Those of us fortunate to live in open democracies have certain expectations of those elected to serve us. And these expectations are reasonable. Like you have to be answerable to the electorate who gave you the opportunity to govern, and not just every four years when we go to the polls but every day. And […]
Author: Phil Gurski
Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. Phil is a 32-year veteran of CSE and CSIS and the author of six books on terrorism.
Most Canadians could be forgiven for not having a deep sense of what the Canadian intelligence community is or what it does. We seldom talk about intelligence matters and most references to these issues come out in the wake of mistakes, perceived or real. Think Air India or Maher Arar and you get an idea […]
When I worked at CSIS on counter terrorism investigations one phenomenon we would encounter on a regular basis was the role played by an individual we called the ‘radicaliser’. This person, or persons, could reside in the real world or online. S/he (to be honest it was usually a he) would generally have a charismatic […]
In our continuing series on religious terrorism, it is time to look at Christian extremist violence.
Suicide is not funny. Suicide bombing is likewise not a funny topic. Those who engage in such activities not only kill themselves but usually others and many of those others are truly innocent people. We might want to argue over whether a suicide attack on a military convoy or an army encampment is really terrorism, […]
Former CSIS insider Phil Gurksi discusses the Conservatives’ letter to CSIS about investigating former Canadian ambassador to China John McCallum’s comments to a Chinese media outlet.
How dangerous do you think terrorism is? How often do you think about it? Do you worry about attacks where you live? Have you witnessed an attack or, heaven forbid, been the victim of one? The answer you provide will depend crucially on where you live. If you are a citizen of many parts of […]
Phil Gurski from Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting on how CSIS gathers information for national security or public safety purposes.
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 […]
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 […]