Violent extremism, whether it is religiously, politically, or ideologically motivated, has continued to represent a significant threat to the safety and wellbeing of Canadians. It is important to understand that extremism can stem from a range of motivations and personal grievances, driven by hatred and fear, and includes a complex range of threat actors. The persistent threats of extremist violence and terrorist violence are key priorities for both policing and public safety stakeholders, but the public also has a role to play in countering this kind of extremism.
Preventing mass violence should be a conversation that Canadians are having with one another because a recent wave of hate crimes targeting Jewish-Canadians across Canada has included gun shots fired at Jewish centers for worship and teaching. What has transpired across Canada with these hate-related crimes has resulted in more resources being allocated to monitor for hate-motivated crimes and to prevent mass violence. But before radicalized individuals come to the attention of the authorities, ordinary people are often the first to identify that something is off about someone—if they know the signs to look out for.
Who’s responsible for Canada’s anti-terrorism efforts?
A lot of responsibility for counterterrorism efforts falls on the plate of two key stakeholders: the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS). Then there is Canada’s Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre (ITAC), an independent federal organization tasked with assessing threats of terrorism to Canada and Canadian interests abroad.
The RCMP confirmed that they were aware of the rise of hate-motivated crime and incidents across the country and had two key operational priorities, one of them being protecting national security, where the greatest threat to Canada’s national security was the threat of terrorist criminal activity. Despite the RCMP noting they were actively seeking out any forms of intimidation, harassment, or harmful targeting of communities or individuals in Canada and actively monitoring potential threats, they recognized that the public is also an important partner in countering extremism. Reporting signs of hate-motivated incidents no matter how minor they seemed are important steps that could help with crime prevention efforts in various communities and also help to identify trends and prevent violence. If the reporting occurs early enough, it may help prevent violence and individuals from participating in criminal activities that lead towards violent behavior.
Contacting the CSIS, they highlighted that violent extremism and terrorist violence, whether it was religiously, politically or ideologically motivated, continued to represent a significant threat to public safety, and something they took seriously. The CSIS is involved in ongoing efforts to educate and engage different communities and their leaders about these threats, including through different publications and any other efforts different communities required.
The CSIS focuses on any persistent threats of violent extremism, in Canada and abroad, to protect Canada at-large. Those efforts, like the efforts of the RCMP, involve collaborating with security intelligence and law enforcement partners to investigate and counter extremist activities, often through the ITAC.
The ITAC is the only federal organization responsible for assessing and recommending the National Terrorism Threat Level, used by the Canadian government and law enforcement agencies to mitigate the potential effects of terrorism incidents in Canada and abroad. Although ITAC is subject to the CSIS Act, the organization is independent of CSIS and is accountable to the National Security Advisor instead of the Director of CSIS. The ITAC is responsible for analyzing and assessing terrorism threats to Canadians and Canadian interests at home and abroad, by pulling information from both domestic and international partners.
The ITAC has a long list of domestic partners including the Canadian Armed Forces, Canada Border Services Agency, Canada Revenue Agency, CSIS, Communications Security Establishment, Department of National Defence, Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, Global Affairs Canada, Privy Council Office, Public Safety Canada, and the RCMP. ITAC’s international partners include the Australia National Threat Assessment Centre, New Zealand Combined Threat Assessment Group, US National Counterterrorism Center, and UK Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre. Potential threats are continuously being monitored by Canada’s intelligence, security and law enforcement agencies, with robust measures in place to address them.
Both the RCMP and CSIS highlighted the importance of being able to understand that extremism occurred on a spectrum of motivation and personal grievances, driven by hatred and fear, including a complex range of threat actors. The internet is a key place that extremists often turn to, in an attempt to create a culture of fear, hatred, and mistrust by leveraging an online audience to legitimize their beliefs and move from the fringes of society to the mainstream. Although they indicated only a small number of Canadians are actually willing to engage in serious acts of violence, the impact of such actions have the potential to be devasting, and Canada is not immune to acts of violent extremism.
