Mr. Big tactic should be allowed, especially in terrorism cases
OTTAWA—In a democracy that prides itself on the rule of law, no one in Canada is above the law, even—and especially—those charged with enforcing it, i.e. law enforcement agencies and their members. Nothing subverts the faith a society has in its legal institutions more than the belief that laws are not applied equally to all […]
Guantanamo: America’s ongoing colossal error
I think we can all agree—well except maybe some in the new Trump administration—that the US decision to use the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba to hold terrorist suspects extra-judicially was a particularly bad idea. Not only did the practice sully the U.S. image as the protector of democratic values, it also gave the very […]
Bowling alone in the White House
In a 1995 essay, Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital, political scientist Robert Putnam lamented a decline in the social interaction that is so integral to civic engagement, democracy, and a country’s fundamental cultural fabric. In the U.S. he saw people disengaging from clubs, associations, voluntary organizations, even the Boy Scouts. In his view, the […]
‘We’ve got to have Plan B’: New Brunswick MPs weather the ice storm
Waking up to a world covered in ice, New Brunswick’s MPs spent the last days of their winter break scrambling to help constituents left in the cold by a storm that knocked out power lines across the province. Without a formal role in the disaster relief effort led by the province, the MPs toured warming […]
Problems easy to identify, solutions not so much
TORONTO—We don’t need many words to describe and condemn the perpetrator of the Quebec massacre; the person who did it is a cold-blooded assassin. Killers are killers, no matter the nationality, religion, or ethnic background. No excuses, especially the ones I’ve heard mumbling from some friends such as, “I regret the killings, but they should taste […]
Jumping the gun to label an act as ‘terrorism’ serves no useful purpose
I feel for politicians and public leaders—sometimes. True, they do come out with some stupid things on occasion, but I want to give them credit for assuming the role they do. It cannot be an easy job. When it comes to terrorism, and more specifically talking about whether a specific act is one of ‘terrorism’ […]
‘This shouldn’t happen here’: MP for Quebec riding where mosque attack took place
Joël Lightbound, the Liberal MP who represents the riding of Louis-Hébert, Que.—which is home to the mosque where Sunday night’s mass shooting took place—is calling on his colleagues and Canadians to be more conscious of the growing fear and division that is taking place across the country and North America. Late Sunday evening, the news broke that a gunman had entered […]
Irredeemable terrorists create difficult dilemma
OTTAWA—The debate over what to do with terrorists is never-ending. Positions range from one extreme to another, from “kill them all” to “maybe it’s our fault they are the way they are.” I would hope that by now we have learned beyond any doubt that there is no one cause, one driver, one explanation for […]
Liberals have a long way to go to fix RCMP, criminal justice system
OTTAWA—When the Liberals were elected on Oct. 19, 2015, I like most Canadians believed that somehow things would be better. Justin Trudeau reached out to the public by offering a different vision of Canada. He promised to establish a government that would be more caring, sensitive, and compassionate. In short, he offered Canadians an olive […]
What terrorist threats will 2017 bring us?
OTTAWA—I am a glass half-full kind of guy, someone who seeks to find the positive in life. I am an optimist tinged with realism. Three decades in intelligence and 15 years in counter terrorism do tend to give one a good look at the less savoury aspects of life on this planet and as a […]
