Ottawa Shootings - Intelligent Action Must Be Informed Action

What is a rational response to occurrences in Ottawa? There is no rationale to constrain or erode my freedoms, or the vast majority of Canadians. There is a rationale for the Canadian Government to become more informed as an institution. The focus for our government in the aftermath of recent events needs to be to build intelligence collection capacity. Canada is ideally positioned to be the “information” broker in the NATO alliance, in efforts against terrorism and in efforts associated with maintaining world order.

Canada has a diverse population, all races and creeds are well represented here. We have many second and third-generation citizens of varied ethnicity and religious backgrounds we can draw on in building an effective intelligence network. These individuals are Canadian Patriots, well versed in their respective cultures and religions who believe in the Canadian vision; people we can trust to bring intelligence home.

Canada should direct resources away from conventional warfare to foreign intelligence gathering and cyber effectiveness. The most glaring deficiency in the entire interface with Islam, for example, has been the absence of communications - the appropriate gathering and distribution of information. By a rapid, massive and sustained expansion of intelligence capacity, Canada can become the information broker for all western security efforts. Information is power, information and its creative delivery determines the actions of Nations – investment here permits Canada to leaver defence spending in a way that allows greater influence than trying to function in the ambit of conventional military efforts. By focusing on foreign intelligence gathering, there are fewer requirements to impose on our domestic citizenry and put the focus of efforts where the threat is.

As it is better to “jaw jaw jaw than to war war war”, as an extension of the expanded information-gathering capacity there should be an expansion of information distribution. An expanded role for the CBC to broadcast to key jurisdictions and expand cyber information distribution would give the ability to speak to the people – to build better intercultural understanding.

The Canadian government should make robust efforts here; funds directed to conventional military efforts would find a greater effectiveness in this arena.