Canadas New Challenges Confronting Terrorism at Home

Three days in October brought Islamic-inspired terrorism to Canadas doorstep and showed the extent of the dangers we face moving forward. This paper analyzes the attacks that occurred in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Ottawa and identifies two real challenges that arise from these incidents. The first challenge we face has to do with the types of attacks we witnessed, and what this means for the future. The nature of the terrorist threat facing Canada and Canadians has changed and the subsequent reality is that detecting and disrupting future attacks has become exponentially more difficult. The second challenge we face is how we respond to these attacks, both from a policy perspective and to a lesser degree a societal one. It highlights how Canada has thus far not shown any initiative addressing this problem but simultaneously recognizes the danger for overreaction exists. It cautions against a knee-jerk reaction and an expansion of short-term security focused legislation. While this must be part of the discussion, the challenges posed by Islamic-inspired terrorism will require a broad multi-faceted approach that addresses this threat in the short, medium and long-term.