The Media gets this one right
July 11 2005

Churchill’s description of appeasement -hoping ‘that the crocodile eats you last’ - describes well Canada’s view of radical Islam and Islamic violence and terror. It capsulates the morbidly naïve view that most Canadians have of the world and what is at stake, as Islam continues it 1500 year jihad against the West. Most Canadians believe, incorrectly of course, that they are nicer, better, more worldly and sophisticated, encased in their Post Modern Liberal bubble and therefore immune from terror. Wrong. Such myopia finds expression in attitudes that ‘it can’t happen here’, or ‘that the world loves us’. Canada is #4 on Al Qaeda’s hit list. There is no doubt that the nation is at risk – porous borders, bad domestic security, and immigration and refugee systems in chaos, all pose vital threats.

The media are now reporting the risks attendant in the blasé Canadian attitude towards terror. They are widely processing what Public safety Minister Ann McClelland said, that even though there was no specific threat against Canada, that doesn't mean the country is not at risk. "We have never said that we are not at threat because in fact, we're one of five nations that were named by al Qaeda and therefore that is why we take these kinds of events very, very seriously." Good. This is a start but the media and politicians need to do a lot more to educate the public as to what is going on. In fact as the media is now starting to report there are 50 active terrorist groups in Canada. These need to be destroyed and radical agents in Canada incarcerated, deported or killed.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, has repeatedly said that terrorist representatives throughout Canada, are actively raising money, procuring weapons, manipulating immigrant communities and facilitating travel to and from the United States and other countries. Besides al-Qaida, those groups include Islamic Jihad; Hezbollah and other Shiite groups; Hamas, the Palestinian Force 17, Egyptian Al Jihad and various other Sunni groups from across the Middle East. According to CSIS the Irish Republican Army, Tamil Tigers and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and major Sikh terrorist groups have supporters in Canada. Such militant cell networks can be activated with little warning.

Canada has its equivalent of the US’ Patriot Act – called the Anti-Terrorism Act -- yet only one man has been arrested under the act: a Mohammad Momin Khawaja. Born in Canada to Pakistani immigrants, Khawaja was arrested in March 2004 on suspicion of participating in and facilitating terrorist activities in London and Ottawa, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Criminals like Khawaja, 26, are representative of the type of recruits al-Qaida is after, CSIS said in a report recently made public by the Toronto Star. "There is a direct threat to Canada and Canadian interests from al-Qaida and related groups," CSIS said. "Converts are highly prized by terrorist groups for their familiarity with the West and relative ease at moving through Western society." Indeed through bad immigration and refugee systems we have created the 5th column. For example it is no secret that the 100.000 or so Muslims not working in Toronto and enjoying the welfare system pose security risks. Who knows what these people are doing here and where their welfare funds go. There is simply no reason to have such a huge concentration of unemployed Muslims in a Western city. You are courting disaster.

Canada’s security, immigration and military services are still, regardless of political rhetoric, in need of drastic reform. Canada has spent about $6.5 billion on increased border security since 2001, but massive gaps remain in our defenses. [see Weak on Domestic Terror Security ] In fact The Canadian border is only monitored by 23 enforcement teams, consisting of officers of the 4,500-member Canada Border Services Agency, supplemented by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and local police departments. This means however that only only one unarmed guard staffs most of Canada’s 160 land and maritime border crossings. Many stretches between entry points go unmanned. This combined with lax immigration and refugee systems makes Canada a ridiculously easy nation to penetrate.

According to the Mackenzie Institute a defense and security research firm, 70,000 unserved warrants were issued for refugee claimants between 1999-2000. "People who know they'll be deported simply drop off the radar screen," John Thompson President of the Institute has said. For example Thompson cites a well-known terrorist, Issa Mohammad who has been living in Canada for 19 years. He came to Canada as a refugee. "We've been trying to get him out for 19 years. He's the poster child for what's wrong with this system." Thompson said Canada should be able to rapidly expedite deportation of known criminals and terrorists.

Such is the state of affairs in Canada. More attention is paid in this country, to preserving socialized health care, forcing people to pay over-taxation or pursuing parking offenders, then there is in reforming our domestic security, military, immigration and refugee systems.

It remains to be seen what will happen after a terror attack in Canada. Will the Canadians respond like the Americans or British, and take up arms and action, or will they run and appease like the Spanish ? It will be interesting to see what the reaction is.

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