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Phil in the media Video

CTV News – Allegation against CSIS

Phil Gurski from Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting on how CSIS gathers information for national security or public safety purposes.

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Perspectives

When does a threat become ‘existential’?

If I were to ask you what you really worry about – what you REALLY worry about not, for instance, when will a Canada-based hockey team finally win the Stanley Cup again – what would you respond with? What do you see as threats or situations that pose such a degree of danger to us […]

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Perspectives

1,000 blogs on terrorism and counting…where will this all end?

When I left the Canadian civil service – more accurately the security intelligence world – in May 2015 I had some of the restrictions on what I can say and do lifted. Up to a point. I still cannot talk in detail about operations I was part of or intelligence I was privy to and […]

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Perspectives

Would you shill for Usama bin Laden?

Canadian lobby firm should not be doing business with Sudan military.

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Perspectives

What terrorists do when the facts tell them they are wrong

It is hard to admit when you have made a mistake. After all, we want to be right every time and when it becomes obvious that we are not it takes a special effort to pronounce a mea culpa. Me, I have tried to be gracious when obvious errors are pointed out to me: perhaps […]

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Perspectives

CVE in Canada needs better scrutiny

This piece appeared in The Hill Times on July 8, 2019 If there is one buzzword that has gained a lot of ground in Canada and elsewhere in the post 9/11 period it is CVE (which stands for Countering Violent Extremism; sometimes it is also called PCVE – Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism). This field […]

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Perspectives

Terrorism: plus ca change (part 2)

If you are a faithful reader of my blogs or have had the opportunity to listen to my podcasts you will know that I have been going on lately about Buddhist terrorism. Yes, I am referring to that oddly-phrased form of violent extremism which I imagine strikes most as oxymoronic (can peaceful Buddhists REALLY engage […]

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Perspectives

Terrorism: plus ca change (part 1)

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9) For many in the post 9/11 world it may seem as if terrorism is something new – and terrible. We are constantly inundated with news about attacks here and attacks there, sometimes […]

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Perspectives

Remember Al Qaeda? It’s baaaacckkk!

When you have been at war with something for almost two decades it is important to declare ‘victory’ at some point. Those whose support you – i.e. the public/taxpayer – need and want to see some results for the actions they are backstopping. Fighting for years with no sense that you are winning is a […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

Podcast 13 – Jewish extremism

In our continuing series on religious terrorism, it is time to look at Jewish extremist violence.