NATO chief needs resources to respond to recent 'wake-up call'

NATO's outgoing secretary general is repeating his call for member countries like Canada to boost their defence spending in response to the "wake-up call" of recent crises like the one unfolding in Ukraine.

In an interview airing Saturday on CBC Radio's The House, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who will preside over his final NATO heads of government summit Sept. 4-5 in Wales, said that after 25 years of "relatively calm weather" the alliance now needs to reinforce its collective defence and adapt to what he calls "a profound climate change."

"We have lived in a relatively quiet security environment, but the crisis in Ukraine as well as what we're now seeing in Syria and Iraq [and] North Africa is a wake-up call," he told host Evan Solomon.

"You can compare it with insurance. NATO is... security insurance. And for an insurance you pay a premium," he said.

"Now the premium has gone up because of this unstable security environment and that's why we need more defence investments in the coming years."

Only four countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, meet NATO's defence spending target of two per cent of a member country's gross domestic product (GDP.) Canada is among those that lag behind, spending 1.3 per cent of its GDP.

Canada cut defence spending, including scaling back costly military procurement programs, as part of government-wide efforts to balance the federal budget starting next year.

Meeting NATO's target could translate into billions of dollars of new spending for Canada over the next decade.

Rasmussen's funding appeal is not new. In 2012, in the aftermath of the economic crisis that saw European countries in particular trim their defence budgets, he warned that a sharp decline in the non-U.S. share of NATO's defence spending was "unsustainable" and "undermined the alliance principle of solidarity."

Blocking efforts

Rasmussen told The House he was hopeful that leaders at next week's summit would reach a "common commitment" to gradually increasing defence investments.

Late Thursday, Reuters reported that Canada is among the countries blocking efforts toward that goal. 

"We are open to increasing defence spending, but to specific ends," a Canadian source told Reuters. "The response to [the crisis in Ukraine] is not a 10-year commitment ... it's not more press releases, it's taking action, and I think in that regard Canada is actually pulling its weight."

In an email to CBC News on Friday, a spokeswoman for Defence Minister Rob Nicholson said the government would not comment on "anonymous rumours."

Germany also opposes the two per cent target and says it should not be seen as a sign of loyalty to the alliance.

"Despite all the talk among the Europeans about joint procurement, common defence strategy ... they've been singing from that songsheet since the end of the Cold War and have done precious little about it," says Fen Hampson, director of the global security and politics program at the Centre for International Governance Innovation.

"Its key members, and that includes Germany which has been cutting defence spending, are not prepared to put their shoulders to the tiller or the yoke to beef up defence spending in the face of what clearly is... a growing threat from Russia,"  Hampson says.

No 'military options' in Ukraine

Recent events in Ukraine have renewed the alliance's focus on its original Cold War foe. Strengthening co-operation between NATO and Ukraine is on the agenda at next week's summit, but that doesn't mean NATO's ready to join a shooting war.

"We are not considering military options," Rasmussen said. "If Russia were to intervene further in Ukraine I have no doubt the international community would have to respond firmly through deeper, broader and tougher economic sanctions that would isolate Russia further."

U.S. President Barack Obama also ruled out a military move against Russia during a news conference on Thursday.

But on Friday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said his cabinet would "bring before parliament a law to scrap the non-aligned status of the Ukrainian state and establish a course towards membership of NATO."

Full membership would trigger an automatic military response from NATO for future Russian incursions across the Ukrainian border. Ukraine is scheduled to have parliamentary elections in late October, so it's unclear whether such a law will pass before then.

While not joining the fight now, NATO is helping to reform and modernize the Ukrainian armed forces, Rasmussen said.

Canada has been involved in training Ukrainian military and civilian personnel through its military training co-operation program and has provided $5 million in "non-lethal security assistance."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is scheduled to join NATO leaders in Wales, although the escalation of the conflict caused him to cancel other travel plans earlier this week.

Will NATO 'strengthen its resolve'?

When asked by a reporter Thursday whether the situation in Ukraine is now a war, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird took great pains to stop just short, calling it "a very active intervention" and then "a very active invasion."

"To do this a week before NATO leaders meet in Wales is a significant provocation and completely unacceptable," Baird said. "This will undoubtedly strengthen the resolve of all NATO leaders ahead of their meeting."

'People will have to look at what measures they think are required from the civilized world.'- John Baird

"Some would say NATO's original rationale has come back: it's to deal with Russia, resurgent Russia," Hampson says. "But even there, the response is weak. And not characterized by great alliance unity."

"NATO's actually facing a crisis in terms of what continue to be fairly profound divisions in the alliance," Hampson added, pointing out that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has indicated she won't support further sanctions and would like to see the Ukrainians negotiate rather than fight with the Russians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told students at a youth camp Friday that the Russian and Ukrainian peoples are practically one people. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Presidential Press Service/The Associated Press)

Baird told reporters Thursday that Merkel "has gotten progressively stronger and tougher" in her remarks over time and that first the downing of MH-17 and then this week's invasion mean "people will have to look at what measures they think are required from the civilized world."

"No one country can provide the response that we need," Baird said, "it's only by acting collectively."

On Thursday, Obama spoke with Merkel, who has been a key broker between the West and Russia, and they agreed Russia must face consequences for its actions.

Beyond Ukraine: who's next?

"I'm concerned that this goes beyond Ukraine," Rasmussen told The House.

"This is very much about establishing or re-establishing a zone of Russian influence in their near neighbourhood and that's why Russia has an interest in frozen and protracted conflicts not only in Ukraine but also in Transnistria in Moldova and also in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia, and they hope through these protracted conflicts to prevent these countries from seeking integration with NATO and the European Union."

'The Europeans are quite prepared to throw Ukraine overboard.'- Fen Hampson

Hampson thinks NATO is constrained by the fact that many alliance members are economically dependent on Russia.

"The Europeans I think are quite prepared to throw Ukraine overboard," he says. "That is a prescription for instability, conflict and usually disaster, and that's what happened prior to both the First and Second World War."

"The smaller countries — the Swedens, the Polands, of Europe who feel very exposed — they kind of wonder who's next," Hampson says.

"We have already taken immediate steps to enhance our collective defence through more air policing, deployment of naval vessels to the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea, more military exercises on the ground," Rasmussen said.

Canadian fighter jets are currently in Lithuania as part of stepped-up patrols on Russia's doorstep.

"I don't think the Kremlin is ignoring what NATO is doing. Actually I think the best protection a nation can get is membership of NATO because the Russians know that it would be to cross a red line if they were to attack a NATO ally," Rasmussen told The House. 

MOBILE USERS: Listen to Rasmussen's interview with Evan Solomon for The House here

The House airs Saturday at 9:00 a.m. on CBC Radio One and Sirius FM Satellite Radio channel 169.

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Anti-radicalization program being developed by RCMP

The RCMP is developing a program to stop Canadians from becoming radicalized by violent ideologies, a new report reveals.

As of early 2014, about 130 people with Canadian connections were believed to be in countries such as Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan participating in terrorism-related activities, the Public Safety Canada report said.

The RCMP, which falls under Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, is developing a program to stop Canadians from becoming radicalized by violent ideologies, a new report reveals. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Another 80 have returned to Canada, according to the 2014 Public Report on the Terrorist Threat to Canada.

The RCMP is putting in place the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) program to stop Canadians at risk of being radicalized. The police force says it aims to have the program in place by year's end.

It's not entirely clear how the program will work.

In an email, the RCMP says it will work with families of "vulnerable individuals" who are experiencing behavioural changes. It also says the program "will include educating Canadians on the role of law enforcement and the responsibilities that they, in turn, have in safeguarding Canada."

Public Safety Minister Stephen Blaney says radicalized Canadians represent a "small number of individuals" who are "putting lives at risk and tarnishing Canada's reputation."

He cites the example of Xristos Katsiroubas and Ali Medlej of London, Ont., who were killed while staging a bloody attack on an Algerian gas refinery in 2013.

The government points to its 2012 counter-terrorism strategy as a means of dealing with potential threats. The strategy aims to prevent, detect, deny and respond to terrorism.

It also cites a law passed in 2013 that made it illegal to leave or attempt to leave the country to commit certain terrorism-related offences. The legislation was criticized by some because it also allows preventative detention of some suspects.

The Public Safety Canada report says there is also concern about what happens when so-called "extremist travellers" leave the countries in which they are fighting.

"Some extremist travellers returning to the West may pose a threat. The much greater number of experienced extremist travellers returning to the Middle East, Africa and Asia magnifies the threat to those regions," it said.​

As to why there have not been more arrests of Canadians who have returned from fighting overseas, a spokesman from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said in an email to CBC News the agency is aware of such cases and that investigations are under way.
 

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Ukraine crisis: EU threatens Russia with more sanctions

Despite tough rhetoric decrying Russia's increasing military involvement in Ukraine, European Union leaders on Sunday stopped short of imposing new sanctions against Moscow right away.

