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Perspectives

The good, the bad and the ugly – part one

I’m no fan of spaghetti westerns and the 1966 film starring Clint Eastwood among others has nothing to do with terrorism.  It’s just that I can think of no better phrase to describe the interim report issued by the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence on countering the terrorist threat in Canada (see the […]

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Perspectives

Losing faith

In a recent video appearance before the Canadian national security and defence committee, charged with preparing a report on threats to national security, former Muslim Ayaan Hirsi Ali warned the Canadian government that “you should be looking out for the sprouting of mosques and Islamic centres. You should be looking out for the establishment of Islamic schools […]

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Perspectives

Not a Sunni proposition

I have already talked a bit about the Sunni-Shia split in an earlier piece (Brothers at Arms).  Today’s thoughts are along a different pathway. When I worked in the intelligence world and looked at violent radicalization, the focus was entirely on Sunnis, not Shia.  Of course, there were other kinds of violence to worry about […]

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Perspectives

No way to run a railroad

The Canadian government has been in the counter terrorism (or countering violent extremism – CVE – as it is now known) for a long time.  In addition to the hard response (CSIS, RCMP…) there is the softer approach.  The latter involves engaging with Canadians and communities to talk about difficult issues like terrorism and radicalization. […]

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Perspectives

And justice for all

What should Canadians make of Adil Charkaoui?  I’d be surprised if you haven’t heard of him.

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Perspectives

It Is Time to Share Intelligence More Widely in Canada

This piece first appeared in The Epoch Times Canada on February 28, 2025. Elections in democracies have been quite the focus over the last couple of years. In 2024, for instance, almost half the planet went to the polls in 64 nations. Not all of these were free and fair, but this was a special […]

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Perspectives

Can Canada and its allies still trust the US with intelligence?  In a word, no

Intelligence alliances are not the run-of-the-mill ventures.  When it comes to sensitive information, be that signals (SIGINT), human (HUMINT) or imagery (IMINT), the sources and methods used dictate care in how and with whom this data is shared.  If protocols and security guarantees are not in place this information can go missing, go where it […]

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Perspectives

New Orleans Attack Signifies That Groups Like ISIS and Al-Qaeda Are Still Very Much a Threat

This piece first appeared in The Epoch Times Canada on January 6, 2025. For many around the world, the transition from one year to another is something to celebrate. We usually engage in reviews of the previous 365 days, make resolutions for the next, and party with our friends or attend events to ring in […]

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Perspectives

The Threat of China’s Secret Police Stations on Our Soil

This piece appeared in The Epoch Times Canada on December 21, 2024. When you think of a local police station—not the headquarters building but a smaller neighbourhood branch—what comes to mind? Likely a few things: a sense of security that the police are nearby if trouble brews, a place to touch base with law enforcement […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

The terrorists’ who’s who in Africa

Episode 256 – Why is Africa rife with jihadi groups? Last year the Global Terrorism Index for the first time put an African nation, Burkina Faso, at the top of its list of terrorist attacks. A phenomenon most associate with the Middle East (and West Asia: think Pakistan and Afghanistan) is now increasingly dominated by […]