Immigration screening scandal/Star's PC take on home-grown terrorism

We know very little about an awful lot of people who might be cause for concern.

About 90 per cent of immigration applicants from Pakistan and Afghanistan -- hotbeds for Islamic fundamentalism and central in the fight against terrorism -- haven't been adequately screened for security concerns over the past five years, Canada's spy agency said yesterday.

The No. 2 man at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said his organization simply doesn't have the resources necessary to do all the security checks it would like.

Jack Hooper, deputy director of operations for the service, told a Senate national security committee about 20,000 immigrants have come from Afghanistan and Pakistan to Canada since 2001.

"We're in a position to vet one-tenth of those," he said. "That may be inadequate."..

You don't say?

And the threat of home-grown Jihadi terrorism--note that the Star story carefully avoids using the words "Islamic" or "Muslim". Odd, what?
...
A top spy yesterday revealed Ottawa's fears of an attack unleashed by homegrown terrorists on the same scale as last July's suicide bombings in Britain that killed 52 people.

"All the circumstances that led to the London transit bombing ... are resident here and now in Canada," said Jack Hooper, deputy director of operations for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service...

"So we have to be vigilant on two fronts — what's coming to us from the outside environment but increasingly what's growing up in our communities," he said.

He said there was a growing number of young people, either born in Canada or who moved here at an early age, who have become "radicalized."..

"Radicalized" in what direction I wonder? Neo-Marxist terrorism à la Red Brigades or Bader-Meinhof? I don't think so. The Citizen story above had the sense to mention "Islamist extremism".

H/t to Steve Madely at CFRA, Ottawa, for focusing on the story this morning. He's still covering it until 1000 EDT, and Nick Vandergragt will likely do more from 1000-1200. Listen live.

Update: Audio of Mr Madely's interview with James Bissett, former head of the Canadian immigration service.

And audio of the interview with Colin Kenny, Chair of the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence (some good stuff on the need for greater military spending too).

Mark C.

Posted by markc at May 30, 2006 10:13 AM