Terrorism is no laughing matter but on the other hand it has been said it helps to laugh at what frightens you. There are lots of spy and intrigue novels, but what is it like to make them look and sound real if the author has no background in national security?
Borealis talks to Terry Fallis, award-winning Canadian writer and author of the bestselling Operation Angus.
If the ins and outs of terrorism, extremism, national security and public safety are of interest to you, subscribe to receive free content by former Canadian intelligence analyst and author Phil Gurski on these issues.
Canadian Intelligence Eh
In a world of multiple voices and opinions it can be very hard to know where to turn. One choice is to look to those who actually worked in counter-terrorism in the national security world. In these half-hour podcasts, 30-year Canadian intelligence veteran Phil Gurski is joined by a fascinating array of individuals with something meaningful to say about these issues as they provide insight into what they mean and what we need to do about them.
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About my guest Terry Fallis
A two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Terry Fallis is the author of eight national bestselling novels including his latest, Operation Angus, all published by McClelland & Stewart. The Best Laid Plans was the winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour in 2008, and CBC’s Canada Reads in 2011. It was adapted as a six-part CBC- Television miniseries, and a stage musical. The High Road was a Leacock Medal finalist in 2011. Up and Down was the winner of the 2013 Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award and was a finalist for the 2013 Leacock Medal.
About the host Phil Gurski
Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.
Operation Angus: A Novel
From bestselling author Terry Fallis comes the long-awaited follow-up to The Best Laid Plans and The High Road–a comic spy story that heralds the return of Angus McLintock.
Angus McLintock, accidental Member of Parliament, has won re-election and is now the Minister of State for International Relations–or, in other words, he’s the junior global affairs minister. In this new post, he and his trusty Chief of Staff, Daniel Addison, are in London to meet with their international counterparts to discuss the upcoming G8 Summit in Washington. Unfortunately, Angus is not in charge of Canada’s involvement in the summit–that task falls to the actual Global Affairs Minister, not the junior one. What Angus is responsible for is planning a brief post-summit meeting in Ottawa between the Prime Minister and the President of Russia, the former head of the KGB.
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