Secrecy in security may be frustrating, but it’s necessary
OTTAWA—The public has a complicated relationship with intelligence agencies. On the one hand, we love to watch James Bond and Jason Bourne films, despite the way these stories have very little, if anything, to do with how things really happen. On the other hand, we get frustrated because these agencies, in real life, tell us so […]
What threat do returning foreign fighters pose?
OTTAWA—As we still reel from the foiled terrorist attack this month in Strathroy, Ont., we can still rest assured that attacks, successful or not, remain a rarity in Canada. In the period since 9-11, we have had no more than eight of such incidents: on average one every two years. When we compare our experiences […]
Promised changes to immigration detainee system long overdue
The Liberal government appears poised to make substantial improvements to the country’s oft-maligned immigration detainee system. They’re a long time coming. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced Monday that the federal government would invest up to $138 million in hopes of creating a “better, fairer immigration detention system for the humane and dignified treatment of individuals” that […]
Liberals accused of playing politics with national security as they consult on changes to Bill C-51
The Trudeau government is stalling on introducing promised reforms to controversial anti-terror legislation because it sees the value of the new law, says a former Conservative cabinet minister. The Anti-terrorism Act, also known as Bill C-51, offers helpful new tools for authorities combatting the ever-evolving extremist threat, said Erin O’Toole (Durham, Ont.), who now serves as the Conservative critic for public […]
Should the media publish photos of terrorists?
Media have one important job to do: report the news. Sometimes they also bring in people to help us understand the news and speculate on what it means. At times, outside experts contribute much-needed analysis and insight, and at others they provide little of value to the issue at hand. In reporting the news there […]
‘Just lock them up’ is not a solution to terrorism
OTTAWA—Another attack has hit France—this one is particularly heinous, the murder of an 85-year old priest—and the critics are out in full force, all of whom know what is wrong with France and what the French should do about it. I certainly would not want to be French President François Hollande or Prime Minister Manuel […]
Divert military resources from offensive action to emergency preparedness
Re: “Liberals promise plan to bolster emergency preparedness as extreme weather events surge” (The Hill Times, July 20, online). Sadly, since the world has been fiddling while Rome burns, bolstering emergency preparedness is now vital. Ironically, the military contributes greatly to carbon emissions that cause climate instability and therefore create further risk-multipliers around the world. […]
It takes a village to raise a terrorist, and a village to stop one
In 1996, then-first lady Hillary Clinton published a book, It Takes a Village, which was essentially a tome on how to raise children. The main argument centred on the notion that everyone has to contribute to the shaping of productive, well-adjusted citizens, and was a bit of a call to an earlier age where this […]
The perils of ‘instant analysis’ after violent attacks
Today (July 22) marks the fifth anniversary of one of the darkest days in Norway’s history. Anders Behring Breivik set off bombs outside a government complex in Oslo, killing eight people, and then traveled to an island called Utoya, where a young person’s political function was occurring, and massacred 69 people. Today also marks the […]
Why France—again?
The horror of what happened in Nice compounds the horror of what happened in Paris in January and November 2015. These large-scale attacks got a lot of attention, but there were also some smaller ones like the killing of a police officer and his wife and an attempt to blow up a gas plant that […]
