ARCHIVED - The Reality of Canadian National Security in 2010

The Economic Club of Canada, 80 Richmond Street West, Toronto Ontario
August 9, 2010
As delivered

As Minister of Public Safety, I have a responsibility to speak candidly about the nature of the terrorist threats facing Canadians. I also have a responsibility to engage Canadians in an open discussion about the challenges we face in continuing to enhance this country’s safety and security. As such, I’m glad to have the chance to be here today to discuss this very important subject.

As you are all likely aware, this year is the 25th anniversary of the tragic events involving Air India Flight 182. On June 23rd, 1985, 329 people were killed, mostly Canadians. On that tragic day in 1985, we witnessed what was and remains the single worst act of terrorism against Canadian citizens. The bombing of Air India Flight 182 off the coast of Ireland, a bomb planted in Canada, showed us and the rest of the world the lengths that terrorists will go to further their goals. It also demonstrated the need for strong resolve in combating terrorism.

Earlier this summer Commissioner John Major provided us with a sober appraisal of what happened in 1985, and our government remains thankful for his work as we continue to review his findings and recommendations. This sober anniversary is a strong reminder that the terrorist threat is real and that Canada is not immune. Terrorists seek to attack and destroy the very fabric of what freedom-loving countries such as Canada stand for. To accomplish their goal, they attempt to strike fear into citizens by means of death and destruction.

As I said, Canada is not immune from terrorism. Since the Air India tragedy, 24 Canadians died in the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. Canadians were also killed in terrorist attacks in Bali in 2002, and in Mumbai in 2008. Al Qaeda affiliated groups have attacked Canadian companies in Algeria and Yemen. There have been several high-profile terrorist kidnappings of Canadians. As you’re aware, Robert Fowler and Louis Guay were kidnapped in Niger in December 2008 and held hostage for more than four months. Amanda Lindhout and her Australian colleague Nigel Brennan were freed in late 2009 after being held hostage in Somalia for 15 months.

The terrorist threat has not gone away. Last Christmas we witnessed an attempt to bomb a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. The plane briefly flew over Canadian airspace during the flight. Had the bomb successfully detonated at that time, Canada may well have fallen victim to the worst terrorist event since the Air India bombing. Most recently, this past May there was an attempt to explode a bomb in Times Square, New York City.

An area of increasing concern and focus for me and Public Safety Canada is the practice of terrorist groups luring westerners to fight in foreign countries. Many of you have heard of the recruiting efforts by groups like Al Shabab, a terrorist group operating in Somalia. Al Shabab uses the Internet to encourage young men to leave their homes to engage in terrorist activities in Somalia, and then provides training for them in Somalia. Its propaganda videos are among the most violent and explicit available on line.

Also of increasing concern here in Canada is radicalization and its potential for violence. There are homegrown Islamists and other extremists here in Canada. Perhaps the best illustration of this is the Toronto 18 terrorist cell which was disrupted in 2006. Zakaria Amara, one of the leaders of the Toronto 18, planned what he called the Battle of Toronto, in which truck bombs would be detonated in the downtown area, destroying the Toronto Stock Exchange and the CSIS regional office and causing multiple deaths and injuries. They had also planned to detonate a bomb at a military base.

Among other things, the group had listened to an Internet video by Anwar al Awlaki, the radical cleric who has been connected with three of the 9/11 hijackers, with the US Army Major who killed 13 people and injured dozens of others in the shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, and as well with the individual who tried to bomb the Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day, 2009. One of the men ordered three tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, an ingredient often used in explosives. For comparison’s sake, the Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 individuals, injured another 680 people, and caused more than $650 million in damage to surrounding buildings, used about one tonne of fertilizer. Eleven of the Toronto 18 have now been convicted under the terrorism provisions of the Criminal Code.

I’d like to pause to say that, in this country, it is the right of all Canadians to hold and discuss a wide range of beliefs. That is what makes our country great, and disagreement and debate are the signs of a healthy democracy. But what we are seeing here is not about disagreement and debate. Our concern is with extremist ideologies that lead individuals to espouse or engage in violence. These individuals reject the values on which our country is based, and they must be stopped.