Instead, the 28-nation bloc's heads of state and government tasked their executive body to "urgently" prepare tougher economic sanctions that could be adopted within a week, according to EU summit chairman Herman Van Rompuy.

The decision on new sanctions will depend on the evolution of the situation on the ground but "everybody is fully aware that we have to act quickly," he added. The EU leaders call on Russia to "immediately withdraw all its military assets and forces from Ukraine," they said in a joint statement.

NATO said this week that at least 1,000 Russian soldiers are in Ukraine. Russia denies that. NATO also says Russia has amassed some 20,000 troops just across Ukraine's eastern border, which could rapidly carry out a full-scale invasion.

A pro-Russian rebel watches as Ukrainian troops are evacuated from a rebel-held town in eastern Ukraine on Saturday. (Sergei Grits/The Associated Press)

The fighting between the military and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has so far claimed 2,600 lives, according to UN figures.

The U.S. and the EU have so far imposed sanctions against dozens of Russian officials, several companies as well as the country's financial and arms industry. Moscow has retaliated by banning food imports.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the new sanctions would target the same sectors as previous punitive measures, which also included an export ban for some high technology and oil exploration equipment.

"If Russia continues to escalate the crisis it will come with a high cost," said EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. "It's time for everyone to get down to the business of peace-making. It is not too late, but time is quickly running out," he said.

Several European leaders had called for additional sanctions at the outset of the meeting in Brussels, but the fear of an economic backlash apparently prevailed and led the bloc to grant Russia another chance at avoiding tougher action. New sanctions would have required unanimity among the leaders.

Russia is the EU's No. 3 trading partner and one of its biggest oil and gas suppliers. The EU, in turn, is Russia's biggest commercial partner, making any sanctions more biting than similar measures adopted by the U.S.

'Very close' to war, Ukraine PM says

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who briefed the leaders at the beginning of their talks, said a strong response was needed to the "military aggression and terror" facing his country. Efforts to halt the violence in eastern Ukraine were "very close to a point of no return" and failing to de-escalate the situation could lead to a "full-scale war," he warned.

"Thousands of the foreign troops and hundreds of the foreign tanks are now on the territory of Ukraine," Poroshenko told reporters in English. "There is a very high risk not only for peace and stability for Ukraine, but for the whole ... of Europe."

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko met with EU leaders Saturday to ask for harsher sanctions against Russia and a tougher response to the alleged Russian troops operating in the east of Ukraine. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Associated Press)

Conceding ground in the face of a reinvigorated rebel offensive, Ukraine said Saturday that it was abandoning a city where its forces have been surrounded by rebels for days. Government forces were also pulling back from another it had claimed to have taken control of two weeks earlier.

The statements by Col. Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for the national security council, indicate that Ukrainian forces face increasingly strong resistance from Russian-backed separatist rebels just weeks after racking up significant gains and forcing rebels out of much of the territory they had held.

The office of the Donetsk mayor reported in a statement that at least two people died in an artillery attack on one of Donetsk's neighbourhoods. Shelling was reported elsewhere in the city, but there was no immediate word on casualties.

European leaders also issued dire warnings, reflecting their concern over the most recent military escalation with the opening of a new front by the Russian-backed rebels in southeastern Ukraine.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said Russia's meddling in Ukraine, which seeks closer ties with the EU, amounts to a direct confrontation that requires stronger sanctions.

"Russia is practically in the war against Europe," she said in English.

Grybauskaite said the EU should impose a full arms embargo, including the cancelling of already agreed contracts, but France has so far staunchly opposed that proposal because it has a $1.6 billion contract to build Mistral helicopter carriers for Russia.

British Prime Minister David Cameron also warned that Europe shouldn't be complacent about Russian troops on Ukrainian soil.

"Countries in Europe shouldn't have to think long before realizing just how unacceptable that is," he said. "We know that from our history. So consequences must follow."

Moscow prepares to send humanitarian aid

Moscow, meanwhile, is preparing to send a second convoy of humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday that Moscow has already received Kyiv's preliminary approval and insisted that it would send aid in co-ordination with the Red Cross. Lavrov wouldn't say when the aid is likely to be sent, but said it could happen next week.

Russian state Rossiya 24 on Saturday showed trucks from the previous convoy at the border being loaded with humanitarian aid that was brought to the area by train. It was unclear when the new convoy could start moving.

Barroso said that the EU — a bloc encompassing 500 million people and stretching from Lisbon to the border with Ukraine — stands ready to grant Kyiv further humanitarian aid and financial assistance if needed. The bloc will also organize a donors' conference to help rebuild the country's east at the end of the year, he added.

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Conservative fundraising runs into roadblock in Quebec

The prime minister's Quebec lieutenant, Denis Lebel, has spent the past couple weeks crisscrossing his home province on what the party is billing as his "End of Summer Tour" — a 12-day trek that has taken him from Charlevoix to Mount Royal to Saguenay and finally to a rally in Quebec City on Friday.

Lebel, who is also the federal infrastructure minister, says in a statement posted to the summer tour's official website that his goal is "reach out" to both card-carrying Conservative supporters and Quebecers at large "in order to listen to them."

"Evidently," he adds, "we also want our message to be heard."

If he really wants to dig deep into the details of his party's often fractious relationship with La Belle Province, though, he may want to dive into the data contained in the latest batch of financial reports filed by Quebec Conservative riding associations.

Conservative riding associations

According to the most recent returns, 30 of the 75 Conservative riding associations in Quebec reported no donation revenue at all in 2013.

An additional 20 associations pulled in less than $1,000 total throughout the year.

That number includes Lebel's own riding association of Roberval–Lac-Saint-Jean, which netted just $650 from three contributors.

In Pontiac — the riding held by former Foreign Affairs minister Lawrence Cannon from 2006 until 2011, when he was ousted by New Democrat rookie Mathieu Ravignat — contributions to the Conservative riding association somehow managed to work out to –$5,301.03.

(How, precisely, a riding association can fundraise a negative number of dollars is a mystery, as they don't appear to have refunded any contributions, which would normally account for such a result.)

Despite those somewhat sobering numbers, Lebel can take some comfort in his party's fundraising prowess in Montreal's Mount Royal, where the looming retirement of longtime Liberal MP Irwin Cotler in 2015 has emboldened Tory hopes of snagging their first seat in metropolitan Montreal.

Not surprising, it was also one of the stops on the minister's summer-ending tour.

Mount Royal Tories top Liberals in donations

In 2013, the Mount Royal Conservative Association raised $19,205 raised from 74 contributors.

To put that in perspective, over the same time period, the local Liberal association mustered up just $3,972 in donations from 59 supporters.

The biggest single haul for Quebec Tories, however, was in Minister of State for Small Business Maxime Bernier's home riding of Beauce, where 236 donors kicked in $45,905 to fill up the local coffers.

Overall, Quebec Conservative riding associations raised $177,733 in 2013.

That works out to three per cent of the Canada-wide grand total of $3,705,750.57.

New Democrat riding associations, meanwhile, raked in a comparatively whopping $348,592.87 in Quebec — just under 30 per cent of the party's Canada-wide total of $1,253,820.47.

Just five Quebec NDP riding associations reported no revenue at all, and 11 brought in less than $1,000.

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair's riding of Outremont pulled in the single highest total —  $22,325 — and the most extensive donor list was reported by Notre-Dame-de-Grace, which garnered the support of 551 contributors.

As for the Liberals, despite the end-of-May deadline, 13 of the party's Quebec riding associations haven't yet filed the required paperwork for last year — including Papineau, home of Justin Trudeau.

Liberals lag behind NDP

The available numbers, however, suggests that, as of last December, the determinedly upward trend the party has been enjoying in the polls wasn't causing a similar boost in fundraising numbers, at least at the local level.

In total, Quebec Liberal riding associations raised $246,945.89 in 2013, which is just over 10 percent of the cross-Canada total.

Of the 62 that have filed returns with Elections Canada, 10 reported receiving no contributions at all, and another 20 took in less than $1,000.  

The biggest windfall landed in Saint Leonard–Saint Michel, which reported $39,227 in contributions, with Brossard–La Prairie fielding the highest number of individual contributors at 264.

The Liberals can, at least, console themselves with the fact that they aren't the Bloc Québécois, whose riding associations raised just $117,216 in 2013.

That puts the once Quebec-dominant Bloc just slightly behind the Conservatives, and in last place, although that number could change, as there are more than 20 associations that haven't yet filed their 2013 reports.  

Of the Bloc riding associations that have submitted their numbers, Bas-Richelieu–Nicolet–Becancour is currently in the lead, with a final tally of $36,205 from 386 donors.

Seventeen associations reported no contributions at all, and 11 took in less than $1,000.

