Terror and Canada
By the end of the article, Josh Kurlantzic is taking on one of my favorite petty concerns -- the Bush administration's inept handling of our relationship with America's closest ally and biggest trading partner, Canada. He doesn't even mention the matter of the softwood lumber tariffs.
But the beginning of the piece is about Canada's terrorism problem and it makes me wonder: How big is Canada's terrorism problem. On the one hand, all these terrorists get arrested there. On the other hand, all these terrorists get arrested there. Maybe Canada doesn't have a problem at all, maybe it has really crack law enforcement people who catch tons of terrorists.
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Comments (7)
Good point, has there ever been a successful terrorist action in Canada?
June 7, 2006 3:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
deleted double post
June 7, 2006 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
deleted, IE is really acting wierd
June 7, 2006 3:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, you did have the Quebec separatists, some of whom got pretty violent. And if I remember correctly, there have been some issues with Indian Sikh violence in the western provinces.
Other than that, I'd say Canada is nothing but a way station into the US. Terrorists come into the US via Canada, they don't usually target Canada. That might change as Canada had the NATO lead - or at least participation - in Afghanistan at one point, if I'm not mistaken.
But I'm going on memory. Try a Google and see what you come up with.
Also, it might be germane that Canada has rather less of a "melting pot" population - not to mention a far smaller population, and far smaller urban centers - than the US has. That would account for the more limited terrorism issues, as well.
June 7, 2006 3:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
The FLQ in the 1970s is about the only instance of organized terrorism directed at Canadian targets.
In 1985 some Sikh Canadians blew up (it is believed) an Air India jet flying out of Montreal. The act is believed to have been directed at the Indian government, though.
June 7, 2006 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Adding to Ryan's list means getting into areas where it's not so clear whether the label "terrorist" is exactly right. But that qualification aside, there certainly have been lots of other attempts (some successful) by armed groups to blow stuff up, and occasional somebody gets killed. So, for example, the Squamish Five and the Oka Crisis.
June 7, 2006 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
If the terrorists have been found on our Northern Border. How many terrorists have entered our Southern border?
Could it be that our government would like to secure more power after the next attack. Maybe martial law, National ID'S, to go along with no oversite wiretaps, gag orders on librarians and who knows what other civil liberties have been undermined? Or is that the goal?
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
SECURE THE BORDER NOW!
June 8, 2006 6:00 AM | Reply | Permalink