We also need to understand that there is a risk of violent extremism taking root in a number of communities in Canada. The speed of indoctrination and radicalization of young Canadians makes it challenging for law enforcement and intelligence agencies to keep up. One of the ways that terrorist groups radicalize individuals to violence is through the Internet. Terrorist-affiliated websites contain extremist materials and instructions on a wide range of operational techniques, from how to make explosive devices to techniques for avoiding surveillance by law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The same websites also make it easier for terrorists to communicate with one another. We are aware that there are certain websites based in Canada that support or promote terrorist violence, just as there are Canadians who are involved in the production of these sites. We saw this, for example, in the conviction of Said Namouh in late 2009 for his role in producing an Internet video warning Germany and Austria that they would target of terrorist attacks if they failed to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan. While only a small fraction of a percentage of our population is engaged in activities that pose a security threat, we need to thwart such threats before they can be carried out.

Another issue we’re increasingly having to confront is that of marine human smuggling. This is a problem that our allies, the Australians, have been dealing with for years, but one that is emerging as a concern for Canada and Canadians. The problem of human smuggling and illegal migration is a serious one, and the abuse of our immigration system is something that our government will not tolerate. There is reason to believe that a listed terrorist entity, the LTTE, may be involved in organizing and carrying out this activity. The LTTE, I remind you, is an organization that has engaged in the widespread use of suicide bombings against civilian targets in Sri Lanka and used extortion and intimidation to raise funds within the Canadian Tamil community. So while our government believes in offering protection to genuine refugees, it is imperative that we prevent supporters and members of the terrorist organization from abusing Canada’s refugee system. We believe it is essential that our border and law enforcement agencies have the physical and legal means to prevent illegal migration and human smuggling, and to identify those individuals coming to Canada who have been involved in terrorist activity or are members of a terrorist group. And we are acting to provide officials with the various tools they need to do this successfully.

So I’ve outlined some of what we’re facing. The question then becomes what are we doing about it. As Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on the 25th anniversary of the Air India bombing, the protection of its citizens is the first obligation of government. This government is committed to ensuring that Canada remains at the forefront of global efforts to counter terrorism. Effectively addressing the threats that I have described means: first, to prevent individuals from engaging in terrorism; secondly, detecting the terrorists, their capabilities, their plans, and their supporters; third, denying them the means and opportunities to pursue their threat-related activities; and lastly, responding effectively to any incident to minimize the harm done and maintain Canada’s resilience.

More specifically, preventing terrorism before it takes root means engaging individuals and groups to build a strong Canadian community, one that is resistant to extremist ideology. A significant part of this is reaching out to the most vulnerable among us. We have learned that, within many of the communities that are vulnerable to radicalization, there’s a deep distrust in the action of law enforcement and intelligence agencies. We must gain their trust and build confidence in Canadian government institutions.

One of the ways that we are doing this is through the Cross-cultural Roundtable on Security. The Roundtable engages the government and citizens who are leaders in their respective communities in a dialogue about national security matters and their impact on Canadian society. We need to do much more connecting with our communities. Working with researchers and NGOs, we need to better understand the motivations of individuals who engage in or who have the potential to engage in terrorist activities. The ideological narrative of Al Qaeda, its affiliates and those inspired by them is particularly dangerous because it feeds on individuals’ grievances and preys on their vulnerabilities. The narrative specifically targets western values and our way of life. We need to challenge that narrative. At the same time, we must systematically marginalize those who hold extremist views and who seek to continue their battles here in Canada. This means speaking out against individuals who would resort to violence to achieve their goals.

Despite our best efforts, however, we realize that we won’t always be successful. Therefore we must be able to detect terrorists, their capabilities, their plans, and their supporters. We do this through research and analysis that produce good intelligence about potential threats and that can lead to criminal investigations and prosecutions. There have been significant investments in public safety and anti-terrorism initiatives. These investments have given us a much clearer picture of the threats we face. I believe that there is also a role here for communities. Violent extremists often do not mask the views they hold. Their families, their friends, neighbours and colleagues may see the warning signs. When they do, we need their help in identifying these violent extremists before they can cause harm.

Once we have detected terrorists, we must deny them the means and opportunities to pursue their threat-related activities. This involves taking aggressive action to disrupt terrorist planning, and protecting potential targets. But it also means creating a legislative and a legal environment that makes it more difficult for terrorists to operate.

We’ve seen tangible results in the past couple of years. In addition to the successful convictions I’ve previously mentioned, in 2009 Momin Khawaja was found guilty of terrorist-related offences. Also in 2009, Mahmoud Yadegari was arrested for selling components that can be used in the enrichment of uranium to Iran, and has been recently convicted on those charges. And just a few months ago another Canadian was convicted under the Criminal Code’s terrorism financing provisions for providing financial services to the LTTE.

