Canadians complacent about future terrorist attacks, former cabinet ministers say

Former cabinet ministers in Jean Chretien's government, who served in the months following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, say Canadians may be too complacent about a potential attack in this country.

In an interview with Postmedia News, former foreign affairs minister John Manley, who was charged with chairing the cabinet committee to devise anti-terrorism measures, said with the passage of time, too many Canadians have dropped their guard.

"There still tends to be a degree of complacency or naiveté on the part of Canadians that this is really not our problem. I think we continue to be a little bit too complacent," said Manley, who is now president of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.

"The primary role of government, before everything else, is to enable its people to live in a secure environment. But if you can't have the ability to walk safely or be secure in your home, then we may as well be living in the jungle."

Former justice minister Anne McLellan holds similar concerns.

"I think overall, Canadians think we are the good guys and, 'Who would want to hurt us? We are not like the United States'," she said.

"That psychological distancing, while I understand why people do it — to give themselves a sense of comfort or reassurance — is dangerous in the world in which we live."

Billions of dollars have been invested in security measures, more information-sharing with allies and tighter controls on the movement of passengers, cargo and vehicles since Sept. 11, 2001 but threats still exist.

While Canada has been successful in evading a major attack from foreign terrorists, Brian Bow, associate professor of political science at Dalhousie University, says it's the potential threats from within that Canadians still need to be concerned about.

"While many new barriers have been built against terrorist attacks, these improvements have been partially offset by new waves of radicalization in the Middle East, Central Asia and elsewhere, including here in the U.S. and Canada," he told iPolitics.

Bow said home-grown terrorists such as unaffiliated small groups or individuals present the most "troubling gap" in anti-terror defences.

Canadian intelligence agencies have a strong record of stopping these threats before they are realized to date, he said, pointing to the case of the Toronto 18 group. But no one should assume they will always be so successful.

"The home-grown threat is one that can never be entirely resolved," says Bow. "It can only be managed more or less effectively, given the resources available."

(CP Photo)