Canada not fully prepared for terrorist attack (August 01, 2005)

Almost immediately after London’s deadly terrorist bombings, Canada’s 24-hour emergency preparedness system kicked into effect and worked as intended. However, in a recent speech at an international conference on disaster management, federal public safety Minister Anne McLellan also highlighted the need to ensure close collaboration between mass transit systems and shore up training for security personnel who patrol trains and subways.

Such an instance of neglect is characteristic of the disdain regarding terrorist attacks that most Canadians hold.

After years of being told by the police and Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) that Canada is a terrorist target, Canadians continue to ignore the danger, according to McLellan. Such ignorance she says, could result in a populace that will not be prepared if a terrorist attack similar to the recent one in London, were to strike.

“CSIS and the RCMP, among other law enforcement agencies,” McLellan says, “have made it plain that there exists in this country those who might very well choose, either themselves or with others, to do harm.”

Floods, ice storms and hurricanes are catastrophes well-accepted by Canadians, because they represent events that the country has already experienced. In addition, McLellan notes that the recent SARS outbreak instigated better Canadian preparedness in the face of infectious disease. However, preparation is key to terrorist reaction and after-the-fact may be too late to properly deal with losses incurred and other repercussions.

A great deal of work, such as establishing closer communication between urban transit systems, is necessary to properly prepare for a terrorist attack, according to McLellan’s speech to over 1,500 emergency officials.

“I do not believe that Canadians are as psychologically prepared for a terrorist attack as I think probably we all should be,” McLellan says. “I think we have perhaps for too long thought that these were things that happen somewhere else. . . . The self-image we may have of ourselves, it may be accurate, but completely irrelevant in the world in which we live.”

Former FBI agent Ty Fairman agrees that Canada is too indifferent regarding terrorist threat, a serious concern considering that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has twice declared the country a legitimate target for attacks. The al-Qaida leader cited Canada as fifth on a March 2004 list of preferred targets. Every other country on this and preceding al-Qaida lists has already been attacked, according to an internal RCMP risk assessment report.