strategy

Friday August 19, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Friday August 19, 2016 Ottawa pledges deradicalization hire despite skepticism at anti-terror effectiveness Following the fatal police shooting of would-be suicide bomber Aaron Driver, CanadaÕs Public Safety Minister says the Liberals will Òup our gameÓ in the fight against terrorism by imminently hiring a deradicalization adviser. ÒWhat the incident in Strathroy demonstrates is that this is important,Ó Ralph Goodale told reporters on Wednesday. He said the new adviser will be hired within weeks and could succeed in counter-terrorism challenges where police and intelligence services are falling short. Mr. Driver, 24, from Strathroy, Ont., was killed last week. Federal authorities had red-flagged him as an aspiring terrorist, but nothing could make him reconsider his sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. Despite a degree of monitoring, he had managed to put together an improvised bomb and a video in which he promised to shed Canadian blood for the terror group. The creation of a deradicalization adviser, who will run a $10-million-a-year office, fulfills a 2015 campaign promise by the Liberals. At the time, the party criticized the then-Conservative government for its law-and-order approach to fighting terrorism. Details are under wraps, but observers are keen to see how the approach will take shape, especially since the global track record of such initiatives is mixed. ÒThere are all kinds of these programs all over the world. EveryoneÕs got one,Ó said Phil Gurski, a former analyst at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. And yet, he added, no one has really figured out the best approach. CSIS recently canvassed outside experts for feedback on which governmentsÕ deradicalization Ð or Òcountering violent extremismÓ (CVE) Ð programs are working best. Many replied that none are known to be working particularly well. ÒSome expressed skepticism as to the relevance of CVE initiatives, highlighting

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday August 19, 2016

Ottawa pledges deradicalization hire despite skepticism at anti-terror effectiveness

Following the fatal police shooting of would-be suicide bomber Aaron Driver, Canada’s Public Safety Minister says the Liberals will “up our game” in the fight against terrorism by imminently hiring a deradicalization adviser.

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Tuesday November 17, 2015 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will "do its part" in the military fight against ISIS, but remains committed to withdrawing warplanes from the mission. During a news conference at the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, Trudeau said Friday's attacks in Paris will not prompt the government to reverse course on a plan to pull out Canada's fighter jets. Instead, Canada will step up training of local troops, he said. "I know that Canada will continue to, and be seen to be continuing to, do its part in the fight against this terrorist scourge," he said. The Liberal platform during the campaign for the recent federal election committed to end the combat mission and "refocus" on training local forces in Iraq. Trudeau said that commitment remains, but he has not set a timetable for when Canada will withdraw from the U.S.-led air combat mission. "We made a clear commitment in the campaign to stop the bombing mission by Canadian jets and replace it with a role for Canada that is still a serious military role, but leaned more towards training of local troops to be able to bring the fight directly to ISIL," he said, referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). "That's the commitment we made very clearly throughout the campaign and we have a mandate to do that." On Sunday, two of Canada's fighter jets were involved in a strike against an ISIS fighting position in Iraq, according to the Department of National Defence. The G20 leaders released a joint statement at the G20 summit, calling the attacks in Paris "an unacceptable affront to all humanity" and reaffirming solidarity in the fight against terrorism as a major priority. The statement says counterterror actions must be part of a comprehensive approach that includes fighting radicalization and recruitment, hampering terrorist movements and preventing terrorists from exploiting the internet. "The direct or ind

November 17, 2015

“What the incident in Strathroy demonstrates is that this is important,” Ralph Goodale told reporters on Wednesday. He said the new adviser will be hired within weeks and could succeed in counter-terrorism challenges where police and intelligence services are falling short.

Mr. Driver, 24, from Strathroy, Ont., was killed last week. Federal authorities had red-flagged him as an aspiring terrorist, but nothing could make him reconsider his sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. Despite a degree of monitoring, he had managed to put together an improvised bomb and a video in which he promised to shed Canadian blood for the terror group.

The creation of a deradicalization adviser, who will run a $10-million-a-year office, fulfills a 2015 campaign promise by the Liberals. At the time, the party criticized the then-Conservative government for its law-and-order approach to fighting terrorism.

Details are under wraps, but observers are keen to see how the approach will take shape, especially since the global track record of such initiatives is mixed. “There are all kinds of these programs all over the world. Everyone’s got one,” said Phil Gurski, a former analyst at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. And yet, he added, no one has really figured out the best approach.