(Methodological note: As only 21 Green Party riding associations have filed reports for 2013, those numbers have been left out of this analysis.)

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NATO pushes for bigger crisis response brigade as Canada mulls opportunity

Canada will send troops, jets and warships to participate in a massive NATO training exercise next year in a deployment that could be the first step towards deeper involvement in the alliance's long-term strategy to counter a resurgent Russia.

The units will participate in a test of the military alliance's crisis response brigade, The Canadian Press has learned.

The exercise, known as Trident Juncture 2015, will be held in Italy, Spain and Portugal over several months and built around a scenario where NATO responds to an attack against a member country.

"We are planning to commit tactical forces, maritime, air and land to the live (fire) exercise," Lt.-Gen. Stuart Beare, the country's joint operations commander, told The Canadian Press in a recent interview.

It is a significant decision because NATO is pushing behind the scenes to significantly expand the size of its rapid reaction force. The alliance already announced last week it plans to base soldiers in eastern Europe to reassure jittery allies.

The crisis response unit — currently compromised of 13,000 high-readiness troops, a headquarters and reserve formations — operates on a rotational basis with different nations committing forces for up to a year at a time.

Next year's participation in the exercise does not commit Canada to become part of that rotation, but it could set the stage.

"Those are strategic and political decisions," said Beare. "I can't answer the question specifically, but I can tell you we are acting in a way that, if we do, we'll be really, really good at it."

Taking part in the exercise would help the military reacquaint itself with how NATO does business on its home turf, a familiarity that has been lost since the last Canadian Cold War garrison was withdrawn from Europe in the 1990s.

Base in Poland hosted NATO training

What is unclear heading into this week's NATO summit in Wales is whether the Harper government is prepared to foot the bill to be a regular member of the quick reaction force, which U.S. officials have suggested could see its leading elements based in central Poland around a base that hosted NATO training this summer.

Two rotations of Canadian troops, roughly the size of a 150-man company, have taken part in those recent exercises.

Being part of the rapid reaction force carries with it a whole different set of expectations — most notably being prepared to start shooting if a NATO member is attacked.

The detachment is a relatively new construct within the alliance and something defence ministers only began to seriously wrap their heads around in February 2013 as plans were being drawn up for the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Some members have refused risky missions

Steve Saideman, an expert on NATO, is skeptical about how the force would work given previous missions where countries have insisted on maintaining control over their own troops, and imposed restrictions on what they could do.

That was the experience both in Libya, where some countries refused to conduct risky air-to-ground attacks, and in Afghanistan, which saw a handful of countries like Canada, the U.S., Britain, France, the Netherlands and Denmark do most of the fighting.

"I have a hard time imaging a rapid reaction force being rapid," said Saideman, who is chair of the Paterson School of International Affairs at Ottawa's Carleton University.

"I don't feel confident they'll be able to overcome the problems that have existed and have been baked into NATO."

Article 5 of the NATO charter — the alliance's all-for-one and one-for-all provision — has a little recognized opt-out clause, Saideman noted.

Questions over long-term commitment

He's also not convinced the Harper government is willing to commit the cash necessary for a long-term commitment now that it has extricated itself from Afghanistan. The Conservatives plan a balanced budget for next year's election, and surely hope to spend aggressively on voter-friendly measures, he added.

"It costs money to put troops out there for a period of time," Saideman said.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance will press ahead with the force and it will be a major topic for leaders at this week's summit.

"We will adopt what we call a readiness action plan with the aim to be able to act swiftly in this completely new security environment in Europe," he said in Brussels.

"We have something already called the NATO response force, whose purpose is to be able to be deployed rapidly if needed. Now it's our intention to develop what I would call a spearhead within that response force at very, very high readiness."

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Premiers take the ice bucket challenge in Charlottetown

Video

CBC News Posted: Aug 29, 2014 3:50 PM ET Last Updated: Aug 29, 2014 3:51 PM ET

Premiers Darrell Pasloski of Yukon, Christy Clark of British Columbia and Nunavut's Peter Taptuna wrapped up Council of the Federation meetings in Charlottetown Friday by enduring a shower of icy water for the ice bucket challenge.

Before being doused, Clark nominated NBA star and Vancouver Whitecaps co-owner Steve Nash, from Victoria, to take the challenge, as well as Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini and B.C. Lions' coach Wally Buono.

The ice bucket challenge to raise awareness for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease, has caught fire on social media this summer and raised millions of dollars in donations.

Watch video of the event in the player above.

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The House

• Premiers on collision course with Ottawa ahead of the 2015 federal election Aug. 29, 2014 2:01 PM Evan Solomon hosts a special edition of The House from the premiers' summer meeting. BC's Christy Clark, Saskatchewan's Brad Wall, Ontario's Kathleen Wynne, PEI's Robert Ghiz and Quebec's Philippe Couillard all join us. Plus, outgoing NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen is in for a feature conversation.

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Premiers agree to move forward with a national energy strategy

Canada's premiers emerged from their three-day summer meeting in Charlottetown today with an agreement to move forward with a national energy strategy.

P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz, who was chairing this week's meeting, said all provinces and territories are now on board after years of trying to reach a consensus.

"We've agreed on a vision and principle," Ghiz said during the closing news conference Friday.

The agreement came about thanks to the election of a federalist government in Quebec last April and British Columbia's decision to join in late 2013.

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said he was pleased to see the premiers make the link between the environment and an energy strategy.

"I'm extremely happy that our government is joining the buildup of the strategy," said Couillard, whose province has joined California in creating a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said the provinces have agreed to transition to a low-carbon economy but whether that's achieved through a carbon tax, cap-and-trade or other technologies will be up to each premier to decide.

"There's a determination on the part of the provinces to deal with the issue. We each have different economies, different energy profiles ... so price [on carbon] will come in many forms."

The premiers were also united in their call to see the federal government take an active role in discussions about missing and murdered aboriginal women, as well as funding for health care and infrastructure.

Couillard, who publicly claims to have a good working relationship with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said he was quite disappointed to hear Ottawa say there is no fiscal imbalance.

"It isn't very practical to ignore the facts," Couillard said.

With the door slammed shut on a national public inquiry, the premiers called on the federal government this week to compromise and have key ministers attend a national roundtable on the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women. 

Today, Northwest Territories Premier Bob McLeod said if the prime minister rejects the idea of a roundtable, the premiers will go ahead and take action without the federal government.

"We're going to be working to develop a national framework for action to end violence against aboriginal women and girls," McLeod said.

B.C. Premier Christy Clark said the premiers are supportive of a public inquiry because police alone can't address the problem. 

"There are major systemic issues at stake here… it can not be done solely by police."

Clark argued the federal government should see this as a "historic opportunity" to support First Nations.

While the premiers agreed on the need to drop interprovincial trade barriers between them, only a handful of provinces arrived at agreements this week.

British Columbia and Saskatchewan struck a deal that would allow consumers in each province to purchase wine directly from producers.

Alberta Premier Dave Hancock and Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil agreed to harmonize the rules for workers who enrol in apprenticeships.

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NATO chief needs resources to respond to recent 'wake-up call'

NATO's outgoing secretary general is repeating his call for member countries like Canada to boost their defence spending in response to the "wake-up call" of recent crises like the one unfolding in Ukraine.

In an interview airing Saturday on CBC Radio's The House, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who will preside over his final NATO heads of government summit Sept. 4-5 in Wales, said that after 25 years of "relatively calm weather" the alliance now needs to reinforce its collective defence and adapt to what he calls "a profound climate change."

"We have lived in a relatively quiet security environment, but the crisis in Ukraine as well as what we're now seeing in Syria and Iraq [and] North Africa is a wake-up call," he told host Evan Solomon.

"You can compare it with insurance. NATO is... security insurance. And for an insurance you pay a premium," he said.

"Now the premium has gone up because of this unstable security environment and that's why we need more defence investments in the coming years."

Only four countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, meet NATO's defence spending target of two per cent of a member country's gross domestic product (GDP.) Canada is among those that lag behind, spending 1.3 per cent of its GDP.

Canada cut defence spending, including scaling back costly military procurement programs, as part of government-wide efforts to balance the federal budget starting next year.

Meeting NATO's target could translate into billions of dollars of new spending for Canada over the next decade.

Rasmussen's funding appeal is not new. In 2012, in the aftermath of the economic crisis that saw European countries in particular trim their defence budgets, he warned that a sharp decline in the non-U.S. share of NATO's defence spending was "unsustainable" and "undermined the alliance principle of solidarity."

Blocking efforts

Rasmussen told The House he was hopeful that leaders at next week's summit would reach a "common commitment" to gradually increasing defence investments.

Late Thursday, Reuters reported that Canada is among the countries blocking efforts toward that goal. 

"We are open to increasing defence spending, but to specific ends," a Canadian source told Reuters. "The response to [the crisis in Ukraine] is not a 10-year commitment ... it's not more press releases, it's taking action, and I think in that regard Canada is actually pulling its weight."

