Search: “national security”

The Canadian Council of Imams has announced that it intends to launch a series of deradicalisation clinics in the Greater Toronto Area this summer.  Describing the move as “proactive”, Imam Hamid Slimi noted that “nobody wants to see another Brussels or Paris” in Canada.  No, we don’t, whether we are Muslim or not. The CCI […]

First of all kudos to the Trudeau government for its recent announcement on funding for counter radicalisation and community engagement.  $35 million over five years is an excellent start and, although details are wanting, the government sees the new “Office of the Community Outreach and Counter Radicalisation Coordinator” as a leadership post for Canada’s efforts. This […]

CSIS Director Michel Coulombe appeared before the Senate National Security and Defence Committee today and stated that his organisation has used its new disruption powers over twenty times since 2015.   This measure was controversial when introduced by the former Conservative government and is still seen by some as too strong for a service that […]

I just read in the Ottawa Citizen that the brother of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Alexandre, has called on the Liberal government not to deport alleged Algerian terrorist Mohamed Harkat back to his native land. Recall that Mr. Harkat was subject to a National Security Certificate and found to be inadmissible to Canada under the […]

I see that the US has undertaken airstrikes against the Libyan “province” of Islamic State (see article here).  The initial focus seem to be tied to targeting an individual behind two attacks  in Tunisia.  It is likely that more strikes will take place and it is even possible that Canada will get involved in this […]

Do you remember when former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in an interview with the CBC, said that “Islamicism” was the greatest threat to national security?  I think we all knew what he meant – Islamist extremism – but his use of “Islamicism” was roundly criticised and led to accusations that the Conservative government viewed […]

For those who missed it, the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (CASIS) held its annual conference on Friday at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.  The CASIS conference has been around for quite some time and I remember attending 2-3 day events back in the 2000s where hundreds of participants signed up.  CASIS […]

The better we in Canada get at counter terrorism – and we’re pretty good to start – the more we will have to deal with people that get caught, sentenced to prison and possibly released.  I have already blogged on how well we do in general in this country with preventing terrorist inmates from spreading […]

Months ago I wrote a blog piece (No way to run a railroad – June 1) about the shameful decision by the former federal government to remove Hamilton lawyer, Muslim leader, and all-around-good-guy Hussein Hamdani from the Canadian Department of Public Safety-led Cross Cultural Roundtable on National Security over scurrilous allegations in a Quebec muckraker […]

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. […]