilities to engage in dialogue."

Baird 'anxious' to speak to Palestinians

When asked specifically about the settlements, Baird noted only that he would be meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and would be "congratulating him on forming a new government, and for reaching out in concrete ways... to indicate his desire to return to the negotiating table without pre-condition."

Baird called the appointment of former foreign minister Tzipi Livni to negotiate with the Palestinians "a very helpful move and extends an olive branch to the Palestinians."

Livni has a strong relationship with the Palestinian Authority and has a reputation for being dovish in peace negotiations. However, other members of Netanyahu's coalition, including his defence and housing ministers, are sympathetic to the settlers.

Baird said he hoped both sides would return to the table and find a path forward to peace so a two-state solution could take hold.

Baird said he had several meetings in the West Bank scheduled during his time in the region.

But pressed as to whether Canada would be renewing its development aid for the Palestinian Authority, which is about to expire, Baird said Canada had given a lot of support, in partnership with the United States, to develop the Palestinians' capacity for law enforcement and security.

"I think those investments are some of the best investments we've made in this country," Baird said, declining to say whether Canada's five-year, $300 million development aid package would be renewed. "We're going to be in a dialogue to find out what their priorities are."

"Some of the projects have fallen a bit short, which is normal, and we're committed to finishing those," Baird continued. "I'll be wanting to ask obviously President Abbas, Prime Minister Fayed and my counterpart, minister al-Maliki, what their agenda is going forward, whether it's in security, it's in health, education, or elsewhere."

Baird added that he was "anxious" to have those discussions.

Aid for Syria coming?

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney may have previewed an upcoming announcement of Baird's Wednesday, hinting that Canada is likely to contribute more to ongoing humanitarian aid efforts.

Kenney told reporters attending an announcement about the expansion of a resettlement program for Bhutanese refugees that Canadian officials are preparing contingency plans for a possible United Nations request to take in people fleeing the ongoing conflict in Syria.

But a large-scale resettlement program won't resolve the growing Syrian refugee crisis, Kenney said.

"We're talking about millions of either convention refugees or non-registered de facto refugees or internally displaced persons in Syria," Kenney said.

"And anyone who thinks we can just bring people in by the tens of thousands doesn't understand the complexity of the situation."

Kenney has come under repeated criticism from Syrian-Canadian groups and refugee advocates for failing to provide a concrete strategy to deal with more than a million people have left the country since the two-year-old civil war began.

Critics have complained of delays in processing applications from Syrians already in Canada who have applied to bring their family members to Canada. Kenney says the backlog is expected to be cleared by May.

Kenney said officials from his department were recently in Lebanon and Jordan assessing the situation of Syrians who had fled there. Jordan is where Baird's tour will begin.

When the Syrian conflict forced Canada to close its office in Damascus, the processing of refugee applications for thousands of non-Syrians seeking resettlement in Canada was also affected. That office shutdown saw the number of refugees admitted by Canada last year drop well below targeted numbers.

No desire for 'talkfests' on Iran

On the Iran file, Baird said he was looking for more than just dialogue with his counterparts on this trip.

While saying that he supports American efforts to engage in a negotiation process with Iran and accepts their requests for patience, "we cannot continuously engage in these talkfests with an indefinite timeline," Baird said.

Baird's trip will conclude in London, where he'll attend the G8 foreign ministers meeting on April 10 and 11.

With files from The Canadian Press

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Mayrand urges new rules by 2014 to avoid robocalls repeat

The chief electoral officer is warning of another wave of false or misleading telephone calls in the next election if tough new rules and punishments are not in place by the end of next year.

"Given the time it takes for the parliamentary process to follow its due course, we need to act sooner than later on these matters," Marc Mayrand said Thursday.

"My preference would be to have legislation in place by the end of 2014."

Mayrand spoke to journalists a day after Elections Canada released a report that floated a number of ideas aimed at preventing another rash of so-called robocalls in future campaigns. Those suggestions include tough penalties for impersonating election officials, wider investigative powers and more voter privacy.

The elections chief said he has yet to be consulted as the governing Conservatives draw up legislation aimed at stopping malicious robocalls.

"It is not entirely new, I would suggest," Mayrand said.

"Governments, from time to time, have tended to put forward their proposed legislative changes and then I become aware of them when they're tabled in Parliament.

"I'm always available if they want to get my views or advice on any legislative matters regarding the electoral process

'Undermined electors' confidence'

He urged the Tories to adopt the report's recommendations.

"My fear is that we see a re-occurrence of issues that we saw in the last general election, that further undermined electors' confidence and breeds disengagement and cynicism among electors," Mayrand said.

Conservative MP Tim Uppal, the minister of state for democratic reform, said Wednesday the government would consider Elections Canada's recommendations.

The report did not shed light on the identity of the mysterious figure known as "Pierre Poutine," the person behind a rash of misleading calls in ridings across the country.

Mayrand refused to provide an update on the ongoing investigation into fraudulent robocalls, stemming from complaints that surfaced in dozens of ridings across the country.

The agency's investigation has centred on the southwestern Ontario riding of Guelph, where a number of residents say they received automated phone calls from someone claiming to be from Elections Canada and directing them to a wrong or non-existent polling station.

While the misleading phone calls appeared to target non-Conservative voters, the Conservative party insists it had no involvement in any such scheme and says it is assisting the investigation.

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Sex-selective abortion motion blocked again

Conservative MP Mark Warawa has lost his appeal to bring a motion condemning sex-selective abortion to the House of Commons for debate.

