Canada too friendly to terrorists: U.S. report

The Star ^ | 02/15/04 | JIM BRONSKILL

[Pikamax]

Canada too friendly to terrorists: U.S. report

BY JIM BRONSKILL CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA — Canada has been branded a "favored destination for terrorists and international criminals" by the research arm of the U.S. Congress.

Generous constitutional freedoms, weak law enforcement and lightly patrolled borders have made the country an inviting place for dangerous extremists to set up shop, says a new report by the Library of Congress in Washington.

"Canada has played a significant role as a base for both trans-national criminal activity and terrorist activity," the report says.

The report, titled Nations Hospitable to Organized Crime and Terrorism, was completed in October by the congressional library's federal research division under an arrangement with the Central Intelligence, Crime and Narcotics Center.

The center, staffed by members of various U.S. intelligence agencies, analyses information about illicit drug trafficking.

The authors drew on government studies, police and intelligence reports, media stories, academic articles and "personal communications with regional experts."

The report notes the recent co-operation between Canadian and U.S. officials in fighting terrorism. It also acknowledges Canadian steps to toughen anti-terrorism and immigration laws, but casts doubt on whether they go far enough, saying Canada's "liberal democratic identity" may limit adoption of sterner measures.

The Canadian government has expended great effort to try to dispel a nagging image of the country — particularly in the eyes of some hawkish Americans — as a terrorist haven.

The congressional library report could undermine that effort since the document is intended for politicians, aides, lawyers, and other movers and shakers on Capitol Hill.

Representatives of the Canadian government and public interest groups quickly took issue with the report.

"While we may have areas that we must continue to work on, every country has areas that it must work on in the fight against terrorism," said Alex Swann, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan.

"The issues that we have to deal with are pretty common ones globally."

Janet Dench of the Canadian Council for Refugees questioned the quality of the report's research, calling it one-sided and "laughably amateurish."

She said its themes are "chilling" and "virtually totalitarian" given the study's association of broad civil liberties with the cultivation of terrorism.

Numerous other countries, including leading industrialized nations like Britain, France and Germany, are also critiqued in the 234-page report, along with the likes of Algeria, Indonesia and Russia.

But only a handful of jurisdictions in the Western Hemisphere — Canada, Colombia, Mexico and the notorious tri-border region of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay — are the focus of attention.

The report claims that terrorists and crime syndicates are increasingly using Canada as an operational base and transit country en route to the United States.

"A generous social-welfare system, lax immigration laws, infrequent prosecutions, light sentencing, and long borders and coastlines offer many points and methods of entry that facilitate movement to and from various countries, particularly to the United States," the report says.

"These factors combine to make Canada a favored destination for terrorists and international crime groups."

The report highlights the case of Ahmed Ressam, the Algerian-born Montrealer caught trying to slip across the border in 1999 to bomb Los Angeles International Airport. While planning the attack, Ressam supplemented his welfare payments by stealing cash and credit cards.

The authors note that until recently there has been no widespread concern Canada could be the victim of a terrorist attack.

"Sensitivity to civil liberties combined with this low threat perception has made both the adoption and enforcement of tougher immigration laws and strong counter-terrorism measures more difficult."

Roch Tasse of the Ottawa-based International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group said U.S. policies seem entirely geared toward policing, protection and wariness of newcomers.

"We should have a very serious second look before we succumb to U.S. pressure to harmonize in their direction," Tasse said.

"Short of becoming a police state, we can hardly respond to what they would expect of us."

Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, Canada brought in new anti-terrorism laws, tightened screening of immigrants and refugees and worked out an extensive border-control agreement with its neighbour.

"However, enforcement will be the key," the report says. Success of the laws "will depend in large part on whether a new balance between civil liberties and security concerns will yield effective prevention."

For instance, the report contends the new immigration law would not have prevented Ressam from using Canada as a planning base.

Most of the criminal means by which terrorists raise funds, such as fraud, theft and counterfeiting, still would not disqualify a person from remaining in Canada, the authors argue.

The report even takes issue with the name of the 2002 law — the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act — saying it "serves as an indication of the prevailing concern for or priority placed upon civil liberties in Canada."

[Atlantic Friend]

Isn't that somewhat inevitable ? The Western democracies are open societies, and of course there are people who want to profit from it. But can we (and should we) really change the way our society work, given it would mean less freedom for our ordinary, law-abiding citizens ? By the way, the title is somewhat misleading. Saying Syria is friendly to terrorists is OK by me, but Canada ?

[NorthOf45]

Here we go again ... give it up already. Both nations have issues. We both need to get our act together and pointing fingers is useless.

[mtbopfuyn]

Well, duh. It was on the news just yesterday that at one of Canada's border crossings, it's only manned M-F, 8-5. Of course not that they couldn't cross anywhere, but come on. Canada, Mexico, and the INS...