CSIS recently canvassed outside experts for feedback on which governments’ deradicalization – or “countering violent extremism” (CVE) – programs are working best. Many replied that none are known to be working particularly well.

“Some expressed skepticism as to the relevance of CVE initiatives, highlighting the lack of supporting empirical evidence thus far to measure their effectiveness,” says a CSIS discussion paper recently published online. Other experts told CSIS such programs are only valuable “provided that their implementation is not led by governments … [because] governments are not credible messengers.”

Speaking to reporters after a speech to the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police on Wednesday, Mr. Goodale said he is mulling over who among two or three short-listed candidates will lead the government’s newest office. “We will be making the selection shortly,” he said. “That person will be directing a very important effort to up our game in Canada in terms of recognizing and understanding the process of radicalization.”

The minister said the new adviser will focus on how to nip extremism in the bud, as well as on how to unlock the psyches of hardened extremists. Mr. Driver was for years an active cheerleader of the Islamic State on Twitter. Last year, police compelled him to appear in court to swear a specialized peace bond that exists for terrorism suspects. (Source: Globe & Mail)

 

Saturday February 7, 2015

Saturday February 7, 2015Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday February 7, 2015

Radical bus boost pitched as riders left in the cold

Council will mull an ambitious 10-year strategy to expand transit even as overcrowded buses leave more riders at the curb each year.

Complaints about buses whizzing by stranded riders jumped from 174 to 250 between 2011 and 2013, The Spectator learned via a Freedom of Information request. Driver “customer service” complaints also rocketed to 503 in 2013 from 290 the previous year.

The city was on track for 200-plus complaints again based on partial 2014 data, with at least 50 of the “pass-bys” reported on routes along the B-line, including King, University and Delaware — despite a $3-million budget boost in 2011 aimed at the busy corridor.

The LRT waiting game gallery

The LRT waiting game gallery

Transit blogger Jason Nason said only a fraction of bypassed riders register a formal complaint and suggested more and longer buses are desperately needed on several routes. “I would say sarcastically the current strategy seems to be ‘do nothing’ and wait for ridership to drop, which I guess would also solve your overcrowding.”

A new 10-year transit proposal from HSR director Dave Dixon acknowledges the city needs to spend millions of dollars fixing existing “deficiencies” like pass-bys before switching gears to expand the bus network and ramp up rapid transit.

Dixon wouldn’t discuss the strategy before Friday’s budget meeting, but his presentation, posted online, says the city should raise fares, add $6 million to the transit budget, hire 50 new people and buy 25 extra buses by 2016.

Over 10 years, the bus budget could grow by $51 million, add 336 hires and 126 buses. The report outlines several reasons for urgent investment in the bus system.

Ridership in Hamilton is stalled at about 21 million and Dixon’s report says trips per person have fallen slightly since 2006 to 45, meaning the HSR has lost ground on its goal of 80-to-100 trips per person by 2025.

By comparison, municipalities like York Region, London and Brampton have spent more on transit and watched trips per person explode by double-digit percentages. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Tuesday July 24, 2012

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Tuesday July 24, 2012

Toronto police funding ‘huge victory,’ says Mayor Ford

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford declared victory after getting an assurance Monday from the province that funding would continue for a special police unit charged with addressing the root causes of violence.

Funding for the Toronto anti-violence intervention strategy (TAVIS) unit comes from the province, and Ford said Monday that Premier Dalton McGuinty committed to extending that funding on a permanent basis.

“I think that’s a huge victory for the taxpayers of Toronto,” Ford said in brief remarks after a meeting Monday afternoon with the premier and Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair that was called in the wake of a recent spate of violent gun crime in the city.

“I take Mr. McGuinty at his word. He told me straight out and no, there was no BS. I wasn’t going to sit there and listen to it,” Ford said.

“I asked for funding for TAVIS and he said, ‘Yes, we’re going to continue funding TAVIS.’ That’s what the people want. People want to live in this great city, which it is, and people want to come here and create jobs and have a safe environment to create jobs.”

Chief Blair said the funding commitment from the province will allow police to build on what TAVIS has already accomplished and to plan future deployments.