The procedure and House affairs committee upheld a decision by its subcommittee that Warawa's motion, M-408, isn't eligible to be debated by MPs, despite the advice of a non-partisan Library of Parliament analyst that the motion was in order.

Warawa has five sitting days to appeal to the House of Commons, but with MPs returning to their ridings for two weeks, that brings his appeal deadline to April 19. He says he'll announce his decision when the House returns on April 15.

The MP for Langley, B.C., said Monday he has the backing he needs to bring the appeal, with the support of five MPs from two recognized parties. That appeal will lead to a secret ballot over whether the motion can be brought for debate.

Warawa said he's "very disappointed" but was going to take a few days before deciding whether to appeal. He can also introduce another private member's bill or motion instead of appealing the decision.

"My grandmother says 'haste makes waste.' I do not want to make another rash, quick, kneejerk decision today," Warawa said, adding he's "happy to be on the team" and denying he had been pressured to back down.

"My conscience is my guide, but I also am proud to be a member of the Conservative caucus," Warawa said.

Debate over freedom to speak in House

Earlier Thursday, the NDP emphasized the need for members of Parliament to be able to speak freely to represent voters as the conflict over MPs' statements continued.

New Democrat House Leader Nathan Cullen was responding to a complaint by Warawa that he had been prevented last week from making a statement about his anti-abortion motion. Warawa said he had been on a list of MPs set to make members' statements, but was removed at the last minute by the party's whip.

'We have two essential duties: holding the government to account and speaking for those that have elected us to this place '— New Democrat House Leader Nathan Cullen

Two other Conservative MPs backed Warawa in his question of privilege on Tuesday, a formal complaint to House Speaker Andrew Scheer that his rights as a member of Parliament had been breached.

Cullen urged Scheer to consider what he called the responsibility of members of Parliament to their constituents.

"We have two essential duties: holding the government to account and speaking for those that have elected us to this place," Cullen said.

The NDP opposes any limit on women's right to choose, he said.

"We are clear in our convictions and present ourselves unapologetically and unambiguously to Canadians in that way each and every election. But whether one agrees or disagrees with the member for Langley [Warawa] is not at issue here," Cullen said.

"The issue is the need for members of Parliament to speak freely on behalf of those we seek to represent."

However, other members of the NDP have called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to clamp down on MPs who bring anti-abortion motions and bills for debate in the House.

'Goons'

Cullen pointed to the set of guidelines on House of Commons procedure, which says the most important right accorded to members of the House is the exercise of freedom of speech in parliamentary proceedings.

Conservative whip Gordon O'Connor argued Tuesday that parliamentary whips are like coaches who can choose which players to play, while the Speaker is the referee who can't interfere with coaching decisions.

Cullen responded to the metaphor, but argued what happens in the House is not a game.

"I would simply offer this, Mr. Speaker: that if a coach insists on only sending so-called goons on to the ice simply to pick fights, there is no question that the referee will intervene to give some hope that an actual game might be played."

Conservative MP Kyle Seeback continued the sports metaphor, telling the House no one has ever interfered in his right to speak. But, he suggested, players who don't get their chance may have to make an appeal to the league.

"If you can't at all rise to speak, you certainly cannot enjoy freedom of speech, which is one of the things that we consider to be sacrosanct in this place," Seeback said.

New Brunswick MP John Williamson, who in 2009 worked for Harper as his director of communications, said blocking any MP from delivering a statement is "is a violation of privilege or right" and that the speaker recognizes MPs directly, not via their parties."

"I believe there are limits that have been crossed that involve removing speaking rights and that suddenly now involve veto rights over who is able to be recognized as a member of Parliament," Williamson said.

"This also involves our democratic principles. If we, that is to say, you, Mr. Speaker, reinforce the authority of members of Parliament by reaffirming their right to speak, [and] then your right to recognize them, we will together strengthen democracy in this chamber.

"I propose that ... you yield to no one."

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North Korea orders rocket preparations after U.S. drill

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned Friday that his rocket forces were ready "to settle accounts with the U.S.," unleashing a new round of bellicose rhetoric after U.S. nuclear-capable B-2 bombers dropped dummy munitions in joint military drills with South Korea.

Kim's warning, and the litany of threats that have preceded it, don't indicate an imminent war. In fact, they're most likely meant to coerce South Korea into softening its policies, win direct talks and aid from Washington, and strengthen the young leader's credentials and image at home.

But the threats from North Korea and rising animosity from the rivals that have followed UN sanctions over Pyongyang's Feb. 12 nuclear test do raise worries of a misjudgment leading to a clash.

Kim "convened an urgent operation meeting" of senior generals just after midnight, signed a rocket preparation plan and ordered his forces on standby to strike the U.S. mainland, South Korea, Guam and Hawaii, state media reported.

Kim said "the time has come to settle accounts with the U.S. imperialists in view of the prevailing situation," according to a report by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's threats are worrisome because of its arsenal of short- and mid-range missiles that can hit targets in South Korea and Japan. (KCNA/Reuters)

Later Friday at the main square in Pyongyang, tens of thousands of North Koreans turned out for a 90-minute mass rally in support of Kim's call to arms. Men and women, many of them in olive drab uniforms, stood in arrow-straight lines, fists raised as they chanted, "Death to the U.S. imperialists." Placards in the plaza bore harsh words for South Korea as well, including, "Let's rip the puppet traitors to death!"

Small North Korean warships, including patrol boats, conducted maritime drills off both coasts of North Korea near the border with South Korea on Thursday, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said in a briefing Friday. He didn't provide more details.

