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 […]
Counter-terrorism spending classified, says CAF
The Canadian Armed Forces is keeping a lid on spending plans for counter-terrorism in a report to Parliament, and has withheld not just the amount but also details on human resources involved in the program. The CAF, in an annual report tabled through the Department of National Defence, states the information is “classified” and, in […]
Secrecy happenings and transparency hopes, Ottawa needs to open up
OTTAWA—It’s a sure sign that it’s still secrecy as usual in Ottawa when Treasury Board wants six months to respond to an access request for records about Trudeau government’s transparency work. That’s before applying policy advice and Cabinet confidences to the records. But it’s far from the only example. Take the case of the request […]
Marijuana task force could assemble this spring, says Philpott
The federal ministers of Health, Justice, and Public Safety have been meeting regularly to discuss the federal government’s plans to legalize marijuana and want to have the task force announced by the spring, says Health Minister Jane Philpott. Legalizing, regulating, and restricting access to recreational marijuana is a shared initiative by the Department of Justice and Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould […]
Venting is not a military strategy
GATINEAU, QUE.—The armchair generals have been in high dudgeon lately, condemning Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his insufficiently bellicose reaction to recent terror attacks, including the tragic incident in Burkina Faso that killed six Canadians. What do these critics want? Empty bombast. When do they want it? Now! “Where is the PM when Quebec needs […]
Feds restate commitment to national oversight committee, McGuinty to play role
The government has restated its campaign commitment to create an all-party parliamentary national security oversight committee, but is so far not saying when it will introduce legislation, however, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale was in the U.K. and France to meet with foreign counterparts on security issues and the government announced Liberal MP David McGuinty […]