Canada’s terrorism threat level is currently at medium and has remained unchanged since October 2014. This is largely due to Canada’s security and intelligence agencies working closely together to protect Canadians, including by sharing information where necessary and with respect to Canada’s privacy legislation. However, some of Canada’s international partners have been critical of Canada’s privacy policies and have described them as complicating the process of counterterrorism-related intelligence sharing, and that is where things get interesting.
The US State Department on Canada’s Anti-Terrorism
One look at the US State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism in their Country Reports on Terrorism in 2022 for Canada is likely to confuse readers because of how Canada’s closest neighbor views Canada’s privacy policies. Under the “Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security”, the State Department writes, “Canada’s strict privacy policies continued to complicate counterterrorism-related intelligence sharing within Canada, and between Canada and other countries.”
What is important to know about the sharing of information by federal government institutions, including for national security purposes, is that the process is governed by Canada’s existing legal framework, which includes the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Privacy Act. However, all federal government institutions that have a national security mandate or responsibility are required to share information in the interest of national security.
Another important piece of legislation that enables national security information sharing is the Security of Canada Information Disclosure Act (SCIDA), which replaced the Security of Canada Information Sharing Act as part of former Bill C-59 (National Security Act, 2017). The SCIDA improved the scope and control of information being disclosed and ensures that national security-related information is disclosed in an effective and responsible manner between federal institutions. It also imposes obligations and controls on federal institutions disclosing information.
Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions, and Intergovernmental Affairs maintains regular contact with their US and Five Eye counterparts and convenes with them at annual forums, such as the Five Country Ministerial. Thus, the fight against violent extremism is an ongoing priority, as well as identifying and addressing violent extremist activity while continuing to protect privacy, civil rights, civil liberties, and human rights.
Overall, there were differences between the level of privacy that those living in Canada were afforded in comparison to those living in the US, but those differences between Canada and the US are said to not restrict cooperation efforts. Canada’s strong privacy laws do not prevent the RCMP and CSIS from having strong relationships with Canada’s security and intelligence community and law enforcement agencies around the world. Both have worked closely with Five Eyes partners to respond to and maintain situational awareness of all threats to national security.
Concerning Behaviors
The FBI’s list of concerning behaviors to keep an eye out for may be the most comprehensive list that is available to the public. The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) has launched a Prevent Mass Violence campaign urging people to take notice when their friends, family, classmates, or coworkers show concerning signs that they may be on a “pathway to violence”. According to the FBI, the signs that someone is on a “pathway to violence” are often ignored or dismissed because they are not recognized as potentially dangerous, or observers will directly confront the person they are concerned about, believing that alone will be enough to defuse concerning behaviors.
Knowing what to keep an eye out for when it comes to concerning behaviors is one way that mass violence can be prevented because the signs of potential attacks often get dismissed or overlooked. Some of the behaviors identified by the BAU include:
- comments, jokes, or threats about violent plans
- repeated or detailed fantasies about violence
- comments about hurting themselves or others
- creating a document, video, suicide note, or other item to explain or claim credit for future violence
- seeing violence as a way to solve their problems
- unusual difficulty coping with stress
- reduced interest in hobbies and other activities
- worsening performance at school or work
- increasing isolation from family, friends, or others
- angry outbursts or physical aggression
- increasingly troublesome interactions with others
- obsessive interest in prior attackers or attacks
- bizarre or unexpected change in appearance, including dress or hygiene
- changing vocabulary, style of speech, or how they act in a way that reflects a hardened point of view or new sense of purpose associated with violent extremist causes, particularly after a catalyzing event.
For anyone who may be worried about another person that may be displaying concerning behaviors but is unwilling to report it to the police, it is important to tell someone. That someone may be a school administrator, employees assistance peer, coach, religious leaders, or another person they respect. Doing so can help prevent mass violence. The sooner the better, because doing so can save lives.
The most effective way for Canadians to support law enforcement and security efforts is to promptly report any immediate threats to public safety to their local police. Non-immediate threats can be reported to either the RCMP or CSIS. The RCMP’s National Security Information Network can be reached by phone at 1-800-420-5805 or by completing this online form. The CSIS can be reached at 613-993-9620 or by completing this online form.