The spokesman said that South Korea's military was mindful of the possibility that North Korean drills could lead to an actual provocation. He also said that the South Korean and U.S. militaries are watching closely for any signs of missile launch preparations in North Korea. He didn't elaborate.

Pyongyang vows nuclear strike on U.S.

North Korea, which says it considers the U.S.-South Korean military drills preparations for invasion, has pumped out a string of threats in state media. In the most dramatic case, Pyongyang made the highly improbable vow to nuke the United States.

On Friday, state media released a photo of Kim and his senior generals huddled in front of a map showing routes for envisioned strikes against cities on both American coasts. The map bore the title "U.S. Mainland Strike Plan."

Portions of the photo appeared to be manipulated, though an intriguing detail — a bandage on Kim's left arm — appeared to be real.

Experts believe the country is years away from developing nuclear-tipped missiles that could strike the United States. Many say they've also seen no evidence that Pyongyang has long-range missiles that can hit the U.S. mainland.

Still, there are fears of a localized conflict, such as a naval skirmish in disputed Yellow Sea waters. Such naval clashes have happened three times since 1999. There's also the danger that such a clash could escalate. Seoul has vowed to hit back hard the next time it is attacked.

North Korea's threats are also worrisome because of its arsenal of short- and mid-range missiles that can hit targets in South Korea and Japan. Seoul is only a short drive from the heavily armed border separating the Koreas.

"The North can fire 500,000 rounds of artillery on Seoul in the first hour of a conflict," analysts Victor Cha and David Kang wrote recently for Foreign Policy magazine. They also note that North Korea has a history of testing new South Korean leaders; President Park Geun-hye took office late last month. "Since 1992, the North has welcomed these five new leaders by disturbing the peace," they wrote.

U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters Thursday that the decision to send B-2 bombers to join the military drills was part of normal exercises and not intended to provoke North Korea. Hagel acknowledged, however, that North Korea's belligerent tones and actions in recent weeks have ratcheted up the danger in the region, "and we have to understand that reality."

First U.S. exercise of its kind in South Korea

U.S. Forces Korea said the B-2 stealth bombers flew from a U.S. air base in Missouri and dropped dummy munitions on an uninhabited South Korean island range on Thursday before returning home. The Pentagon said this was the first time a B-2 had dropped dummy munitions over South Korea, and later added that it was unclear whether there had ever been any B-2 flights there at all.

The statement follows an earlier U.S. announcement that nuclear-capable B-52 bombers participated in the joint military drills.

Pyongyang uses the U.S. nuclear arsenal as a justification for its own push for nuclear weapons. It claims that U.S. nuclear firepower is a threat to its existence and provocation.

The two Missouri-based stealth bombers used in the South Korean drills probably weren't nuclear-armed, but experts say they're the aircraft that would likely be sent if Washington ever decides it does want to drop nuclear bombs on North Korea. The United States doesn't forward-deploy nuclear weapons in South Korea, Okinawa, Guam or Hawaii.

"The B-2 can reach targets from North Korea to Iran directly from Missouri, which is what the United States did in the early stages of operations against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq," analyst Jeffrey Lewis wrote in a post on ArmsControlWonk.com earlier this month.

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Canada's pullout of UN drought convention called 'regrettable'

The United Nations has responded to Canada's withdrawal from a UN convention that fights the spread of droughts, calling the pullout "regrettable."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said Canada was withdrawing from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification because the program has proven too bureaucratic.

He has said less than one-fifth of the $350,000 Canada contributes to the convention goes to programming, while Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird called the entire process a "talkfest" that does a disservice to Canadian taxpayers.

But in a press release issued on Friday, the convention secretariat based in Bonn, Germany, said the convention is the only legally binding instrument addressing desertification and drought and pointed out that Canada itself is "frequently subjected to drought."

The UN body also said the convention is "stronger that ever before" making Canada's decision to withdraw from it "all the more regrettable."

The UNCCD says Canada is believed to have played a significant role in the convention's progress and added that it believed Canada would "seize every opportunity to sustain the implementations of the convention for the good of present and future generations."

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Anti-abortion motion reviewed in secret

A committee reviewing a motion on sex-selective abortion went behind closed doors almost immediately on Wednesday as it deliberated whether to allow the motion to go to the floor of the House for debate.

Conservative MP Mark Warawa had just over five minutes to make his case in an appeal of a subcommittee decision last week that the motion condemning sex-selective abortion, M-408, wasn't eligible to be debated and voted on.

No MPs on the procedure and House affairs committee had questions for Warawa, so the committee went in-camera for 15 to 20 minutes before emerging to announce they had made a decision, but it wouldn't be announced until their report is tabled in the House of Commons Thursday around 12 p.m. ET.

Warawa said it's "a mystery" why the committee went behind closed doors and softened his previous criticism of the Conservatives.

"Well, it appears that minds were made up," he said.

As for a complaint he made Tuesday on the floor of the House about his caucus interfering in his right to make a statement because he was going to talk about abortion, Warawa broadened the criticism to include all the major parties and praised Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"The issue of [members'] statements, SO-31s, being restricted for members of Parliament, that is an all-party whip issue and it needs to be dealt with separately and it is being dealt with separately by the Speaker," Warawa said.

Asked who instructs the whips, Warawa said each whip answers to the party leader. But he wouldn't blame Harper for blocking him from making a statement about his abortion motion.