In an email to CBC News on Friday, a spokeswoman for Defence Minister Rob Nicholson said the government would not comment on "anonymous rumours."

Germany also opposes the two per cent target and says it should not be seen as a sign of loyalty to the alliance.

"Despite all the talk among the Europeans about joint procurement, common defence strategy ... they've been singing from that songsheet since the end of the Cold War and have done precious little about it," says Fen Hampson, director of the global security and politics program at the Centre for International Governance Innovation.

"Its key members, and that includes Germany which has been cutting defence spending, are not prepared to put their shoulders to the tiller or the yoke to beef up defence spending in the face of what clearly is... a growing threat from Russia,"  Hampson says.

No 'military options' in Ukraine

Recent events in Ukraine have renewed the alliance's focus on its original Cold War foe. Strengthening co-operation between NATO and Ukraine is on the agenda at next week's summit, but that doesn't mean NATO's ready to join a shooting war.

"We are not considering military options," Rasmussen said. "If Russia were to intervene further in Ukraine I have no doubt the international community would have to respond firmly through deeper, broader and tougher economic sanctions that would isolate Russia further."

U.S. President Barack Obama also ruled out a military move against Russia during a news conference on Thursday.

But on Friday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said his cabinet would "bring before parliament a law to scrap the non-aligned status of the Ukrainian state and establish a course towards membership of NATO."

Full membership would trigger an automatic military response from NATO for future Russian incursions across the Ukrainian border. Ukraine is scheduled to have parliamentary elections in late October, so it's unclear whether such a law will pass before then.

While not joining the fight now, NATO is helping to reform and modernize the Ukrainian armed forces, Rasmussen said.

Canada has been involved in training Ukrainian military and civilian personnel through its military training co-operation program and has provided $5 million in "non-lethal security assistance."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is scheduled to join NATO leaders in Wales, although the escalation of the conflict caused him to cancel other travel plans earlier this week.

Will NATO 'strengthen its resolve'?

When asked by a reporter Thursday whether the situation in Ukraine is now a war, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird took great pains to stop just short, calling it "a very active intervention" and then "a very active invasion."

"To do this a week before NATO leaders meet in Wales is a significant provocation and completely unacceptable," Baird said. "This will undoubtedly strengthen the resolve of all NATO leaders ahead of their meeting."

'People will have to look at what measures they think are required from the civilized world.'- John Baird

"Some would say NATO's original rationale has come back: it's to deal with Russia, resurgent Russia," Hampson says. "But even there, the response is weak. And not characterized by great alliance unity."

"NATO's actually facing a crisis in terms of what continue to be fairly profound divisions in the alliance," Hampson added, pointing out that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has indicated she won't support further sanctions and would like to see the Ukrainians negotiate rather than fight with the Russians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told students at a youth camp Friday that the Russian and Ukrainian peoples are practically one people. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Presidential Press Service/The Associated Press)

Baird told reporters Thursday that Merkel "has gotten progressively stronger and tougher" in her remarks over time and that first the downing of MH-17 and then this week's invasion mean "people will have to look at what measures they think are required from the civilized world."

"No one country can provide the response that we need," Baird said, "it's only by acting collectively."

On Thursday, Obama spoke with Merkel, who has been a key broker between the West and Russia, and they agreed Russia must face consequences for its actions.

Beyond Ukraine: who's next?

"I'm concerned that this goes beyond Ukraine," Rasmussen told The House.

"This is very much about establishing or re-establishing a zone of Russian influence in their near neighbourhood and that's why Russia has an interest in frozen and protracted conflicts not only in Ukraine but also in Transnistria in Moldova and also in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia, and they hope through these protracted conflicts to prevent these countries from seeking integration with NATO and the European Union."

'The Europeans are quite prepared to throw Ukraine overboard.'- Fen Hampson

Hampson thinks NATO is constrained by the fact that many alliance members are economically dependent on Russia.

"The Europeans I think are quite prepared to throw Ukraine overboard," he says. "That is a prescription for instability, conflict and usually disaster, and that's what happened prior to both the First and Second World War."

"The smaller countries — the Swedens, the Polands, of Europe who feel very exposed — they kind of wonder who's next," Hampson says.

"We have already taken immediate steps to enhance our collective defence through more air policing, deployment of naval vessels to the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea, more military exercises on the ground," Rasmussen said.

Canadian fighter jets are currently in Lithuania as part of stepped-up patrols on Russia's doorstep.

"I don't think the Kremlin is ignoring what NATO is doing. Actually I think the best protection a nation can get is membership of NATO because the Russians know that it would be to cross a red line if they were to attack a NATO ally," Rasmussen told The House. 

MOBILE USERS: Listen to Rasmussen's interview with Evan Solomon for The House here

The House airs Saturday at 9:00 a.m. on CBC Radio One and Sirius FM Satellite Radio channel 169.

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Anti-radicalization program being developed by RCMP

The RCMP is developing a program to stop Canadians from becoming radicalized by violent ideologies, a new report reveals.

As of early 2014, about 130 people with Canadian connections were believed to be in countries such as Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan participating in terrorism-related activities, the Public Safety Canada report said.

The RCMP, which falls under Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, is developing a program to stop Canadians from becoming radicalized by violent ideologies, a new report reveals. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Another 80 have returned to Canada, according to the 2014 Public Report on the Terrorist Threat to Canada.

The RCMP is putting in place the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) program to stop Canadians at risk of being radicalized. The police force says it aims to have the program in place by year's end.

It's not entirely clear how the program will work.

In an email, the RCMP says it will work with families of "vulnerable individuals" who are experiencing behavioural changes. It also says the program "will include educating Canadians on the role of law enforcement and the responsibilities that they, in turn, have in safeguarding Canada."

Public Safety Minister Stephen Blaney says radicalized Canadians represent a "small number of individuals" who are "putting lives at risk and tarnishing Canada's reputation."

He cites the example of Xristos Katsiroubas and Ali Medlej of London, Ont., who were killed while staging a bloody attack on an Algerian gas refinery in 2013.

The government points to its 2012 counter-terrorism strategy as a means of dealing with potential threats. The strategy aims to prevent, detect, deny and respond to terrorism.

It also cites a law passed in 2013 that made it illegal to leave or attempt to leave the country to commit certain terrorism-related offences. The legislation was criticized by some because it also allows preventative detention of some suspects.

The Public Safety Canada report says there is also concern about what happens when so-called "extremist travellers" leave the countries in which they are fighting.

"Some extremist travellers returning to the West may pose a threat. The much greater number of experienced extremist travellers returning to the Middle East, Africa and Asia magnifies the threat to those regions," it said.​

As to why there have not been more arrests of Canadians who have returned from fighting overseas, a spokesman from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said in an email to CBC News the agency is aware of such cases and that investigations are under way.
 

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Premiers on collision course with Ottawa ahead of the 2015 federal election (The House)

Posted: Aug 29, 2014 7:30 PM ET

Premiers on collision course with Ottawa ahead of the 2015 federal election (The House)59:15

This week on The House, Evan Solomon convenes a special panel of premiers to talk about this week's Council of the Federation.

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When the premiers gather, it's all family dynamics: Evan Solomon

It's all about The Parent.

Sure, the Federation Family has other issues. The premiers talk about internal trade barriers, infrastructure, roundtables and health care, but the underlying issue  — if you put all 13 premiers on a giant couch and asked, what's REALLY getting to you  — it would be The Parent thing. 

The Federal government. The PM. The Parent.

Why isn't The Parent coming to the table to talk to us? The Parent owes us money. He's not the boss of me!

For all the press releases and scrums, this is really what it's like in Charlottetown right now where the Council of the Federation is gathering.

Like any family, there is lots of internal bickering, small resentments and alliances among the siblings. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is sniping at Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne about trade protectionism. Is it a serious issue?

Well, when I asked the conference chair, PEI Premier Robert Ghiz, about the spat he smiled and dismissed it as torque. "Oh, this is just what we do," he said cheerfully. Right. They fight. Ok. 

 But the thing that unites the Federation Family is their parental obsession.

This is not a popular way to view the conference.

Premiers are loath to see themselves as children begging from a parent — they are partners in a federation of course. They have their own jurisdictions that they feverishly protect. 

But the reality is the feds have the money, they collect the most revenue. And they wield a very big stick.

Battle of the backdrops? Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper stands on the front deck of the HMCS Kingston in Eclipse Sound near Pond Inlet earlier this week on his annual summer tour of the Arctic. (Chris Wattie / Reuters)

Look at health care. Even though Ottawa has chopped its health contribution from 50 per cent to around 23 per cent, that's a lot power over an area that is, ostensibly, provincial responsibility. 

Canada has always had this tense family dynamic — right back to 1864, when the first leaders gathered to dream of a prosperous federation right here on this little island. And this year is no exception. After 150 years, provincial federal tensions still shape the family dynamic.

