Tory delegates say ‘yes’ to gun ownership and ‘no’ to sex-selection abortion and euthanasia

Try as they might to avoid it, the 'abortion issue' became an issue again at the Conservative Party convention — with a pro-life protest outside and a delegate vote on sex-selection abortions inside.

About 125 protesters withstood an early-season Calgary snow storm, on Saturday, to stand-up for fetal rights.

And they got what they came for — at least partially.

The Tory delegates convincingly passed a motion that would condemn gender-selection abortions — also known as 'genderside.'

Not coincidentally, the motion came from the party's Langley electoral district who is represented by none other than Tory MP Mark Warawa. Earlier this year, Warawa introduced a similar motion in the House of Commons. Motion 408 was deemed non-votable by a parliamentary subcommittee; the subcommittee's decision is widely believed to be part of a PMO directive to not rehash the abortion issue.

[ Related: Harper addresses Senate scandal, slams Trudeau in rah-rah convention speech ]

While there is no guarantee that a resolution passed at a party convention will compel the government to act in kind in Parliament, the pro-life protesters were hopeful.

"It's a statement. And it says something. The party members are saying we want to take a position on this. We want to lead as leaders ought to," protester Mike Schouten of WeNeedaLaw.ca told Yahoo Canada News.

"Although [the party resolution] won't change the law...it would bring Canada a little closer into line with what countries around the world doing are as far as a growing gender imbalance between males and females due to the fact that females are being born at rates way lower than males simply because they are girls.

"This is tragedy that countries around the world are recognizing and it's time that Canada steps up to the plate."

[ Related: Conservative counter-summit draws David Suzuki, activists ]

Aside from sex-selection abortions, the Conservative delegates also tackled some other heady topics on Saturday.

Members in attendance voted in favour of Resolution 1-21-30 which stated: "The Conservative Party will not support any legislation to legalize euthanasia or assisted suicide."

And they also voted for a resolution against more gun control: "A Conservative Government recognizes the legitimacy of private ownership of firearms and will resist any domestic or international pressure to the contrary."

[ Related: Stephen Harper rocks out at convention after-party ]

It wasn't all serious business, however.

As part of a test of their electronic voting systems, the moderators asked delegates whether or not NDP leader Thomas Mulcair should shave off his beard.

634 delegates voted in favour of a date with a razor and 374 voted against.

(Photo by Andy Radia)

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