"I think Parliament's at fault for not permitting this issue to be dealt with earlier and others have suffered by losing that right. I experienced that suffering last Thursday and then when it affected me personally, then I had a responsibility to speak up," Warawa said.

'Rogue member'

It's the latest twist in a fight by a group of anti-abortion Conservatives to bring the issue to the floor of the House.

Earlier in the day, Conservative MP Jay Aspin told reporters that it's Warawa's problem he brought up an issue contrary to party policy.

Warawa is a "rogue member" and has to suffer the consequences of holding views contrary to his caucus, Aspin said Wednesday morning.

Warawa also raised a question of privilege in the House of Commons yesterday over the party's leadership interfering in his ability to talk about whatever he wants in the time set aside for members' statements.

MPs get 15 one-minute slots every day to talk about issues important to them or their constituents. Those statements are referred to as SO-31s. Warawa says he was on the list last Thursday but was removed after submitting a statement on his sex-selective abortion motion. He asked House Speaker Andrew Scheer to rule on whether the Conservative House leader can decide who gets to make those statements.

Conservative MPs Leon Benoit and Rod Bruinooge spoke in support of Warawa's question of privilege.

On Wednesday, Benoit reversed his criticism. The day before, he told MPs that he had had his "rights taken away" when it came to representing his constituents on certain topics. "I just don't think that's appropriate," Benoit said in the House on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Benoit praised Harper's "usual good leadership" and said the MPs had a "good discussion" in caucus. There was no ban on him talking about abortion, he said.

"No, I've done it before and I'll do it again. Absolutely."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has repeatedly said the Conservatives won't reopen the abortion debate.

Abortion placed 'above every democratic value'

The Conservative MPs who stopped to answer reporters' questions said they had no problem making the statements they wanted to in the House of Commons.

Rick Dykstra, Shelly Glover and Stephen Woodworth said they've never been told not to talk about something. Their answers differed slightly on whether anyone vets the SO-31s, with Woodworth saying yes, but that he'd only ever had minor modifications, and Dykstra saying he vets his own statements.

"I'm happy to do my SO-31s the way that I want to do them," Glover said when asked whether her statements were vetted.

Woodworth, whose motion to study when life begins was defeated last September, says he thinks Warawa's motion should be able to go in front of the House for debate and a vote. He pointed to statements by MPs from all parties last summer condemning sex-selective abortion.

"Actually, I think it would be rather astonishing if all three party leaders through their representatives last June were able to comment on the issue of sex selection, but that members of Parliament collectively don't have the jurisdiction to comment on it," Woodworth said.

"What I've observed is there is a certain philosophy with some people that places abortion above every democratic value. And maybe that's what happened in the subcommittee. I don't really know for sure," he added.

NDP House Leader Nathan Cullen said yesterday the NDP wanted to review the rules of the House before he addressed the issue.

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Border agency cuts questioned as drug busts rise

Drug busts by the Canada Border Services Agency rose 10 per cent between 2007 and 2012, according to a CBC News analysis of agency data that reveals what some say is just a fraction of a multibillion-dollar flow of illegal drugs into Canada.

But critics fear Canada is about to take a step back in its war on drug smuggling due to a shift in focus and budget cuts to border security.

The data, obtained by CBC News Network's Power & Politics through Access to Information, provides details on drug seizures totalling more than $5.5 billion over the six years.

The top drugs seized over the six-year period were GHB (often called the date-rape drug), marijuana, and cocaine, totalling $1.4-billion, $1.3 billion and $1 billion, respectively.

"The drug volumes are increasing," says Jean-Pierre Fortin, national president of the union that represents border guards, while pointing out the agency only seizes a small fraction of the drugs streaming into Canada by land, air, water and through the mail.

The CBSA database tracks commodities seized at land-border crossings, ports, airports and mail centres. The smuggled goods also include guns, Tasers, brass knuckles, child pornography and currency.

Montreal and Toronto are hot spots. In fact, Montreal accounted for nearly 60 per cent of the total value of seizures for the period analyzed by CBC News.

"Montreal gets a lot of volume," says Ken Cornell, the sergeant in charge of the RCMP program that tackles synthetic drugs like ecstasy.

He says organized criminals create a huge demand, and Montreal is a hub for many of the goods coming into Canada east of Ontario.

"And you have to appreciate that everything that comes through Halifax at the container terminal goes to Montreal. Everything that comes off the ships in Halifax also forms part of their seizures in Montreal. A lot comes from the train from the East Coast into Montreal and that's where it's cleared first."

Shift in focus?

Analysis of the data shows the number of busts valued at more than $500,000 increased from 11 in 2007 to 14 in 2012.

"Controlled substances (narcotics) are always going to be a priority for the agency," said a Canada Border Services intelligence officer who did not want to be identified publicly for fear of losing his job.

Cocaine was among the top three drugs seized by the CBSA between 2007 and 2012. A shipment of pineapples intercepted at the Port of Saint John, N.B., in 2011 concealed cocaine valued at $3.5 million, according to the CBSA. (Canada Border Services Agency photo/Marketwire)

But the officer said he's been told to spend less time pursuing organized criminals and more time on the government's priority: human smuggling related to refugee and immigration reform.

"We have a system that all of our intelligence data is entered into," the officer told CBC News. "And in there, there are priorities for the government. Human smuggling. Human trafficking. Controlled substances. Those are all the priorities that the agency has. Organized crime's not in there. It was a year ago. It's not anymore."

CBSA refused to comment on the officer's allegation or on the CBC's analysis of its data, other than to suggest in an email there are "a multitude of factors that may impact statistics," such as "traveller volumes and/or size/volume of a seizure."

