Homegrown Terror Unites all Canadians

June 7, 2006

There are few issues that unite Canadians, including all federal political parties, in agreement. Yet this week, partisan sparring was notably absent after 17 people were arrested in the Toronto-area, and charged with plotting large-scale terrorism attacks on Canadian soil.

The leaders of the federal opposition parties joined Prime Minister Stephen Harper in praising our national law enforcement and security agencies, including the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Agency (CSIS), for their efforts to identify and neutralize terrorism threats in Canada.

It was also agreed that Canadians must continue to work hard to ensure that the incidents in which Muslim mosques were damaged this week are not repeated. We cannot allow terrorists and their hatred to tarnish our highly-valued Canadian values of tolerance and respect.

This is not a religious issue. Muslim Canadians are equally horrified by these allegations of a terrorist plot. Radical and misguided extremists who support destruction and violence against innocent people are not representative of any religious or cultural group.

That almost all of the accused terrorists are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, including many who were born and raised in Canada, is proof that terrorism is not simply a threat restricted to ‘other’ countries.

The alleged plot included plans to open fire on crowds in public places, be-head the Prime Minister, and storm and blow-up various Canadian buildings and landmarks. Yet, we must find comfort and reassurance in knowing that our law enforcement agencies did their job and foiled any such terrorist attack.

In fact, although the alleged terrorists went so far as to purchase the necessary bomb-making materials, including three tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, police were able to replace the dangerous purchase with a harmless substance. Furthermore, Canada’s elite counter-terrorism unit, JTF-2 was standing by just minutes away as the suspected terrorists conducted ‘training camps’ at a remote Ontario location.

These alarming allegations also prove that Canada’s participation in international efforts to battle terrorism not only enhances world security but our own domestic security. As Liberal Leader Bill Graham pointed out, this includes the Canadian Forces mission to Afghanistan. Afghanistan is widely-acknowledged as a ‘training ground’ where the seeds of terrorism have long been fermented. We have a responsibility to do what we can to neutralize that threat before it continues to spread like a disease around the globe.

The Conservative budget, which was passed unanimously by all parties in the House of Commons this week, provides funding to implement a border strategy to promote the movement of low-risk trade and travellers while protecting Canadians from security threats. We’ve also invested $5.3-billion over five years to strengthen the Canadian Forces’ capacity to defend our national sovereignty and security, $19-million per year to enhance our ability to respond to catastrophes and emergencies, and $64-million to enhance Canada’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regime.

We do not need to live in fear, but Canadians must remain vigilant and refuse to give in to the hatred and mistrust that terrorists hope to ferment.

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