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Perspectives

Another example of ‘if I cannot be a terrorist there I’ll be one here’ – and a good day for Canadian justice

Writing as an old spy, I have despaired of late on how the Canadian justice system has dealt with national security cases, and more specifically terrorism cases. The BC loser couple John Nuttall and Amanda Korody had their jury guilty verdict overturned twice on appeal after they placed pressure cooker bombs on the grounds of […]

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Perspectives

Al Shabaab shows – again – that it is still a terrorist force to be reckoned with

The attack still unfolding as I type in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi has been claimed by the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab terrorist group. At around 3 PM local time an explosion, apparently caused by a suicide bomber, went off outside an office/hotel complex followed by the incursion of armed men into the building. Casualty […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

What now? Road terrorists?

Episode 1 – In this inaugural broadcast, former Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski looks at what we mean by terrorism and sets the stage for future podcasts.

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Perspectives

It’s OK to not like JT: it’s not OK to call for him to be killed

There is little doubt that the bloom of the Justin Trudeau rose has lost some of its lustre. The advent of the young mop-haired, baby-balancing, stripey-sock wearing son of a former Prime Minister onto the national political scene had many Canadians excited, much as they had swooned decades ago for his dad, Pierre Elliot Trudeau […]

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Perspectives

Why is alleged AQ terrorist Mahmoud Jaballah still here?

I am the grandson of eastern European migrants and am very open to further, if not increased, immigration. We Canadians rightfully see ourselves as a nation generally tolerant of immigration. Yes, there are exceptions as we are seeing now with a certain percentage of us expressing concerns over the links between immigration and terrorism (which […]

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Perspectives

Wars are stupidly easy to get into, fiendishly difficult to get out of

I am sure you have all heard the term ‘the folly of war’. There was even a book with that title written years ago by a historian named Donald E. Schmidt: The Folly of War: American Foreign Policy, 1898-2005. With this being 2018 (almost 2019) and all you would think that humans would have realised […]

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Perspectives

Doug Ford, Sikh extremism and the unhelpful political interference in threat assessments

I want to start this blog with a confession: I am not a Doug Ford fan.  Hell I am not a Ford family or a Ford Nation fan either but all that is besides the point I want to make.  The latest of Mr. Ford’s gaffes has me very worried about political interference in national […]

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Perspectives

The 2018 Public Safety Canada terrorist overview: ok, but….

I guess it is that time of year.  No, not the holiday season – the appearance of the annual Public Safety Canada terrorist threat overview!  As the Minister of Public Safety himself – Ralph Goodale – wrote, this is “part of our commitment to being open and transparent through a balanced and frank assessment of […]

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Perspectives

Canada’s response to returning terrorists: more of the same

So the Trudeau government has responded to a Parliamentary “Supply Day Motion” (NB I have NO idea what that means) dated October 23 that called on the Government of Canada to “immediately bring to justice anyone who has fought as an ISIS terrorist or participated in any terrorist activity, including those who are in Canada […]

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Perspectives

Take Omar Khadr – please!

OK, OK, I am getting fed up with hearing about the Khadr family and I am pretty sure I am not alone in this.  Canada’s #1 Al Qaeda-supporting clan has been a pain in the ass for decades and I for one just want them to go away – literally if possible.  They have become […]