Indeed, land-border figures the agency provided to CBC News show travellers arriving in Canada by car increased by almost 10 per cent between 2010 and 2012.

"It should be noted," the CBSA correspondence continued, "that one enforcement action can be equal to one gram of illegal narcotics, or it can represent multiple kilograms of narcotics."

Still, Garry Clement, a former 30-year RCMP veteran and now CEO of Tamlo International Inc., a company that provides advice on combatting drug smuggling and other international crimes, said the numbers suggest Canada is a "transhipment point for drugs coming into North America."

Clement says Canada is a magnet for smugglers who take advantage of our relatively "porous" borders and laxer sentencing compared to the United States, despite the Conservative government's recent changes to punish criminals with heavier jail sentences.

Worried about cuts

The increased seizures are coming at a time when the CBSA, like many federal employers, must make cuts announced in last year's budget.

The government announced last year the agency's budget would be cut by 10 per cent, resulting in the loss of 250 frontline officers. The union disputes that figure, suggesting the real number is 325, with an overall total of 1,350 agency workers over the next two years.

The union for border services officers says federal budget cuts announced last year will mean the loss of hundreds of frontline officers. CBSA would not comment on the cuts. (Aaron Vincent Elkaim/Canadian Press)

Those cuts are on top of the fact that annual hiring by the agency has fallen in recent years. In a formal response to a question from the NDP on the cuts, the agency said its annual hiring went from an all-time high of 1,037 new officers in 2007-2008 to 222 in 2011-2012.

"It looks from the numbers that we need to beef (the agency) up," said Andrew Cash, the NDP MP who received the response signed by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, who is responsible for the CBSA.

"I guess we're going to have to wait a year to see the impact of the cuts in terms of how many seizures."

The border guards' union is sounding a louder alarm.

Fortin, the union president, says contrary to the government's claim the cuts would only affect "backroom" operations, the austerity measures will give smugglers the upper hand.

He says the agency's cuts include plans to eliminate intelligence officers and handlers who work with drug-sniffing dogs. "If they're cutting these positions, that's a major problem," he said.

The CBSA refused to discuss the cuts in an interview, but explained in an email that "using a risk-based approach, the agency will focus on intelligence activities in priority areas by eliminating work in all non-priority areas, and enhancing oversight and monitoring of intelligence program activities."

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Penalties needed in wake of robocalls, Elections Canada says

Tough penalties for elections-official impersonators, beefier investigative powers and more voter privacy were among the ideas floated Wednesday in a long-awaited Elections Canada report in the wake of the robocalls affair.

While the report does not shed light on the identity of the mysterious figure known as "Pierre Poutine," the person behind a rash of misleading calls in ridings across the country, it does offer a number of suggestions aimed at preventing a similar episode in future election campaigns.

The report urges the government to create a new Elections Act offence that includes hefty fines of up to $250,000 and five years in jail for anyone caught pretending to represent Elections Canada.

"Elections Canada is of the view that many offences under the act should provide for higher sanctions than is currently the case, in order to have a more significant deterrent effect on offenders," the report says.

"Higher fines would send a message to all Canadians about the importance given by Parliament to maintaining the integrity of the electoral process."

It also calls for greater powers to compel witnesses to testify and produce documents to investigators. One of the problems Elections Canada encountered during its probe of robocalls in Guelph, Ont., was that at least three people were unwilling to speak to investigators.

"The inability to compel testimony has been one of the most significant obstacles to effective enforcement of the act," the report says.

Political parties should also have to produce any documents requested by the chief electoral officer, the report adds.

Robocalls record-keeping

As well, it suggests that telemarketers should by law have to keep records for at least a year of all calls made in Canada during an election, including client and payment information, scripts, incoming and outgoing calls and phone numbers displayed to voters.

The report further calls for either a voluntary or mandatory code of conduct for political parties, better safeguards for voters' personal information and special rules for dealing with elderly voters.

Elections Canada also said it needs to do a better job of telling voters when polling sites are changed very late in an election period.

Conservative MP Tim Uppal, the minister of state for democratic reform, said the government would consider Elections Canada's recommendations.

"As previously indicated, we are looking at reforms to Canada's election laws," his spokeswoman wrote on his behalf in an emailed statement.

"We will consider these suggestions as we prepare to put forward a comprehensive elections reform proposal."

New Democrat MP Craig Scott, the party's critic for democratic reform, accused the government of dragging its feet on new legislation to prevent false or misleading robocalls.

"Hopefully it's going to give the government the kick that they need," Scott said of the report.

"They're six months overdue when they're supposed to table their own legislation. If they don't have something sitting ready, assisted by this, to be tabled in April, we really know they're not serious."

The report comes amid an ongoing Elections Canada investigation into fraudulent robocalls, stemming from complaints that have surfaced in dozens of ridings across the country.

The agency's investigation has centred on the southwestern Ontario riding of Guelph, where a number of residents say they received automated phone calls from someone claiming to be from Elections Canada and directing them to a wrong or non-existent polling station.

While the misleading phone calls appeared to target non-Conservative voters, the Conservative party insists it had no involvement in any such scheme and says it is assisting the investigation.

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Chris Hall: Abortion politics masquerading as free speech

Far more journalists than usual crammed the hallway outside the Conservatives' weekly caucus meeting on Wednesday, drawn by the prospect of a handful of backbench MPs waging an open rebellion against the prime minister.

The issues: free speech and abortion.

