#1Feb 9th, 2012
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews unveiled Canada’s first comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy Thursday, including response plans to major attacks and strategies for de-radicalizing homegrown terrorists and “lone wolf” attackers.
Toews said that Canada will be more resilient to terrorist attacks now that the sweeping, interdepartmental strategy is in place.
“The reality is that no government can guarantee it will be able to prevent all terrorist attacks all the time,” he said. “Nevertheless, Canada is committed to taking all reasonable measures to address terrorism in its many forms.”
Building Resilience Against Terrorism: Canada’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy identifies both domestic and international terrorist threats.
Sunni Islamic extremist groups such as al-Qaida /Al Shabaab remain a major threat, the strategy says, as do radicalized Canadian citizens hatching “do-it-yourself” terrorism plots.
Authorities will also be on the look-out for domestic issue-based terrorism — such as the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing or 2011 attacks in Oslo and Utoeya, Norway — authored by devotees of causes ranging from animal rights and environmentalism to white supremacy and anti-capitalism.
Toews called Canada a leader in de-radicalization, and said the Canadian Security Intelligence Agency will step up its efforts to counter homegrown terrorism in vulnerable communities, like Somali immigrants.
“Terrorism is not specific to any one religion community or ethnic group,” he said. “Preventing terrorism ideology from taking hold of vulnerable individuals is the best scenario.”
Toews said the strategy clarifies the counter-terrorism roles of various agencies such as the RCMP, CSIS, Foreign Affairs, the Canadian International Development Agency and the armed forces.
The strategy describes a number of classified government “command centres,” which will be used in response to various types of terrorist attacks.
Tories target homegrown terrorists and lone wolves
Terrorize the buggers right back. lol