Canadian government officials announced the details of that nation's revised counterterrorism strategy with the promise of tough security measures to thwart attacks by violent groups or "lone wolf" terrorists.
Canada's Public Safety Minister Vic Toews pledged last week that the new strategy will do a better job of protecting Canada from terror attacks. He added that while he's pleased with the new plan, he could not guarantee total and absolute security from groups such as radical Islamic terror networks.
"The reality is that no government can guarantee it will be able to prevent all terrorist attacks all the time," he said at a conference of security experts in downtown Ottawa on Thursday.
"Nevertheless, Canada is committed to taking all reasonable measures to address terrorism in its many forms," Minister Toews added.
Canadian government security officials dubbed the new strategy Building Resilience Against Terrorism: Canada's Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
The the newly revised measures are aimed at foreign groups like al Qaeda and Al Shabaab in Somalia, both of whom recruit and radicalize young men and women through use of the world wide web. In addition, the Canadians' strategy targets home-grown environmental, anti-capitalist and neo-Nazi radical organizations.
Toews boasts that Canada is a leader in dealing with radicalization. He claims that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) will increase its efforts to counter extremist propaganda that circulates in some of the country's immigrant communities.
"Terrorism is not specific to any one religion, community or ethnic group," Toews warned attendees of the conference. "Preventing terrorism ideology from taking hold of vulnerable individuals is the best scenario."
Toews said that the newly revealed counterterrorism strategy clearly notes the specific roles of a number of agencies including CSIS, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the armed forces, and other agencies.
As has happened in a number of countries including the United States, Canada's security agencies have been criticized by law enforcement agencies for failing to share information.
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