[FairOpinion]

PING -- re. Canada border

"The report claims that terrorists and crime syndicates are increasingly using Canada as an operational base and transit country en route to the United States.

"A generous social-welfare system, lax immigration laws, infrequent prosecutions, light sentencing, and long borders and coastlines offer many points and methods of entry that facilitate movement to and from various countries, particularly to the United States," the report says.

"These factors combine to make Canada a favored destination for terrorists and international crime groups."

[FairOpinion]

The US is getting its act together, while Canada refuses to.

They better decide whose side they really want to be on: on the side of the US and civilization, or on the side of the terrorists.

[NorthOf45]

And your point is?

[NorthOf45]

We're taking steps ... more needs to be done though. Yes Canada needs to do more ... I have no issue there. What we need to do though is work together ... constructively. Pointing fingers is not proactive. We both have issues, including the U.S. ... many seem to forget that fact.

[Ashamed Canadian]

I blame our bloody government 100%. While the Mounties are working hard (19 arrested last August) they are getting no help from the Liberals, who will let in anyone as long as they vote Liberal. Thank the Lord above we have friends in the United States that will point this out to our deaf, dumb and blind fellow countrymen. And that's just what half of Canada is: Deaf, dumb and blind. It's amazing how many Canadians think we aren't a target. Helllllo!! Wake up Canada, look at how our 'peacekeepers' were attacked by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan just las month.

[FairOpinion]

"Yes Canada needs to do more "

==

That was the point.

But you are being overly sensitive -- here is one article in the US press somewhat critical about Canada, but about a very specific important issue.

The Canadian press almost daily seems to be extremely critical of the US, bashing us, just because if feels good.

[The Red Zone]

No terrorist will ever touch Canada. With Canada so easy, he'd be stupid to.

[FairOpinion]

Link to the page where you can get the actual report -- it looks like a nice, long, but interesting 256 page report.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/terrorism.html

Click on: "Nations Hospitable to Organized Crime and Terrorism (October 2003) New!"
on above linked page.

[NorthOf45]

Here's my take. I support your issue of Canada needing to do more. I don't think I'm being oversensitive. I'm very critical of what is going on in my Canada. This is not the first time though that Canada has been accused of being a haven for terrorists. I believe the accusation is overstated. We need to look after our own with eachother's input.

As for the anti-Americanism that's going on here, I won't be part of it. It's being fueled by the media and our government. It will get us nowhere and they just don't get it.

[Kozak]

Thank the Lord above we have friends in the United States that will point this out to our deaf, dumb and blind fellow countrymen

If Canada is the portal for another 9/11 we will do more then "point it out". With us or against us. Remember?

[FairOpinion]

The article singled out Canada, but the report actually addresses a whole host of countries. They don't address the REAL terrorist countries, like Iran, Syria, etc., they focus on countries, "the next level up", which don't mean to be terrorist havens, but for various reasons the terrorists can still exist with some comfort. They cover countries in Europe, the old Soviet Union, etc. as well.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/pdf-files/Nats_Hospitable.pdf

As for the US, heck, we seem to have terrorist cells right here in 40 states, if what I read is correct, so we need to work on rooting them out as well.

The point is that terrorists are dangerous, and it's hard enough to get them, even when you are really working hard.

[NutCrackerBoy]

In US politics, it is a minority opinion that the way to avoid terrorist attacks is to be nice to terrorists. I know that Canada makes some efforts to fight terrorism, but not enough. Reports such as this put out in black and white where the holes are. But I think the mistaken Candian assumption that liberal policies are an inoculation against terrorist attacks won't be dispelled by this report.

[Ashamed Canadian]

If Canada is the portal for another 9/11 we will do more then "point it out". With us or against us. Remember?

and you'd be more than justified in doing soin my opinion. My government has neglected this issue far too much.

[mark502inf]

It is not so much that "liberal policies are an inoculation against terrorist attacks" as that the terrorists have a base where they are relatively unmolested and can fund-raise and plan & organize attacks against the USA next door. The terrorists know that an attack in Canada against Canadians would likely cause Ottawa to get serious and ruin their current cushy arrangement.

[NorthOf45]

'If Canada is the portal for another 9/11 we will do more then "point it out". With us or against us. Remember?'

Yes, we remember ... and that's why Bush gets bad press. This black and white, us-against-the-World point of view is detrimental to a unified front. So, sleeper cells in Canada cause an event in the U.S. and suddenly we're an enemy worthy of an extreme reaction ... nice. I'm glad not all Americans think like that.

Why are we in Afghanistan again? We're in on the fight against terrorism too ... remember THAT.

[Eva]

The socialism that is being instituted in Canada offers less freedom than than the restrictions against Islamic terrorists.