Missing and murdered aboriginal women

Nothing reflects this tension more poignantly than the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women. 

The prime minister refuses to call a national public inquiry because, he argues, it would be redundant.

There have been over 40 studies already on the topic, he points out, including last May's RCMP report called Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women: A National Operation Overview.

That report concluded that police solve crimes against aboriginal women at the same rates as any other crimes. We already know why these tragic murders happen, Harper insists, we just need to stop it happening.

But instead of calming the calls for action, the PM's response has enflamed them.

His comments in the wake of the homicide of 15-year-old Tina Fontaine — "We should not view this as a sociological phenomenon" — rankled the premiers and aboriginal leaders.

Ontario's Kathleen Wynne  said she "categorically" disagrees with Harper, arguing that housing, education and health care are deeply connected to the vulnerability of indigenous women. 

"Those are all social factors" she told me. "He is wrong."

Provincial premier Kathleen Wynne of Ontario greets period actors prior to the Council of the Federation summit in Charlottetown on Thursday. She had less kind words for the PM. (Christinne Muschi / Reuters)

Brad Wall, her Saskatchewan counterpart, agreed. "You can't separate the two," he said. "These are crimes and they are connected to critical social issues."

Greg Sellinger, premier of Manitoba, was livid when I spoke to him, pointing out that the very same RCMP report says indigenous women are five times more likely to be victims of violence than non-aboriginal women. "Why is that?" he thundered rhetorically, before a launching on a lengthy dissertation on colonialism, residential schools and poor health conditions. "We need to look at these factors."

But they all know it's pointless. The Parent won't budge. No public inquiry. 

Compromise time

So, Family Federation came up with a compromise: they offered The Parent an olive branch of sorts. Convene a roundtable to discuss the issue of murdered and missing indigenous women and set the some real goals for better outcomes. 

Reasonable people might wonder what the difference is between an inquiry and a roundtable or a panel. Attempts to find out exactly what either would do and accomplish got a series of passionate but vague answers.

I heard it would "share best practices" and "raise awareness" and "set targets," but it was like trying to grab a handful of water.

Finally I spoke to Premier Sellinger, who openly admitted even he wasn't sure what it would accomplish. But, he said, that did not diminish his support.

After all, the roundtable idea came from First Nations leaders themselves. "They are clearly looking for a way, any way, to talk with the federal government about this issue," he said. "We have to support that."

But talking to National Chief Ghislain Picard I got the sense this debate over whether we should have an inquiry or not is missing the point.

The tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women is in itself important, but because of the increasingly hot debate, it is now a proxy issue for many First Nations.

It is as much about a tragedy as it is about trust. For some, how the PM approaches this issue is emblematic of how he approaches broader challenges facing aboriginal peoples.

And as Picard argues, the federal government has a trust deficit with First Nations that is very consequential, one that is also playing out in the debates over big infrastructure projects like pipelines and mining. 

Fiscal imbalance

Nothing says "parental problems" like the words "fiscal imbalance." 

Ok, forgive yourself if you feel like propping toothpicks between your eyelids to stay awake. You are not alone. 

But the truth is, it is, well, important. 

It affects everything from health care and infrastructure to pensions. The federal government is heading into massive surpluses while provinces are facing massive deficits and growing costs to deliver services. 

To highlight this crisis, the premiers commissioned a report from the Conference Board of Canada. It finds the provinces will have a combined budget deficit of $16.1 billion in 2013-2014 and an aging population that is draining their coffers with health-care costs. 

"Canada's aging population will result in weaker economic growth over the long term and less revenue for governments to fund a variety of different programs," the report concludes. "The combination of lower revenue and rising expenditures will make it challenging for the provinces and territories to balance their books."

Got that? The parent is living off the kids' money and the kids don't like it!

If you believe PEI's Ghiz, this is not just the central message of the entire conference, but the kick-off to the 2015 federal campaign.

Host Robert Ghiz, centre, walks with fellow Liberal premiers Philippe Couillard of Quebec and Stephen McNeil of Nova Scotia through the streets of Charlottetown Thursday. Next year's federal election is on their agenda. (Reuters)

"We need to get our priorities out there for the 2015 election," Ghiz said candidly to a passel of reporters waiting to hear "The Big Policy Announcement."

Ghiz, a Liberal, didn't even bother to spin it. There is no Big Policy Announcement coming out of this conference. There is just the agenda for the next federal election.

That must be disappointing to the federal Industry Minister James Moore.

He would love the premiers to announce that they are dropping all internal trade barriers. He would love them to discard the 20-year-old Agreement on Internal Trade that protects so many industries and start from scratch. He would love to add labour mobility to the AIT, or at least get a mandate to totally reform the agreement. 

No such luck. Instead the proposed changes amount to small beer. Or, more accurately, small wine. 

The three members of the new West partnership will likely announce B.C. wine can now be sold in Saskatchewan. And maybe spirits too.

But what about free wine trade between Ontario and B.C.? That one is still fermenting in the political cellar. 

There were some other announcements, sure, coming out of this gathering.

Before he bolted back to his troubled election campaign, New Brunswick Premier David Alward and B.C.'s Christy Clark announced a memorandum of understanding about labour mobility for apprentices.

Now apprentices can get certified in B.C. and work back in New Brunswick. OK. That's something, right? But it's not what the federal government is asking for. 

Minister Moore claims internal trade barriers cost the country $50 billion, but when I asked Premier Wynne about that she was skeptical. "There is no evidence that figure is real," she said acidly. "I don't know where he is getting that."

The Federal Family and The Parent just don't communicate that well.

One premier told me on background, "We are all just trying to figure out how to talk to this federal government, how to engage them on something productive. We just can't figure it out."

It sounded, well, a little like a cry for help.

So, while you will likely hear something about working groups on health innovation, energy, and disaster mitigation, it is process. This gathering is all about laying the groundwork for 2015. All about The Parent. 

 The Family wish list is being made. Will The Parent read it?

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Premiers want more funds for health, infrastructure from Ottawa

Canada's provincial and territorial premiers say there is a fiscal imbalance between Ottawa and the provinces, despite assertions to the contrary by the federal government, and it's time the prime minister re-examined the country's fiscal arrangements.

P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz, who is the host of the Council of the Federation this week, said all the premiers agree the federal government should increase its share of funding for health and infrastructure.

Ghiz pointed to a report by the Conference Board of Canada, which the premiers commissioned last year, showing the federal government is balancing its budget on the back of the provinces.

While the federal government is contributing to health care funding, Ghiz said it simply isn't keeping pace with changing demographics and an aging population — all of which will have an impact on the provinces.

"Under all scenarios examined by the Conference Board, the federal government continues to record growing budgetary surpluses while provincial-territorial governments will face increasing challenges to achieve fiscal balance while providing essential programs and services to Canadians," Ghiz said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Health Minister Rona Ambrose said the government is providing the provinces and territories with record funding for health care.

The federal government has guaranteed the provinces an annual 6-per-cent increase in health care funding until 2016-17. After that, increases will be tied to growth in nominal gross domestic product, a measure of GDP plus inflation — but is guaranteed to be at least 3 per cent.

The provinces want the government to increase its share funding to deal with an aging population and crumbling roads.

"Premiers agreed that fiscal arrangements must be re-examined... and encouraged the prime minister to work with them on this important priority." 

'Reliable' infrastructure

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said the federal government has made the fiscal imbalance worse.

"I think it's deteriorating and I think all the provinces are feeling that, in different ways, and we believe there needs to be an improvement of that equilibrium."

She dismissed suggestions the Ontario government isn't managing its finances, saying, "we have been very clear that eliminating our deficit and balancing our budget by 2017-18 has to happen."

"It's as important as making the investments that are necessary."

Wynne said while the premiers agree the federal government's 10-year, $53-billion Building Canada Plan is a step in the right direction, Ottawa needs to do more.

"Having reliable, predictable, resilient investment in infrastructure is very important for the country and every province has got needs."

The premiers said they haven't costed out their demands yet.

Interprovincial trade, apprenticeships

B.C. Premier Christy Clark, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and Alberta's Dave Hancock also announced they're going to take a look at the New West Partnership to see if regulations are preventing trade opportunities.

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark, along with the premiers of Saskatchewan and Alberta, said they'll review regulations to try to knock down more trade barriers between their provinces. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

​Wall said, for example, that if a company wants to make first aid kits for Canada, that business would have to satisfy 10 different sets of regulations as to what might constitute a first aid kit.

"So this seems dumb and I think at the heart of improving trade issues is trying to remove dumb from the economy," Wall said.

Clark said all of the provinces have room to improve trade, but pointed to the federal government, too, and said she wants to help it understand all the things it can do to increase trade.