Alas, the revolt never spilled into the hallways, where it would have been laid bare before camera and microphone.

But the challenge to Stephen Harper's authority remains. And it's providing a rare glimpse at a real rift inside the Conservative Party.

The rebellion began earlier in the week when Langley MP Mark Warawa publicly accused the party's leadership of trampling his rights as an MP, by refusing to allow him to make a statement in the Commons in the time reserved for backbenchers to speak.

At least two other MPs openly supported Warawa, saying they, too, had been blocked from raising certain topics during members' statement, topics that they say represent the views of their constituents.

They also said that they speak for many others in the Conservative caucus.

Those views, of course, are on abortion, arguably the most troublesome, divisive and politically explosive issue Harper has had to face.

It's a bedrock principle for many in his party, anathema to others.

Not the first attack

The prime minister has repeatedly said that he will not re-open the abortion debate as long as he's in office. And he's been true to that commitment, even as social conservatives inside his caucus continue to craft creative ways to resurrect the subject.

Conservative MP Mark Warwa gets set on Wednesday to ask the Commons house affairs committee to accept his private member's motion. (Fred Chartrand / Canadian Press)

The first volley was a motion brought by Kitchener Centre MP Stephen Woodworth that would have seen a committee investigate whether life really begins at birth.

That motion made it to the floor of the Commons last fall. It was defeated, but not before a number of Conservative broke ranks to support it.

Significantly, the supporters included Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Rona Ambrose, the minister responsible for women's issues.

That led, understandably, to extensive media coverage and even wider speculation about the split inside the caucus, including the willingness of some members of cabinet to break with at least the spirit of Harper's commitment to voters.

Worse still, it was an unwelcome deviation from the prime minister's economic message, a deviation that he doesn't want repeated.

The Prime Minister's Office has exercised tight control over MPs.

Private member's bills are vetted closely. "Talking points" are issued — and repeated without a single altered word — on the most pressing issues the government faces, from the proposed purchase of the F-35 fighter craft to scrapping the long-gun registry.

Which bring us to Mark Warawa. He's not only off-script. He's off-message.

Party games

Warawa's private member's motion calls on Parliament to condemn the use of sex-selective abortion, a position most fair-minded people (even most MPs) would probably agree with.

The motion, however, was ruled out of order by all the parties on a parliamentary sub-committee, a decision Warawa is now challenging before the full Procedure and House Affairs Committee.

And this is where it gets interesting.

Not content to allow the committee to do its work, Warawa stood in the Commons this week to complain to the Speaker that his own party is violating his privileges by refusing to allow him to make a member's statement on abortion.

He and his supporters argue MPs must be allowed to represent the views of their constituents, an argument that obscures the fact that this is the second attempt in six months to use their public platform to re-open the abortion debate against the express wishes of their party leader.

It's clever, and principled up to a point, though it is also totally cynical.

These same MPs haven't said a peep in the past about being told what to say by the prime minister's officials.

They, and others, routinely devote members' statements to read Conservative Party attacks on NDP leader Tom Mulcair's "$20-billion-carbon tax" and the like.

Before that, they just as routinely assailed then Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff for ''just visiting" his home country.

These statements hardly qualified as issues of local concern to an MP's riding — the purpose of the daily 15 minutes devoted to member's statements.

And they are so similar in tone and content that it's clear they've been written by a single hand.

Nor, to this point, are Warawa or any of the other social conservatives who want abortion back on the national agenda prepared to quit the Conservative caucus over this so-called point of principle.

Caucus clash

It's clear, at least to the party brass, that these attempts won't end with Warawa's motion, any more than they did when the Commons voted down the first thinly-veiled attempt to re-open the abortion debate.

"We know who is behind this and what their goal is,'' a senior government aide said prior to the caucus meeting.

So the prime minister went into Wednesday's caucus to try to put and end to the distraction.

His office won't say what he told his rebellious MPs, citing caucus confidentiality. But some MPs didn't hold back.

Nipissing-Timiskaming MP Jay Aspin called the complainers ''rogues.''

"The Conservative Party has a policy. We had a policy going into the last election and they failed to adhere to it.''

Lethbridge MP Jim Hillyer says nobody's privileges as an MP are being denied.

''People willingly choose to be in parties,'' he told reporters. "And it's up to us to decide whether we want to be in a party and we decide how to work together.''

The message appeared to get through to at least one of Warawa's supporters.

Vegreville MP Leon Benoit — who complained on Tuesday that his rights had been taken away "when it comes to representing my constituents on certain topics'' was suddenly full of praise for the prime minister.

"We had a really good caucus meeting and the prime minister has shown his usual really good leadership, and I appreciate that. He's a great leader."

Harper, of course, has many tools at his disposal to deal with malcontents.

He can banish MPs from his caucus, as he did with former MP Helena Guergis. He can also refuse to sign the nomination papers of anyone who ignores the decree that abortion will not be re-opened.

However, despite the PM's intervention, Warawa's efforts continued to draw support inside caucus.

No fewer than four backbench Conservative MPs presented petitions in the Commons Wednesday afternoon calling on Parliament to support his motion to condemn sex-selective abortion.

Warawa may feel he's being muzzled. But his message is getting through.

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Date rape drug busts put China at top of border agency's list

Canada Border Services Agency data analyzed by CBC News shows China was the largest single source of drugs seized between 2007 and 2012, most of it in the form of substances often referred to as date rape drugs.

The bulk of the $1.5 billion total of drugs seized from China was from a single bust in Montreal in 2009 that intercepted a shipment of GHB, known commonly as a date rape drug, valued at $1.4 billion.

