Could Brussels happen in Canada?
OTTAWA—In the wake of the horrendous attacks in Brussels, there has been a cascade of stories, op-ed pieces, and analyses of the event, ranging from why Belgian security services did not prevent it to whether more are on their way. Political scientists, sociologists, and even a few former spies have weighed in, and the verdict […]
Hackers without borders: Canada needs a plan
In February, the United States government announced its first chief information security officer, as well as a Cybersecurity National Action Plan. In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre issued joint statements warning industry and the public at large about the latest surge in ransomware attacks: Locky and […]
Regulating cannabis must be done properly
VICTORIA, B.C.—The idea of legalizing and regulating cannabis was pretty radical until about two years ago. To say that it was counter-intuitive is almost an understatement. How on earth is legalization any way to make our streets safer? It just did not make any sense to many people, especially politicians. Thankfully, with repeated logic, facts […]
Goodale to consult MPs, Senators in closed-door meeting on anti-terror law
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and his departmental officials are planning on holding a closed-door technical briefing and consultative meeting with MPs and Senators, in the coming days, to receive feedback on how to improve the Stephen Harper government’s so-called anti-terror legislation, C-51, that Parliament passed last year. “We will take into consideration every recommendation […]
Canada can reverse city fragility around the world
Port-au-Prince is a city on the edge. Six years after a devastating earthquake shattered the capital and left tens of thousands dead, the city is still in partial ruins. There are signs of progress in the city of roughly 2.2 million—newly constructed roads, hotels, and government buildings—but the recovery progress has been painfully slow. And rather […]
Talk of Islamophobia obscures the real challenge of terrorism
The Western world was shaken on March 22 with news of a triple-bombing in Brussels, the seat of European democracy and pluralism. Our grief at the realization that ISIS has once again murdered innocents on European soil should force Canadians to assess our own policies to counter terrorism, particularly our approach to counter-radicalization. Regrettably, many […]
How to mourn friends and reassure people: A minister’s disaster handbook
Bureaucrats have prepped Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale on how to talk to the public after tragedies, even prescribing “no comment” responses to hypothetical scenarios, according to ministerial briefing books. When they take office, Canada’s public safety ministers are offered a “ministerial handbook for responding to events.” The Hill Times obtained the most recent copy […]
No-fly lists remain point of contention among civil liberties advocates
Civil liberties’ watchers say the government should be transparent with the rules around its no-fly list, while national security experts say that many proper checks and balances are there already. “It seems to me that the rationale for the no-fly list shifted with Bill C-51,” said Colin Bennett, a professor of political science at the […]
Federal funds for light rail projects, maybe
In 1974, minister of transport Jean Marchand opined that “Canada’s national transportation policy is a mess.” Forty years later, it is not apparent that we have more or less of a national transportation policy mess, but media sources, professional communications, and municipal government documents are clear that transportation in Canada’s urban regions is in need […]
RCMP incident creates stir in downtown Ottawa
Ever since Michael Zehaf-Bibeau’s shooting rampage on Parliament Hill and at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Oct. 22, 2014 that left reservist Cpl. Nathan Cirillo dead and most of the city in lockdown, those of us working near the Hill get a little nervous whenever we see scores of police officers, police cars and […]