"We know that trade barriers kill jobs. We know that red tape gets in the way of putting people to work across the country. And it doesn't make any sense to any of us that we should be putting artificial barriers in the way of creating jobs, because a job that's created in Saskatchewan is also of benefit to people who live in P.E.I.," she said.

Hancock and Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil agreed to harmonize the rules for workers who enrol in apprenticeships.

The agreement would ensure training and work experience hours are transferable between the provinces, and in the long term would fill the provinces' skilled-trade needs.

"It's my hope that we will see this kind of arrangement across the entire country so that young Canadians will get an opportunity, regardless of where they happen to find a job, we will give them credit for the hours and the education that they've earned," McNeil said.

The premiers, just like the Fathers of Confederation 150 years ago, posed on the steps of Government House (also known locally as Fanningbank) in Charlottetown.

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Justin Trudeau wrong on fracking, NB Premier David Alward says

New Brunswick Premier David Alward says federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is "50 years late" in arguing for research into the effects of fracking, the method used to extract shale gas.

Alward, who as leader of the New Brunswick Progressive Conservatives is in the middle of an election campaign in his province, spoke at a press conference in Charlottetown, where he's at a meeting of Canada's premiers.

Alward pointed to Trudeau's recent assertion that Canada should stop developing shale gas until more scientific work has been done.

"Justin Trudeau is 50 years late. The reality is the scientific work has been taking place over the last 50 years," Alward said.

"Fracking has been taking place safely across our country for the last 50 years and the reality [is that] Canadian technology, research and innovation is allowing the rest of the world to compete."

Alward says New Brunswick needs job opportunities for residents, tens of thousands of whom, he said, are "living outside our province, building economies in other parts of Canada."

Alward spoke to journalists along with British Columbia Premier Christy Clark after the two signed a labour market mobility agreement. His comments about Trudeau weren't prompted by a question.

Fracking is the name for the process that extracts gas by fracturing rock beds with high-pressure fluids.

Last spring, a report by Environment Canada found that Canadian "data about potential environmental impacts are neither sufficient nor conclusive."

Last fall, the New Brunswick Liberals called for a moratorium on shale gas development. Trudeau, campaigning with provincial Liberal leader Brian Gallant last weekend, said more scientific study is needed before expanding shale gas development.

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Canada's premiers pose like it's 1864 in Charlottetown

Every year, the province that hosts the annual summer meeting of the Council of the Federation has to come up with an original idea for the premiers' traditional group photo call.

With this week's meeting held in the birthplace of Confederation, the government of Prince Edward Island couldn't resist an homage to one of the most famous photos in Canadian political history: the Sept. 6, 1864, shot of the delegates to the Charlottetown Conference as they began Canada's journey from colonies to Confederation.

The premiers, just like the Fathers of Confederation 150 years ago, posed on the steps of Government House (also known locally as Fanningbank) in Charlottetown.

Today, it's the residence of Lt.-Gov. Frank Lewis, seated in the 2014 photo in the spot occupied in 1864 by Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald.

(George P. Roberts/National Archives of Canada)

The staff at Government House have 1864-style top hats for tourists to use when they want to recreate their own photo in the same spot. This week, some of the premiers struck a pose with the same props.

Government House has placed markers on the steps to help visitors and premiers alike figure out in whose spot they are standing.

The Council of the Federation isn't the first group of dignitaries to pose on the steps this summer. Governor General David Johnston and most of the provincial lieutenant-governors did a similar photo with their spouses in June.

Were the premiers' placements deliberate? One of the officials tells CBC News they did plan the placements somewhat (Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard is in Canada East Father of Confederation George-Étienne Cartier's spot, for example) but "they didn't lose sleep over it."

Host Premier Robert Ghiz is in the place of William A. Henry (from the former colony of Nova Scotia). Stephen McNeil, Nova Scotia's premier, is in Thomas D'Arcy McGee's spot.

The biggest difference? Two female premiers, something that would have been unthinkable in Canadian politics 150 years ago.

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Wine, spirits to move more easily between B.C., Saskatchewan

New

Christy Clark, Brad Wall to drop barriers to consumers buying direct from producers

By Susan Lunn, CBC News Posted: Aug 29, 2014 9:25 AM ET Last Updated: Aug 29, 2014 10:02 AM ET

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark and Saskatchewan's Brad Wall agreed today to lift barriers to allow consumers in both provinces to order wines and craft spirits directly from producers, and have them delivered to their door.

"We still need to hammer out all the fine details but broadly it will mean it is no longer illegal to bring B.C. wine into Saskatchewan or Saskatchewan wine into British Columbia for personal use," Clark said Friday morning.

"We're also going to go a little bit further and ensure craft spirits — the craft spirits industry in British Columbia and in Saskatchewan is growing very quickly — make that legal for individuals to import between our provinces."

Wall has been promoting in particular a dill pickle vodka from the Last Mountain distillery to his colleagues.

Clark says today's announcement is the first of many more across the country.

"Manitoba has now made it possible. Nova Scotia is very close to finishing their regulations which will allow it to be possible. Saskatchewan is now on track."

Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne has told reporters that she is interested in a similar deal for her province.

The wine part of the deal between B.C. and Saskatchewan will take effect by the end of the year. Wall hopes the craft spirits will be able to move more freely between the two provinces by June 2015.

The premiers made the announcement at their annual summer meeting in Charlottetown.

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The House

• Premiers on collision course with Ottawa ahead of the 2015 federal election Aug. 29, 2014 2:01 PM Evan Solomon hosts a special edition of The House from the premiers' summer meeting. BC's Christy Clark, Saskatchewan's Brad Wall, Ontario's Kathleen Wynne, PEI's Robert Ghiz and Quebec's Philippe Couillard all join us. Plus, outgoing NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen is in for a feature conversation.

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Tories embark on late-summer campaign to woo Quebec voters

Federal Conservatives are capping off their summer with a pre-electoral push in Quebec, a charm campaign to help the party rebound in what has proven to be challenging terrain.

Denis Lebel, the prime minister's Quebec lieutenant, is banking on his 12-day "End of Summer Tour" to court a province where the Conservatives hold only five seats and recent polls have suggested they trail the New Democrats, Liberals and Bloc Quebecois in popular support.

Even though the next election could be more than a year away, Lebel has been shaking hands and delivering speeches across the province on a trek that wraps up Thursday in Quebec City.

"We wanted to be sure that everybody in Quebec understands that Quebec is very important for our government," Lebel told a crowd of about 100 supporters at a rally this week in Montreal's Mount Royal riding, a district long coveted by the Conservatives.

"The End of Summer Tour is for us to make political gains. We have worked very hard to make political gains in Quebec, everywhere, in all regions."

He told the audience that the drive started months before he kicked off his tour, with 12 cabinet ministers from outside the province paying visits to Quebec since April.

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander as well as Lynne Yelich, junior minister responsible for consular affairs, accompanied Lebel at the Mount Royal event.

Polls show Tories trailing in Quebec

A Leger poll taken in June found the Conservatives had the support of only 12 per cent of Quebecers, compared with 34 per cent for both the NDP and Liberals and 17 per cent for the Bloc.

Polls conducted more recently suggest the Liberals have gained ground in regions like Ontario and the Maritimes at the expense of the Tories, which could make additional wins in Quebec even more important.

"If the Tories lose seats elsewhere, they're going to have to find places to make those up," said David Coletto, chief executive officer of research company Abacus Data.

"I think in their mind if they can regain five seats in Quebec ... that probably can at least offset what will likely be some losses in Atlantic Canada and other parts of the country."

But Coletto said the Tories' growth potential in Quebec appears limited, particularly since recent surveys have found its support has hovered between 12 and 20 per cent — similar to its level after the 2011 election.

Even the turmoil within the Bloc, now reduced to two MPs, could hurt the Conservatives' chances of a turnaround, he added.

Recent data from his firm has suggested that only 11 per cent of Bloc voters have a positive view of Harper, 50 per cent have a favourable view of NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and 27 per cent hold a positive view of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.

In 2011, the Conservatives lost six of the 11 ridings they held in Quebec following a surge in popularity of the NDP and then-leader Jack Layton.

Harper cabinet ministers Lawrence Cannon, Jean-Pierre Blackburn and Josee Verner were all defeated.

The Quebec City region, where the Conservatives lost three seats in 2011, would likely be a focal point of any Tory revival in the province.

$500-per-head Quebec City fundraiser planned

To help replenish Tory coffers, a party source says the Conservatives are organizing a $500-per-person fundraising dinner in Quebec City on Sept. 8.

Lebel and Alexander both expressed confidence their party will bounce back.

Following the Mount Royal rally, Alexander predicted to reporters that the Conservatives would add new cabinet ministers in Quebec after the 2015 election.

When asked how many, he directed the question to Lebel, who replied: "As many as possible, for sure."

The Tories will once again target Mount Royal as a potential beachhead in Montreal, where the party hasn't won a seat in a quarter-century.