Ketamine, another hallucinogen often used as a date rape drug, also figures prominently in drug busts from China, according to analysis by CBC News Network's Power & Politics of CBSA data obtained through the Access to Information Act.

Although the number of seizures of drugs from China — 1,879 over the six years — is lower than some other countries, China is becoming a real concern, said the RCMP's Ken Cornell, who heads one of the force's anti-drug smuggling divisions.

It is one of the reasons the RCMP signed a memorandum of understanding with China in 2010 to share intelligence with an eye to combating smugglers.

But it has been a struggle.

"We have difficulty trying to share intelligence with the Chinese because it's difficult for them to do investigations when there are so many different [types of drugs]. They have a huge chemical and pharmaceutical industry in that country," Cornell said.

Cornell dislikes the term "date rape drug" used to describe GHB, ketamine and Rohypnol, stressing that they are used primarily as hallucinogens.

The drugs have made headlines because of the prominence they've played in sexual assaults, where the drug is slipped into a drink to knock a person out and make them an easy target for sexual assault.

Garry Clement, a former RCMP officer who heads up a company with an expertise in combating organized crime, said he believes a lot of drugs smuggled into Canada eventually wind up in the U.S.

Clement said what's also disturbing is the role of organized criminals. He said they tend to be the ones behind drug busts with street values ranging from the hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions, and in the China case, more than $1 billion.

Role of intelligence

That GHB bust is believed to be the border service agency's biggest. In the 2009 operation, officers seized 69 drums containing a "suspected illegal substance," which was "confirmed to be GHB," the CBSA said. The substance in the barrels did not contain 100 per cent GHB, though the agency declined to confirm the exact percentage.

Clement and Cornell said such large busts do not result from random searches, but rather from intelligence the CBSA and RCMP have gathered working with colleagues in the United States and overseas.

Cornell describes how information sharing leads to a bust.

"You will get a call from a customs official in Germany who says, 'We've got a shipment of furniture that we've done some testing on'… and they determine that they've got six kilos of heroin on board that came from Afghanistan or something like that," Cornell said.

"We'll have undercover operators who will pose as shipping companies, do the actual delivery and gather the evidence that we need to lay charges against these characters."

Intelligence is one of the areas affected as the border services agency makes cuts in an attempt to reduce spending as part of the federal government's bid to get rid of the deficit.

In the 2012 budget, the government announced the agency would lose 10 per cent of its budget, resulting in the loss of 250 front-line officers. But the union for the border guards said that number is closer to 325 and includes 56 intelligence agents, and that the overall total of personnel cut will be more than 1,350.

The agency said that it will be working smarter and maintaining its ability to nab smugglers.

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Tory MPs rebel against Prime Minister's Office control

Backbench MPs are turning up the pressure in frustration over the Prime Minister's Office stifling debate in the House of Commons.

MPs who oppose abortion and want to see legislated limits for it are pushing back against caucus discipline, particularly in light of an all-party committee shutting down debate last week on a non-binding motion to condemn sex-selective abortion.

But they aren't the only ones upset with heavy-handed tactics on the part of the Conservative leadership. That frustration boiled over Tuesday in the House of Commons, leading several MPs to raise public complaints about a party that has so far maintained strict control over what its members can say.

"There has been predominantly informal discussion about what is, or what is not, our rights, and MPs have to decide what's wrong and what's right, and what our rights are," said one Conservative MP, who requested anonymity.

A series of tactics seem to have led to the rebellion, including PMO staff denying MPs the right to make statements in the House of Commons, and a move by a three-member subcommittee to deny a Conservative MP the right to bring a non-binding motion on sex-selective abortion to the floor of the House for debate.

Last week, the subcommittee of the procedure and House affairs committee voted that Mark Warawa's motion — "That the House condemn discrimination against females occurring through sex-selective pregnancy termination" — was non-voteable, or ineligible to go before the House for debate and a vote. The MPs, including a Conservative MP, made the decision against the advice of a non-partisan Library of Parliament analyst.

Warawa tabled M-408 last September and was expecting to be able to debate it this spring. Motions aren't binding on the House of Commons even if they pass, unless they cover matters falling under House authority.

There are only a handful of reasons why a bill or motion can be disqualified before it hits the floor of the House, including:

• Falling outside federal jurisdiction.
• Clearly violating the Constitution, including the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
• Doubling up on business already voted on by the House of Commons in the current session of Parliament.
• Doubling up on business already put forward by the government.

On Tuesday, Warawa raised a question of privilege in the House of Commons, asking the Speaker to clarify whether members have the right to make statements on issues of their choice. House rules, or standing orders, provide for 15 members every day to make one-minute statements before question period, known as SO-31s.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has repeatedly said he won't reopen the abortion debate

'Dozens' share concern

Warawa said in the House Tuesday that he was removed from the list of SO-31s 15 minutes before the time for members' statements was due to start.

Backbench Conservative MPs such as Mark Warawa are turning up the pressure in frustration over the Prime Minister's Office stifling debate in the House of Commons. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

"The reason I was given was they didn't approve of the topic," he said.

"So I believe, Mr. Speaker, that my privilege as a member to present an SO-31 was infringed... I believe it's not an issue specifically for me. I've experienced a removal of my right and my privilege, but it's a question for how this house operates."

Alberta Conservative MP Leon Benoit seconded Warawa's concern, telling the House that the same thing has happened to him.

