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Perspectives

US ‘national security’ concerns are adversely affecting Canadian-American relations

The powers the US has on Canadian soil to ‘protect’ national security’ should make us think twice about going there. At the risk of being the nostalgic old fart in the room I am going to tell a story. When I was young, growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, my father and I would […]

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Perspectives

National Security Priorities for the Canadian Government, from ISIS Fighters to Guns

Many pundits remarked that we saw neither hide nor hair of anything related to national security or foreign policy in the platforms of any of the main parties during the election campaign.

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Perspectives

National security priorities for the Liberal minority government

Here’s what needs to be done by the Liberal minority government on the national security/public safety front.

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Perspectives

Canada’s new National Security Intelligence Review Agency gets off on the wrong foot

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 […]

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Perspectives

What the Annual CSIS Report tells us about national security and public safety

CSIS is far from perfect but it is an excellent, dedicated and professional security service. Canadians should be glad we have these people watching out for us.

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Perspectives

The People’s Party of Canada and national security

This piece appeared in The Hill Times on January 21, 2019 Third parties are an interesting bit of Canadian political history. I am not well-versed in the blood sport of politics and thus have no intention of pretending to be a pundit on these matters. What I do find intriguing, however, is how certain parties […]

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Perspectives

National security forces are damned if we do damned if we don’t when if comes to terrorism

Here we go again. It must be that time of the week to take a swipe at the RCMP, or CSIS, or CSE or (fill in the blank ___) police services. A high-profile arrest is made or an action taken and everyone is a critic over what was done, what wasn’t done, etc. Everyone suddenly […]

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Perspectives

When freedom of the press and public safety/national security intersect, the latter should win out.

So the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a Vice News reporter has to hand over to the RCMP records of his conversation with a terrorist and this is a ‘dark day for press freedom‘??  In fairness, the ones who think that are from Vice News and as they fought the original order to […]

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Perspectives

China’s repressive actions against the Uyghurs are undermining national security

This piece appeared in The Hill Times on October 22, 2018. Imagine if you will the following scenario. In the wake of two successful terrorist attacks in October 2014, in which two innocent Canadians were killed, the Harper government initiated a system of concentration camps for Muslims living in our country. Anyone caught in possession […]

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Perspectives

China’s repressive actions against the Uyghurs are undermining national security

This piece appeared in The Hill Times on October 22, 2018. Imagine if you will the following scenario. In the wake of two successful terrorist attacks in October 2014, in which two innocent Canadians were killed, the Harper government initiated a system of concentration camps for Muslims living in our country.  Anyone caught in possession […]