Search: “CSIS”

Most Canadians have heard of the “Toronto 18”,  a group of homegrown extremists who were arrested in the summer of 2006 before they could detonate truck bombs, an act that could have killed and maimed thousands.  At the time, and probably to this day for that matter, it was the largest and most complicated terrorism […]

It should come as a surprise to no one that many Western governments, including Canada’s, are struggling with what to do about their citizens seeking to travel abroad to join terrorist groups such as Islamic State.  Measures to date have included passport revocation, peace bonds, monitoring and, where enough evidence is present, arrest and charges. […]

Whenever a terrorist attack happens we collectively strive both to understand it and to look over what we may have missed.  We do so in order to figure out how we can better identify the signs of violent radicalisation and perhaps act before terrorist events occur. I have long argued that the signs of violent […]

I have just returned from spending three wonderful days in New York City.  Broadway.  Central Park.  American Museum of Natural History.  Bryant Park.  The city that never sleeps.  And the city that is never far from the attention and aspiration of terrorists. When I used to work in security intelligence it always struck me that […]

And so the outrage begins.  A Transport Canada report that states that terrorists could use legitimate, Charter-protected protest activity as a cover to carry out violence (see story here) has caused a kerfuffle.  A director with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association has expressed concern that the report and its authors paints “(lawful) activism as a […]

One of the greatest challenges a society has to face with respect to the delicate balance between privacy and freedom of thought and national security has to do with when organs of the state are allowed to take an interest in the activities of its citizens when those activities are believed to constitute a threat […]

It is natural in the wake of a catastrophic attack for people to be upset and angry and even vengeful.  Emotions are raw and there are immediate calls to “do something”.  Problems that have been around for a long time suddenly get more attention, but rather than a sober, measured response, we leap towards knee-jerk […]

I went to a football game yesterday (Canadian – not American – football – not soccer).  The local professional team, the Ottawa Red Blacks, was playing against the Hamilton Tiger Cats for the honour of going to the Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League championship, in Winnipeg next Sunday.  It was a glorious late fall […]

The debate on refugees has taken a nasty turn in Canada and the US.  Some US Republican Presidential candidates have repugnantly suggested that the country take in only Christians.  Several governors have refused to take in any refugees from Syria.  In this country, several officials, including Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, have called on the Trudeau […]