The threat of homegrown terrorism arising from Calgary and elsewhere points to the need to boost police powers in Canada, Conservative cabinet minister Jason Kenney said Friday.
RCMP have charged five individuals — including three from Calgary — with passport fraud as part of efforts to intervene with young Canadians they suspect have becoming radicalized into violent extremism and are preparing to go abroad to fight in the Middle East.
Another Calgary man who had converted to Islam was killed fighting in Syria in December or January for the Islamic State terrorist group.
And police have indicated Parliament Hill shooter Michael Zehaf-Bibeau — another radicalized convert to Islam — spent some time in Alberta before his rampage, although the extent of his time in the province is unclear.
“It’s a concern right across Canada, not just in Calgary. We’ve said all along we have to take seriously the national security threats facing Canada,” said Kenney, the Tory government’s political minister for southern Alberta.
The Calgary Southeast MP said the government has already renewed its anti-terrorism act and introduced new measures allowing it to cancel or deny passports and revoke citizenship of convicted terrorists.
It has also just introduced legislation — Bill C-44 — to boost the powers of Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), including allowing it to monitor terrorists abroad.
The Harper government is looking hard at “further amendments to give the police the necessary tools to monitor and where necessary detain people who may have the intent of committing terrorist acts,” said Kenney, Canada’s employment minister and minister for multiculturalism.
“Obviously anything we do will fully respect civil liberties, but I think the most important civil liberty is to live in a safe society,” he said.
Beyond enhancing police monitoring and detention powers, Kenney said the government needs to look at what it can do to “interrupt” online incitement and recruitment efforts “that are leading to radicalization.”
Ottawa’s intent to broaden police powers has raised concerns among the federal and provincial information and privacy commissioners, including Alberta’s Jill Clayton.
In a joint statement released Wednesday, the commissioners said the coming months will be crucial in determining not only that Canada remains safe, “but also that our fundamental rights and freedoms are upheld.”
“Security is essential to maintaining our democratic rights. At the same time, the response to such events must be measured and proportionate, and crafted so as to preserve our democratic values,” they wrote.
The statement came the day before the National Post reported on the five Canadians who were prevented from flying and charged with passport fraud. Three Calgarians - Ali Abubaker, Naomi Mahdere and Hamza Omer - were arrested on Nov. 14, 2013, a day after trying to leave on a one-way flight to London, England. All of them were charged with passport fraud.
According to court documents, Mahdere’s mother had contacted the RCMP on Oct. 28, 2013 with concerns that Abubaker and Mahdere were planning to travel to Syria, an allegation Mahdere herself denied. Abubaker, Omer and Mahdere said they were travelling to London to “meet other young Muslims in the UK and make new spiritual connections,” the documents state, and had no plans to fight in Syria.
On Thursday, Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis said he has met with Calgary police Chief Rick Hanson to discuss homegrown extremism and the province will work with the federal government on the issue.
Greater police powers are “definitely on the table,” Denis told reporters.
But Denis said he also wants to see greater engagement with the Muslim community.
“These are peaceful people, there are some radicals in their groups and they want to help their youth from Day 1 move away from these types of influences,” said the justice minister.
NDP MP Linda Duncan — Alberta’s lone member of the official Opposition — said she’s concerned about “increasingly repressive, intrusive measures” from the federal government’s anti-terrorism efforts.
Duncan said she wanted to see a greater focus from Ottawa on trying to prevent radicalization before it happens.
“This is where we need to be majorly beefing up,” the Edmonton-Strathcona MP said in an interview.
In Calgary, Deputy police Chief Trevor Daroux said those efforts are already taking place.
He compared the path to radicalism to the path towards gang life and said youth who lack a sense of belonging, have addictions or struggle with mental health issues are often the most at risk of being exploited by radicalized groups.
“That’s why we’re working closely with the schools and we’re working closely with various community organizations as well (to find out) those precursors to being vulnerable, and then providing support and resources around that,” Daroux said.