"I have had my rights taken away when it comes to representing my constituents on certain topics and I just don't think that's appropriate," he said.

"I'm not allowed to speak on certain topics on SO-31s. I've had SO-31s removed. And I've been told that if I have it on certain topics, I simply won't be given SO-31s."

"Dozens" of MPs see this as a problem, Benoit told reporters before question period.

'Should be concern' to opposition too

It's important for MPs from all parties to support Warawa's bid for member control over their statements, Conservative MP Brent Rathgeber says.

"It doesn't really matter what your perspective is on [Motion-]408. The issue is whether or not a member of Parliament has a right to bring forward a motion that is deemed voteable by the independent expert that assessed it. And if that right is taken away, that should be a concern to parliamentarians on all sides of the House."

"I believe if there is going to be any concrete change to the way this works... it's going to require support from more than just the Conservative caucus. I think it's going to require support from backbenchers from all sides of the house."

Some Conservative MPs said they are free to express their opinions. Michelle Rempel says the Conservative caucus respects MPs' ability to speak freely on behalf of their constituents. Ryan Leef said he writes his own speeches.

The MPs haven't gone as far as to set out other specific actions in protest, but "there has been discussion among members of Parliament about how it's important to maintain the right of MPs to vote freely and stand up," the unnamed Conservative MP said.

"And that includes not just social conservative MPs, but a wide range of people on the Conservative backbench."

"If our rights continue to be trampled upon, as appears to possibly be happening [with the Warawa motion], at that point MPs are going to have to sit down and decide where their line in the sand is and what to do."

Part of the problem, MPs say, is that young staffers have more control over the government's agenda than they do.

Rathgeber pointed to the career histories of his colleagues — ranging from corporate jobs to medicine to farming to law. Yet the opinions of caucus, he says, are "of less significance and some might say of zero significance within PMO and ministers' offices."

Asked about the stereotypical 25-year-old staffer in the PMO, Rathgeber said it was a source of frustration for him as a former trial lawyer.

"Well, quite frankly, I like to write my own questions. And to have questions prepared by the type of, the age and experience of the individual that you described, it's frustrating at best and a little demeaning at its worst."

Even members' statements vetted

There are few ways for MPs outside of cabinet to raise issues on Parliament Hill. The party whip assigns them to committees and they have to vote with their party on government bills and motions. Private members bills and motions are some of the only means MPs have to tackle problems in which they're interested.

But even the SO-31s are vetted by Conservative House Leader Peter Van Loan's office, Rathgeber said.

"They will either tell us that they're okay or suggest improvements or modifications," he said.

'We have a great responsibility in coming to Ottawa. We're sent here from our communities. That's who our boss is, that's who we report to, is our community'—B.C. Conservative MP Mark Warawa

"They also vet them for timeliness. I think that's reasonable. With respect to content, I've always been uncomfortable having to submit my SO-31s to the House Leader's office in advance."

The Liberals and NDP both say they don't vet SO-31s. A Liberal spokeswoman says the party occasionally prioritizes one statement over another because they only get two per day, but they don't censor content or subject matter.

NDP House Leader Nathan Cullen says the party's leadership works with whichever MP has the last statement before question period begins, but that he doesn't hear the other statements until the MPs read them in the House.

Cullen says he wants to take a closer look at the rules of the House and will probably have a response ready for Wednesday.

"Obviously, in the Conservative caucus ... they are having a hard time controlling that conversation right now and there's obvious frustration building within certainly the backbench of the Conservatives. They're talking about punishment and being taken away from certain committees or chairmanships or chairpersonships," he said.

As for whether Warawa's motion should go to the House for debate, Cullen said the NDP member on the subcommittee agreed with the argument that the motion infringes on provincial jurisdiction because it deals with health care.

Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae says the issue has already been dealt with.

"That's a matter for the committee," he told reporters after question period. "For me the point has to be made that, we think that, in principle, members should be allowed to speak their mind but at the same time there are rules with respect to motions that are before the House. You don't want the same motion or the same subject matter to be brought back week after week after week, and I think that's the concern that's being expressed."

Rae says parties shouldn't be able to control members' statements.

'Violation' of MPs' ability to represent voters

Warawa tabled his motion on Sept. 26, the day MPs voted down a motion by Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth to strike a committee to examine when human life begins, which was widely seen as a way to reopen the debate over setting limits on abortion.

Just over half of Conservative MPs voted in favour of Woodworth's motion — 86 of 163 (since then, byelections and one resignation have brought their total seats in the House to 164). Another 74 Conservative MPs voted against the motion, including most of cabinet. The motion was defeated, 203 to 91.

According to one MP, the Prime Minister's Office told Conservative MPs that there were to be no more motions or private member's bills on abortion. But for those who believe in limits on abortion, or whose constituents believe in limits on abortion, that direction is hard to take.

Rathgeber says it's fair for the party leaderships to oppose motions and bills and vote against them, or even whip the caucus to vote against them.

"But to censor it right out of the gate by determining it to be non-voteable in the face of evidence — uncontradicted evidence — that it is voteable, I mean, I really am concerned that this is a violation of [a] member of Parliament's ability to represent his or her constituents and to speak on issues of importance to him or her," Rathgeber says.

Warawa agrees.

"We have a great responsibility in coming to Ottawa. We're sent here from our communities. That's who our boss is, that's who we report to, is our community. So to lose some of those privileges, I think, is serious and to have then in committee, like subcommittee at [procedure and House affairs committee], if they're not going to obey the rules then we have some serious questions to ask," he told CBC News in an interview.

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