Countering Radicalization to Violence
Background
The Government of Canada’s domestic efforts to counter radicalization to violence (CRV) are led by Public Safety Canada (PS) through the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence (Canada Centre). Radicalization to violence refers to processes by which individuals and groups adopt an ideology and/or belief system that justifies the use of violence in order to advance their cause. Activities include policy guidance on CRV; funding, planning and coordinating research on CRV issues; and targeted programming to support initiatives that aim to prevent and counter radicalization to violence in Canada.
In December 2018, the Canada Centre released the National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence (National Strategy), which identifies three priorities: (1) building, sharing and using knowledge; (2) addressing radicalization to violence in the online space; and (3) supporting interventions. The Canada Centre supports these areas of work through the Community Resilience Fund (CRF), which provides funding for research and programming across Canada directed at CRV.
Status
Violent Extremist and Terrorist Use of the Internet (VETUI)
The Canada Centre is leading federal efforts to address VETUI. Activities include policy guidance; engaging with digital industry through the GIFCT (Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, established in 2017 by Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft); and, participating in multilateral efforts including the G7, G20, Five Country Ministerial, and the Christchurch Call to Action. Through these initiatives, the Canada Centre is helping to improve the evidence base of online harm and effective prevention (e.g. content moderation); crisis protocols during emergency situations involving viral online content; support for small and emerging technology companies to counter VETUI; and, information-sharing between digital industry and the security and intelligence community, among other priorities.
Interventions
The Canada Centre provides support to intervention programs aimed at CRV. Through the CRF, the Canada Centre supports multiple organizations that help coordinate local-level interventions in major urban centres. Most interventions are led by health or social service professionals who address the needs, risks, and vulnerabilities of the individual to steer them away from violent extremism. Some programs focus their interventions with individuals who are in the initial stages of radicalization, while other programs can also intervene with individuals who have already radicalized towards violence, such as those who have been incarcerated for terrorism offences or have travelled abroad to join a terrorist group.
Hate Crimes and Incidents and Violent Extremism
The Canada Centre’s approach to prevention includes better understanding and addressing hate-motivated forms of terrorism and violent extremism. The Canada Centre was made a supporting partner for the new Anti-Racism Strategy, led by Canadian Heritage, and is receiving $0.9 million over the next three years to expand efforts in areas such as improving reporting of hate incidents, training and education, public awareness, research about online dynamics, and support for new pilots/programs.
Considerations
Violent Extremist and Terrorist Use of the Internet
The Canada Centre’s work is connected to broader Government of Canada efforts to address online harms, such as child sexual exploitation and abuse and hostile state activity.
Important considerations for options to address VETUI include lessons from recent international efforts to combat online harms, which include the introduction of legislation against VETUI in and efforts to regulate online platforms. Digital industry has also increased voluntary efforts to address VETUI, though increased collaboration with civil society and governments, and notably through a re-launch of the GIFCT as an independent, dedicated initiative with more resources to address issues like crisis response, transparency, and support for small companies.
Interventions
The Canada Centre is involved in a number of initiatives related to interventions, including identifying and supporting the needs of frontline practitioners on issues such as risk assessment and case management. The Canada Centre is also collaborating with programs to address challenges such as information sharing and referring cases between sectors, which can be difficult given different mandates, privacy requirements, professional requirements (e.g. informed consent), and perceptions of risk/harm. Further, the Canada Centre is working with international counterparts, as well as local programs and researchers in Canada, to develop more effective ways to gather data to help identify trends, gaps, and training needs, while protecting personal information and practitioner/client privilege.
Next Steps
The Canada Centre is focused on advancing the three priorities of the National Strategy and addressing VETUI and broader online harms will be a key priority file moving forward. In addition, as the Canada Centre moves from the development phase to considering its expertise as the result of initiatives funded under the CRF and through domestic and international partnerships, it will increasingly focus on helping to solve key challenges for CRV in Canada and sharing knowledge with key stakeholders.
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