Original Article
Source: canada.com/
Author: JAMES WOOD
RCMP have charged five individuals — including three from Calgary — with passport fraud as part of efforts to intervene with young Canadians they suspect have becoming radicalized into violent extremism and are preparing to go abroad to fight in the Middle East.
Another Calgary man who had converted to Islam was killed fighting in Syria in December or January for the Islamic State terrorist group.
And police have indicated Parliament Hill shooter Michael Zehaf-Bibeau — another radicalized convert to Islam — spent some time in Alberta before his rampage, although the extent of his time in the province is unclear.
“It’s a concern right across Canada, not just in Calgary. We’ve said all along we have to take seriously the national security threats facing Canada,” said Kenney, the Tory government’s political minister for southern Alberta.
The Calgary Southeast MP said the government has already renewed its anti-terrorism act and introduced new measures allowing it to cancel or deny passports and revoke citizenship of convicted terrorists.
It has also just introduced legislation — Bill C-44 — to boost the powers of Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), including allowing it to monitor terrorists abroad.
The Harper government is looking hard at “further amendments to give the police the necessary tools to monitor and where necessary detain people who may have the intent of committing terrorist acts,” said Kenney, Canada’s employment minister and minister for multiculturalism.
“Obviously anything we do will fully respect civil liberties, but I think the most important civil liberty is to live in a safe society,” he said.
Beyond enhancing police monitoring and detention powers, Kenney said the government needs to look at what it can do to “interrupt” online incitement and recruitment efforts “that are leading to radicalization.”
Ottawa’s intent to broaden police powers has raised concerns among the federal and provincial information and privacy commissioners, including Alberta’s Jill Clayton.
In a joint statement released Wednesday, the commissioners said the coming months will be crucial in determining not only that Canada remains safe, “but also that our fundamental rights and freedoms are upheld.”
“Security is essential to maintaining our democratic rights. At the same time, the response to such events must be measured and proportionate, and crafted so as to preserve our democratic values,” they wrote.
The statement came the day before the National Post reported on the five Canadians who were prevented from flying and charged with passport fraud. Three Calgarians - Ali Abubaker, Naomi Mahdere and Hamza Omer - were arrested on Nov. 14, 2013, a day after trying to leave on a one-way flight to London, England. All of them were charged with passport fraud.
According to court documents, Mahdere’s mother had contacted the RCMP on Oct. 28, 2013 with concerns that Abubaker and Mahdere were planning to travel to Syria, an allegation Mahdere herself denied. Abubaker, Omer and Mahdere said they were travelling to London to “meet other young Muslims in the UK and make new spiritual connections,” the documents state, and had no plans to fight in Syria.
On Thursday, Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis said he has met with Calgary police Chief Rick Hanson to discuss homegrown extremism and the province will work with the federal government on the issue.
Greater police powers are “definitely on the table,” Denis told reporters.
But Denis said he also wants to see greater engagement with the Muslim community.
“These are peaceful people, there are some radicals in their groups and they want to help their youth from Day 1 move away from these types of influences,” said the justice minister.
NDP MP Linda Duncan — Alberta’s lone member of the official Opposition — said she’s concerned about “increasingly repressive, intrusive measures” from the federal government’s anti-terrorism efforts.
Duncan said she wanted to see a greater focus from Ottawa on trying to prevent radicalization before it happens.
“This is where we need to be majorly beefing up,” the Edmonton-Strathcona MP said in an interview.
In Calgary, Deputy police Chief Trevor Daroux said those efforts are already taking place.
He compared the path to radicalism to the path towards gang life and said youth who lack a sense of belonging, have addictions or struggle with mental health issues are often the most at risk of being exploited by radicalized groups.
“That’s why we’re working closely with the schools and we’re working closely with various community organizations as well (to find out) those precursors to being vulnerable, and then providing support and resources around that,” Daroux said.
Original Article
Source: canada.com/
Author: JAMES WOOD
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