The mayor has previously disparaged youth outreach initiatives as “hug-a-thug” programs, while the premier has said a balanced approach is needed, with a need to invest in both social programs and police initiatives.

In another development, Ford will meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Toronto on Tuesday to discuss gun crime. (Source: CBC News)

 

Saturday July 21, 2012

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Saturday July 21, 2012

Rob Ford’s gun crime call-in

Mayor Rob Ford says he wants to banish everybody convicted of gun crimes from Toronto, not just immigrants.

“I don’t care if you’re white, pink, or purple, I don’t care what country you’re from, I don’t care if you’re a Canadian citizen or not. All I’m saying is, if you’re caught with a gun and convicted of a gun crime, I want you out of this city,” Ford said on NewsTalk 1010 Thursday night during an interview in which he struggled to explain himself.

Ford said on AM640 on Wednesday that he would be asking the prime minister to look at “immigration laws” in finding a way to implement his exile proposal. Though federal immigration minister Jason Kenney said on Twitter that he agreed, the cryptic comment was generally received with a mix of anger and bewilderment.

Ford called in to the NewsTalk show hosted by John Downs and Ryan Doyle to address the criticism. He said he had spoken imprecisely in the Wednesday interview and had not meant to single out immigrants.

The new interview, however, was itself perplexing, sounding at times like an Abbott and Costello routine about the federal government as Ford uncertainly attempted to explain to Downs why he mentioned immigration laws if he had not been referring to immigration. (Source: Metro News) 

 

Thursday April 24, 1997

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday April 24, 1997

Deal with national unity now: Mulroney

Brian Mulroney, who twice failed to enshrine distinct society status for Quebec in the Constitution, is warning Canada’s political leaders that they must try again or risk the breakup of the country.And the former Tory prime minister says time is running out — a constitutional deal must be concluded before the next referendum on Quebec independence, likely within three years.

Mulroney issued the wakeup call in a speech to the Canadian Club yesterday, less than two weeks before Jean Chretien is expected to call a vote, in which national unity could become the sleeper issue, despite the best efforts of the prime minister, most premiers and other party leaders to downplay it.

Although he called on federalist politicians to put aside partisanship to resolve the constitutional question, Mulroney repeatedly took veiled shots at Chretien for failing to show leadership on the issue and for lulling Canadians into a false sense of security before and after the 1995 referendum.

“In the eyes of many, constitutional reform is a tar baby and nobody wants to touch it. To do so is both unfashionable and unpopular.”

Mulroney’s call to arms was greeted by a standing ovation from the almost 1,000 well-heeled guests at the nearly soldout luncheon, who included a host of former Mulroney cabinet ministers, other prominent Tories and the cream of Toronto’s business elite.

A number of Mulroney’s allies from past constitutional fights were present, including former Grit prime minister John Turner and ex-Ontario premiers — Tory Bill Davis, Liberal David Peterson and New Democrat Bob Rae.

While Mulroney’s barbs were aimed at Chretien, he may have inadvertently hurt his successor, Tory leader Jean Charest, as well as Tory premiers Ralph Klein and Mike Harris. Both have resisted any attempt to reopen constitutional talks. Harris, in particular, has called the distinct society concept outdated and unnecessary.

Charest personally supports distinct society status for Quebec, but has had trouble getting his candidates to agree. In deference to them, Charest’s platform avoids promising to entrench distinct society in the Constitution.

Several senior Tories said privately that Mulroney was not doing Charest any favours by making such a high-profile speech just before an election, reminding Canadians of his despised past. Mulroney insisted the timing of his speech was coincidental.

Ironically, given Mulroney’s primary target, Chretien’s Liberals are likely to make the strongest commitment of any party to distinct society. Party insiders say the Liberal platform, to be unveiled during the campaign, will specifically promise to enshrine distinct society in the Constitution.

Mulroney also slammed Chretien’s so-called Plan B — spelling out the consequences of and the rules for independence through such mechanisms as seeking a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of unilateral separation.

He said it only allows for an orderly transfer of powers.

The only way to unite the country, Mulroney asserted, is to get Quebec to finally sign the Constitution.

Mulroney did not have any advice as to how constitutional recognition of Quebec can be achieved without the legally required support of Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec, whose premier, Lucien Bouchard, refuses to discuss constitutional issues. (Hamilton Spectator, A1, 4/15/1997)