But Canada’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies need additional tools to support their work. I spoke earlier of terrorist groups’ extensive use of the Internet. Currently telecommunications service providers are not required to maintain intercept-capable networks. As a result, in some circumstances, even though intelligence and law enforcement authorities have been properly authorized to intercept communications, they may be prevented from doing so because not all service providers have the necessary equipment in place. This has created a serious gap in which terrorist groups and other criminals can operate free from detection. Our government, therefore, is committed to introduce legislation requiring service providers to maintain intercept capable networks.

In addition, our government has retabled two provisions of the 2001 Anti-terrorism Act: investigative hearings and recognizance with conditions, which expired in 2006. These provisions will assist law enforcement agencies in disrupting terrorist plots. They will also provide police officers with another tool to gather information about terrorist offences.

Beyond legislative initiatives such as these, denying terrorists the means and opportunities to pursue their threat-related activities means working closely with our allies, as the threat affects them as much as it does us. The Canada-US border is vitally important to the security and prosperity of both of our countries, so it’s important that we get border management right. I’ve met with US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano twice this past year, and plan to continue a regular schedule of meetings at least twice a year in the future to advance key initiatives – initiatives like the Shiprider Agreement, which integrates Canadian and American law enforcement teams along the maritime border, closing a gap that terrorists, smugglers and other criminals are exploiting.

Sadly, terrorist attacks can and do occur. It is important that Canada has the capacity to respond effectively and rapidly return to ordinary life, and we have plans in place. If a terrorist attack were to occur in Canada, our government would implement our Federal Emergency Response Plan released this past March. This plan integrates the federal government’s response with our provinces, territories, NGOs, and the private sector. It supported our planning for the 2010 Olympics and the G8 and G20 summits. Any response to an attack would also be coordinated with the United States to ensure that we respond quickly to the attack.

It is critical that we maintain the resilience of Canadian society, and that government acts to maintain public trust and confidence so that we can carry out our day-to-day lives. To strengthen our resilience, the government has developed the National Strategy and Action Plan for Critical Infrastructure, the goal of which is to harden and protect vital assets and systems such as Canada’s food supply, electricity grids, transportation, and communications systems. The National Strategy establishes a collaborative approach involving all three levels of government. It focuses on three key elements: partnerships, risk management, and information sharing and protection. The Action Plan is the blueprint for implementing this strategy.

Let me conclude with a few remarks on an issue I raised earlier. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to countering violent extremism. While threats may share some common ground, each requires an individual, tailored response. Reaching out to our youth must be a priority to make sure that they make positive decisions that lead them away from violent extremism. As well, in some cases, the activities of ordinary citizens indirectly or even inadvertently support violent extremism abroad, for example raising money for charities that are linked to violent extremist groups. Canada is not alone in facing these challenges. Many of our allies have pursued programs to counter violent extremism, with varying degrees of success. We will build on their successes.

Finally, the observations and recommendations and Commissioner Major’s report about the Air India bombing underscore the fact that we must never grow complacent. His report has added momentum to our work in many areas of national security, including countering radicalization and violent extremism, improving information sharing between departments and agencies, countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and strengthening aviation security. The Public Safety portfolio is engaged in all of these areas. But as I have stressed today, we also need partners across all levels of government and in communities throughout Canada.

Public safety and national security do not begin and end with government. Canadians need to understand this, just as they need to understand the threat environment and what they can do to better protect themselves. We believe that frank and open discussions with Canadians will strengthen their confidence in and support for counter-terrorism activities. And I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to discuss some of these activities with you today.

I want to specifically say that I was very impressed in my meetings with our American allies. I met not only with Janet Napolitano, but Eric Holder, the Attorney General, and John Brennan, the National Security Advisor for the President, and as well as a number of Senators and Representatives when I was last in Washington, D.C. a number of weeks ago. Not only are the Americans encouraged about the initiatives that we’re taking in security, it has a direct economic benefit that, as soon as you see a terrorist incident occurring or threats of a terrorist incident occurring, you see a thickening of the border immediately. We saw that at Christmas Day. And that’s something that we want to avoid, given the amount of traffic that flows both ways between our two countries, approximately $1.6 billion a day in trade every day. And so security is not only about preserving our personal safety, but also the integrity of our economy and our economic system. So I want to thank you for having me here. I want to thank our allies, the Americans, who have worked very closely together with us, as well as other allies who are instrumental in our fight against terrorism.

Thank you very much.

Date modified:

2015-11-24