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| Great White North |
| Canadians unfamiliar with homegrown terror |
| 2006-06-06 |
| Amid unconfirmed reports that the 17 men and boys arrested in Toronto over the weekend aimed to bomb the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa and office towers in downtown Toronto, Canadians are still breathing a sigh of relief that the Mounties — along with other police and intelligence agents — appear to have got their men. But there are still fears about what threats may remain undiscovered. Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, responsible for the Canadian Intelligence and Security Service and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said there could be more arrests coming as the investigation continues. Meanwhile, Canadians are wrestling with the shock of finding an alleged terror plot on their own soil, and debating what it may mean for Canada's role in the war on terror. Michael Wilson, the Canadian ambassador to the U.S., was quick to assert that Canada is on top of its domestic security threats, and to dispute New York Senator Peter King's suggestion that there is "a disportionate number of Al-Qaeda in Canada because of their very liberal immigration laws." In fact, since most of the young men arrested were born or grew up in Canada, this appears to be a homegrown threat. Which leaves another question that Canadians are not accustomed to: why would their fellow citizens be willing to resort to acts of terror in their own country? Prime Minister Stephen Harper, echoing President Bush's past statements, said Canadians are targets "because of who we are and how we live, our society, our diversity and our values — values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law." Though Canada has not participated in the war in Iraq, some have linked the terror plot to the country's continuing military presence in Afghanistan, which has been the subject of recent heated debate. In May Parliament approved extending the Afghanistan mission by the narrowest of margins. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #4 I worked for a private security firm in the GTA for 3 years. Because it's been the easiest job to get until recently (it's basically customer service with minimal security training), many immigrants flock to this type of work initially, if they can't find a job in their field. Dude, I've seen and heard it all. I mean all. Can I put that in bold? ALL. Some of these guys I'd like to escort to the border myself, and make sure they never come back. The only sanity in that 3-year experience was that I've met some really good guys with military and police experience from abroad. Learned a lot from them. As far as the refugees, there's been news lately about families being deported, the latest is that Latin-American family, whom the judge allowed to stay until June so that the kids can finish their school year. There was that Polish family a while back. And some dude whose claim was rejected. So the system does seem to work. Admittedly, it's kinda hard to stop people from requesting refugee status once they get here through any means. At least the whole refugee shopping thing has been curtailed by the new laws. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2006-06-06 23:31 |
| #3 These guys are not coming in as immigrants, Rafael, but refugees. Immigrant do have grade scales and wherewithall. Took 10 years and 12 years respectively for immigration of UK relatives - with paperwork, money and job guarantees. It's the "refugees", without documentation or background check that get turned loose. With good bucks and all the gravy while they spin through the system for 10 or 12 years "pending appeal". Married to their old country wars all the while and snearing at the country that is stupid enough to bend to their every whim. A genuine refugee does assimilate as quickly as they can (I do ESL classes as a volunteer and meet all types). The welfare cheque and "hate the country, love the free living" crowd really stand out. |
| Posted by: Thinemp Whimble2412 2006-06-06 22:03 |
| #2 Welcome to our world. Finally - but somehow it'll be our fault. |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2006-06-06 01:06 |
| #1 "a disportionate number of Al-Qaeda in Canada because of their very liberal immigration laws." What the hell is that supposed to mean? A lot of this rhetoric is bandied about but nobody seems able to supply any specific examples of what they mean by Canadian liberal immigration policies. The problem is, the Canadian government promises a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for every qualified immigrant that they accept, but then abandons them when they arrive, thinking they will assimilate and adapt almost immediately. Some do, some don't. Those that don't, cry racism, and their kids become radicalized even though they've been brought up here. Simple as that. Stop promising the pot of gold. Give more points for evidence of entrepreneurship skills, and make them sign papers upon papers outlined in bold that they understand they are on their own once they land here. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2006-06-06 01:01 |