In 2011, Tory candidate Saulie Zajdel finished about 2,300 votes behind popular Liberal incumbent Irwin Cotler in the riding previously held by Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

Cotler has announced he will not seek re-election in the district, which is home to a large Jewish population.

In his speech, Lebel told the Mount Royal crowd that Harper's foreign policy has helped Canada become Israel's "best friend."

"Obviously, our government is taking a strong stance on the right of Israel, not only to exist but also to defend its citizens," Lebel said, drawing a big applause.

Lebel 'determined to win' Mount Royal

"As you know, Mount Royal is a riding we are determined to win — we came pretty close ... But this time we will have to seal the deal."

The Conservatives will run another candidate there in the next election.

Zajdel was arrested last year as part of Quebec's anti-corruption crackdown.

He was charged with alleged crimes police say took place between 2007 and 2008 when he was a municipal councillor.

Robert Libman, a prominent figure in the area who's served as a local mayor and a provincial politician, has said he's decided to seek the nomination in large part due to Harper's Middle East approach and his economic policy.

"I think our riding is ready to make the switch after voting Liberal since 1940," said Libman, who, as a member of the Equality party, won a provincial riding in the area that had long been a rock-solid Liberal seat.

'It's important to be visible in politics'

"As I proved in 1989, if you work hard enough, and if the circumstances are working in a certain way around certain issues, you can turn the tide."

Lebel's cross-Quebec tour has taken him to a poutine festival, a lunch event at a Royal Canadian Legion and a riding where a Conservative incumbent lost a nail-biter in 2011.

Bernard Genereux thought he had retained his seat in Montmagny-L'Islet-Kamouraska-Riviere-du-Loup, but a recount revealed he had lost to the NDP's Francois Lapointe — by nine votes.

Genereux, who's seeking the nomination once again, said several cabinet ministers from outside Quebec have also visited the area in recent months.

"There's nothing exceptional about what's happening right now," said Genereux, who thinks recent attention paid by the Tories was similar in the lead-up to 2011.

"It's important to be visible in politics."

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'No Compromise': Peter MacKay poses in pro-gun T-shirt

Justice Minister Peter MacKay says he was showing support for an Afghan veteran when he posed for a photo at a Conservative Party fundraiser wearing a T-shirt bearing the logo of the National Firearms Association, a pro-gun lobby group.

The photo shows MacKay standing with two people and wearing a black shirt with the image of a maple leaf attached to a military-style assault rifle. The NFA's slogan — "No Compromise" — appears under the logo.

A similar photo was first posted to Facebook by the National Firearms Association earlier this week. (Facebook)

"A Canadian veteran wounded in Afghanistan approached me at an event in Edmonton, handed me one of his T-shirts and asked if I would pose for a photo," MacKay explained in an statement emailed from his office.

"Having spent a great deal of time with members of the Canadian Forces, I have never shied away from an opportunity to demonstrate my support for them and their families," MacKay said.

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair took notice of the photo and condemned the minister for his actions.

"It sends the wrong message and shows a glaring lack of judgment," Mulcair said in a written statement to CBC News.

The photo was originally posted on the NFA's Facebook page and a different version was later posted by Ericka Clarke, an NFA field officer. Clarke appears in the photo with MacKay and Kurtis Gaucher, who describes himself on Facebook as an employee of the Canadian Armed Forces. Gaucher also appears to be wearing an NFA lapel pin in the picture with MacKay.

The Conservatives campaigned for years against the federal long-gun registry so despised by pro-gun groups and finally killed the registry in 2012, but have still faced pressure from pro-gun groups to curb restrictions on guns.

The government said last month it was loosening restrictions on some firearms while introducing new safety measures for gun owners. The proposed changes were published in the official Canada Gazette Aug. 15.

The MacKay photo has drawn some reaction on social media from both gun advocates and critics. View a Storify of some of the reaction below.

Mobile users, view the Storify here.

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Murdered aboriginal women: What to know about a national public inquiry

A public inquiry into Canada's missing and murdered aboriginal women is vital, if you ask provincial and territorial leaders, opposition parties and aboriginal groups. The federal government, however, suggests it's a misguided approach.

With so much debate about a public inquiry, here's a closer look at how one could work and what it could reasonably hope to achieve.

What would an inquiry look like?

The goal of a public inquiry should be to identify the factors causing these deaths and disappearances, so that they can be addressed, argues the Native Women's Association of Canada.

In order to do that, as many as possible of the more than 1,000 documented cases of murdered and missing aboriginal women from the last 30 years should be explored, said Dawn Harvard, vice-president for the NWAC.

"In an ideal world I would say we should talk to all of the families, we should look at all of those women, because every one of those women was important and it was a tragic loss," she said. Families of the missing, police, child welfare authorities and others could all be called as potential witnesses, she said. Topics like sexism, racism and poverty would all be relevant to the discussion. 

Harvard wasn't prepared to comment on limits for how long the inquiry should take or how broad a time frame it might examine, saying that would still have to be discussed.

What would we learn that we don't already know?

"We need to see where we dropped the ball with these cases up until now," says Harvard.

'There should be a positive, collaborative, respectful response to what is a deep-rooted social issue.'- Marlene Brant Castellano, research co-director at the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People

She hopes an inquiry would identify instances in which indigenous women were treated differently by the authorities.

"It's that kind of thing that needs to come out and it's that kind of thing that will not come out if we don't have that legal clout to gain access to files, to essentially force people to come forward if they are subpoenaed and testify and discuss what happened in a number of these cases where it was obvious that our women were being treated differently."

What kinds of changes have past investigations prompted?

In 1996, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People presented a 4,000-page report that included 444 recommendations. Most of those recommendations were never put into practice, says Marlene Brant Castellano, the co-director of research for the commission.

"The results of the inquiry, the product of $50 million, was dismissed by the government in place in 1996-97, with the exception of a healing fund to deal with the trauma of residential schools. What happens with inquiries is that if they have no living, breathing, in-power, in-place champions, the inquiry gathers dust," she said.

Laurie Odjick holds a sign with photo of her daughter Maisy, who went missing along with Shannon Alexander in 2008 at age 16. Odjick was taking part in a rally in Ottawa last October honouring the lives of missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)

However, she does believe an inquiry or other discussion around murdered and missing aboriginal women is necessary.

"There should be a positive, collaborative, respectful response to what is a deep-rooted social issue," she said.

Public inquiries work best when they expose cover-ups and failures by government, says Prof. Nelson Wiseman, director of the Canadian studies program at the University of Toronto. He cites the Gomery Inquiry into the federal sponsorship scandal or the Walkerton Commission into the tainted water supply of a community in Ontario as examples.

In the case of violence against aboriginal women, Wiseman believes an inquiry is unlikely to help.

"I don't think a public inquiry is going to contribute in and of itself to ameliorating or solving this problem. I think we know what the issues are," he said, mentioning poverty, lack of housing, violence and alcohol and drug use as contributing factors.

"What will the inquiry actually lead to? What action is going to change? Do I think the inquiry is going to tell us? I think we're going to get some pablum," he says.

Are there alternatives?

Something less cumbersome than a full public inquiry might be a better solution, suggests former Harper adviser Bruce Carson. He'd like to see the prime minister call an independent advisory panel, like it did on Canada's role in Afghanistan. In 2009, John Manley presented a report that examined four options for Canada's future role in the country and recommended that Canadian Forces remain in Afghanistan, as long as NATO provided additional support.

Carson argues that such a panel would have a more focused mandate and could be asked to report back in a shorter time frame. 

If federal officials are unwilling to launch a single, national public inquiry, Harvard says some in the aboriginal community have expressed interest in seeing each province and territory launch its own inquiry.

"If we have the support and we take the approach from a province-to-province basis, maybe the time has come that we need to start leading the charge," she said.

On Wednesday, aboriginal groups meeting with territorial and provincial premiers in Charlottetown said a roundtable with key federal ministers could be an important first step in moving the issue forward.

Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair went further, saying if the NDP win the next election, it would call a public inquiry within 100 days of taking office.

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2014 marked by 'major surge' in humanitarian crises

If the news from around the world seems bleak, it isn't just you. From Syria to Iraq and natural disasters to a deadly virus, 2014 has already been marked by a major surge in humanitarian crises — and there are still four months to go.

A UN report released last week says this year has seen a large increase in the number of people needing aid, up to 102 million from 81 million in December 2013.

"2014 has seen a major surge in humanitarian crises around the world," said the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, adding that aid agencies need an estimated $17.3 billion US to cover the world's needs, up from $12.9 billion in 2013.

Among the ongoing problems affecting people around the world:

Rachel Logel Carmichael, a team leader in World Vision's humanitarian and emergency affairs branch, says the combination of new and old conflicts, plus natural disasters, has made it a challenging year.

"We're having a particularly, it seems, difficult period of time right now," Logel Carmichael said in an interview with CBC News.

"In the last number of months, we've had major crises that have emerged in countries that, while fragile, hadn't been experiencing recent bouts of conflict." 

'One crisis after another'

Some of those conflicts have spilled over a country's borders, destabilizing a region, Logel Carmichael added.

On top of the conflicts, World Vision is seeing more climate change-induced natural disasters, including drought and floods.

"So the combination of both really stretches the resources available in the world to respond to all of these needs of all of these people,"she said.

Fen Hampson, director of the global security and politics program at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, says natural disasters like hurricanes or typhoons are typically one-off events that are damaging, but prolonged conflicts have more lasting effects on people.

The greatest humanitarian crisis of the last century, Hampson said, was due to the First and Second World Wars, "where you had very large-scale civilian casualties going into the tens of millions, and obviously displaced populations as well."

From the end of the Cold War until a few years ago, however, the number of violent armed conflicts and their severity had been going down.

'Crisis after crisis'

"We now appear in the past four years to be seeing an upswing again in both the frequency and scale of violent conflict in different regions in the world," Hampson said.

Logel Carmichael says it's hard to present people with one crisis after another and continue asking for donations.

"It's challenging to present to people one crisis after another. Maybe people gave during the Philippines crisis and said, 'well, I've supported a cause for this year so I've done my part.' And to present, say, we still have a situation happening in South Sudan, and people in Iraq are facing these issues and challenges now, we recognize the challenge of crisis after crisis happening." 

Logel Carmichael says she hopes people can find a region with which they identify, and personalize the tremendous suffering of people on the other side of the world.

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Tom Ring, top military purchases official, departs as Tories prep for 2015 election

A seasoned public servant who helped reshape the Harper government's tattered military procurement strategy has announced his retirement at Public Works.

An internal memo —  circulated Monday —  announced Tom Ring's departure as of the end of the year, and the federal government posted his job Wednesday online.

It is just the latest in a series of backroom changes this summer among the ranks of the senior bureaucracy, the most high-profile being the departure of Wayne Wouters as clerk of the Privy Council and the naming of his replacement, Janice Charette.

Ring is leaving one of the most politically troublesome files just months before the Conservatives head back to the polls —  in either the spring or the fall of 2015 — to defend their record.

As assistant deputy minister for acquisitions for the last few years, Ring played a key role in the implementation of the government's national shipbuilding strategy and was a principal architect of the recently announced defence procurement strategy.

Both policies won the government praise, but there is rising concern about the slow pace of the actual ship construction contracts.

Ring was also called upon to defend Public Works' handling of the F-35 jetfighter purchase, which was put on hold by the Conservatives as they looked at alternatives.

Ring, who also spent years at National Defence, was not available for comment Wednesday, but word of his exit rippled through the defence industry, which is keen to see the Conservative government stick to its plans after years of confusion and cancelled projects.

Mike Greenley, who's on the board of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries, said Ring was instrumental in moving a number of files forward, including the style of procurement that's seen the government consult more closely with defence contractors before putting a project out for tender.

Greenley said he wants to see that continue and hopes the government takes its time to put the right person in place to fill the important leadership position.

"Decisiveness is important for our industry and making sure that the procurement files move forward," Greenley said.

"We need to maintain speed on these procurements."

Phil Lagasse, a defence expert at the University of Ottawa, said military procurement, despite high-profile controversies, has been made more open and transparent under Ring's watch.

"Transparency was one of things that plagued F-35 and the third-party reviews increase confidence in the process," said Lagasse, who served on the independent panel that reviewed the air force's plans to replace the CF-18s.

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Stephen Harper raises spectre of Russian threat in Arctic speech to troops

An emboldened Russia is a threat to it neighbours in the Arctic and Canada must be ready to respond to any Russian incursions in the region, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Tuesday as he ended his yearly tour of Canada's North.

In a chest-thumping address to troops who took part in a series of military manoeuvres off the coast of Baffin Island, Harper spoke of how Canada must never drop its guard in the face of growing Russian aggression.

"In Europe, we see the imperial ambitions of Vladimir Putin, who seems determined that, for Russia's neighbours, there shall be no peace...," Harper said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, right, walks with 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group Commanding Officer Major Craig Bolstad on Baffin Island near York Sound Tuesday. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

"And because Russia is also Canada's neighbour, we must not be complacent here at home."

It was the second mention of the Russian president in six days for Harper. The prime minister has made Arctic sovereignty a focal point of this year's northern tour, with announcements ranging from farming initiatives to remarks on the search for the lost Franklin ships meant to show Canada's control over its northern regions.

The prime minister spoke to the troops out on the barren tundra of the southern tip of Baffin Island, steep ridges surrounding him. Earlier in the day, the Canadian Armed Forces conducted part of their annual northern operation, Operation Nanook, in the nearby waters of Davis Strait.

Part of this year's exercise was meant to simulate the rescue of a cruise ship that has run aground in York Sound, near the southern tip of Baffin Island. Harper stood aboard the Strait Explorer as four soldiers rappelled from a helicopter hovering over the deck during part of Tuesday's operation.

An earlier part of the operation, which began Aug. 20 and runs until Aug. 29, simulated a search-and-rescue operation for a fishing ship in the Davis Strait.

This year's exercise involves personnel from all branches of the Canadian Armed Forces, a ship from the Danish navy and a U.S. surveillance aircraft.

The prime minister told military personnel they would always be needed to fend off threats to Canada in an increasingly dangerous and uncertain world.

"As we look at the world around us today, we see growing threats in a growing number of places and the growing strength of people who disdain democracy, despise modernity and kill people who don't share their religion," Harper said.

"People who, given even a sliver of a chance, would destroy everything that we, as Canadians, hold dear and have repeatedly fought to protect."

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Aboriginal women inquiry support grows ahead of premiers meeting

The federal government is rejecting renewed calls for a public inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women in advance of a meeting Wednesday between premiers and native leaders, one of whom says the prime minister is isolated in his position.

The premiers and aboriginal leaders endorsed the idea of an inquiry when they met last year, but there is growing momentum behind such a proposal, said Ghislain Picard, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

"The difference between last year and this year is that there is more and more support," Picard said in an interview ahead of the meeting in Charlottetown.

"What we have today is that the federal government is standing alone."

Native leaders say the need for an inquiry has been highlighted by the death earlier this month of a 15-year-old aboriginal girl whose body was found wrapped in a bag that was dumped in the Red River in Winnipeg.

Tina Fontaine had been in the city for less than a month when she ran away from foster care. Police are treating the case as a homicide.

"In light of recent events ... it's clear that this issue cannot be overshadowed by other pressing issues," Picard said.

Not a 'sociological phenomenon': PM

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said last week that cases like Fontaine's should not be viewed as a "sociological phenomenon" but rather a serious crime to be investigated by police.

The federal government says it is taking steps to deal with the problem of violence against aboriginal women, such as setting up a national DNA missing person's index and introducing tougher sentences for murder, sexual assault and kidnapping.

"We don't need yet another study on top of the some 40 studies that have already been done," a spokeswoman for Justice Minister Peter MacKay said in a statement.

"We need police to catch her killer and ensure the perpetrator or perpetrators are punished and face the full force of the law."

Several premiers, including Ontario's Kathleen Wynne, Manitoba's Greg Selinger and Brad Wall of Saskatchewan, have spoken out in recent days calling on the federal government to change its mind.

Wynne said Harper's comments were "outrageous," suggesting the prime minister is ignoring the systemic problems behind the violence faced by aboriginal women.

Wall said the provinces remain united with aboriginal leaders.

"Saskatchewan, on a percentage basis, has a high First Nations and Métis population ... so we'd like to see it the subject of an inquiry," he said in an interview.

"There's a societal element that we do need to look at and the provinces and the federal government bear responsibility in that regard."

Roundtable proposed

Michele Audette, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, said an inquiry could take years to complete its work, which is why she would like to see a federal-provincial working group established to spur some action.

Audette said her roundtable proposal would bring together federal and provincial ministers responsible for various programs affecting aboriginal people.

"It would help to stop working in silos," she said in an interview.

"And it would help end the broken relationship between indigenous people and this current government. ... If the federal government says no to this, it's obvious there's a huge problem here."

P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz said the call for an inquiry is part of the meeting agenda, but he is also interested in the roundtable idea.

"Dialogue is good," said Ghiz, who will be the longest-serving premier at the meeting. "If one door closes, you always have to look for another to open up."

The premiers will continue with their own meetings on Thursday and Friday. Ghiz said other items on the agenda include health-care innovation, internal trade, competitiveness and the temporary foreign worker program.

The long-term bid to create a national energy strategy will also be discussed, but Ghiz suggested he doesn't expect much progress because two of the largest energy-producing provinces — Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador — are in the midst of replacing their premiers.

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