US embassy cable - 05OTTAWA2442

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 OTTAWA 002442 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/12/2015 
TAGS: PTER, KCRM, PGOV, CA, Terrorism 
SUBJECT: DOES CANADA'S MULTICULTURAL FRAMEWORK MAKE IT 
SAFER FROM TERRORISM? 
 
 
Classified By: POL M/C Brian Flora, 1.4 (b) (d) 
 
 1. (C/NF) Summary: In a briefing during the Cross Border 
Crime Forum's Counterterrorism Working Group, and discussions 
with Britain's Political Counselor, Poloff was given two 
views of the internal terrorist threat in Canada.  Canadian 
officials have, since long before the London bombings, been 
concerned about the growing numbers of terrorists who, 
because of their Canadian citizenship and at times Canadian 
ethnicity, can move without the scrutiny of foreign 
terrorists.  They highlight the importance of cross border 
information sharing to combat this threat.  HMG PolCouns said 
Britain is looking closely at how Canada integrates its new 
immigrants and manages multicultural diversity and what 
lessons could be applied in Britain.  He considers Canada 
well ahead of the UK in this regard and believes 
well-designed policies crafted decades ago have created a 
more peaceful social environment in Canada than England.  End 
Summary 
 
AN EVOLVING THREAT 
------------------ 
 
2. (C/NF) In the June 16 Cross Border Crime Forum 
Counterterrorism Working Group, CSIS Deputy Director for 
Operations Jack Hooper offered an assessment of the threat in 
Canada from Canadian citizen extremists.  In the wake of the 
London bombing, Poloff met with British Pol M/C to discuss 
how Britain views the comparison between it and Canada with 
regards to the threat from Islamist extremists.  The two 
views are complementary, not contradictory, and offer two 
different slices of this issue. 
 
3. (C/NF) Hooper gave a brief presentation on the evolving 
terrorist threat in Canada and how law enforcement and 
intelligence officials are tracking it.  He said there are 
three groups that are of increasing interest to intelligence 
and law enforcement officials.  First, are individuals like 
Khadr, who speak English, have Canadian citizenship, and can 
travel at will.  A second group is committed converts to 
Islam who are also committed jihadists.  He cited the case in 
Edmonton of six "farm boys" who had converted to a radical 
variant of Islam and were now considered dangerous.  The 
third group is female operatives, some of whom are WASP 
converts; others are first or second generation immigrants to 
Canada from the Middle East or South Asia. 
 
4. (C/NF) Hooper said that these groups are of particular 
concern because of their ability to travel undetected inside 
and outside of the country.  He said that the traditional 
threat from foreign terrorists also exists, but it is this 
emerging threat that requires new methods to combat.  We need 
ways to look closer at "people who look like us."  He made 
the point that rapid intelligence sharing is vital with 
regards to the converts because they would not be on any 
international watch lists at this point.  We need, Hooper 
said, to develop common models of law enforcement and 
intelligence that are as seamless as possible. 
 
THE VIEW FROM ACROSS THE POND 
----------------------------- 
 
5. (C/NF) In the wake of the London bombings, Poloff engaged 
HMG Pol M/C, Andrew Staunton, to discuss how he sees the 
difference between Britain and Canada in terms of the 
internal threat.  Staunton said that PM Blair recently 
directed British embassies in Canada, Australia, and New 
Zealand to provide an assessment.  The assumption was that, 
while they may have similar problems, Britain's were far 
worse and there may be lessons learned about how to treat the 
issue of home grown Muslim extremism.  Staunton believes that 
the Muslim communities in Britain and Canada are about equal 
in size as a proportion of the population, but the percentage 
of that community that is radicalized is significantly larger 
in Britain.  (Note: There are approximately 700,000 Muslims 
in Canada, about 2 percent of the population.  Of 1.8 million 
immigrants who came to Canada between 1991 and 2002, Muslims 
accounted for 15 percent.  The median age for the Canadian 
Muslims is 28, compared to 37 for the general population. 
End Note) 
 
6. (C/NF) Staunton believes that while there is a small 
extremist threat here, Canada is light years ahead of Britain 
in terms of cross-cultural relations and in allaying societal 
and cultural conditions that feed extremism.  He also 
articulated some non-cultural reasons that he believes make 
Canada safer than Britain.  Among the key differences: 
 
Immigration Policy:  Canada has a fair and transparent policy 
of immigration in which approximately 250,000 persons per 
year are allowed into the country, for the most part as 
families and largely based on skills.  In Britain, by 
contrast, Staunton said there is extremely limited 
immigration by invitation, and the majority of immigrants 
either sneak in or overstay legitimate visas.  This means 
that immigrants in Britain are more likely to be young males 
who are separated from their families, and do not have a 
clear long-term economic future in Britain.  Making matters 
worse, they often have short-term benefits as refugees once 
in, which provides them with significant time on their hands. 
 
Social Integration:  When Canada's immigrants are in, they 
are really in, and are given benefits to help them integrate 
while having full access to education and social services. 
Facing a shortage of manpower, for several decades Canada has 
created a climate that is immigrant-friendly, and Canadian 
politicians vie for the votes of recent immigrants.  The 
Liberal Party continually promotes itself as the party of 
immigrants, and both major parties have very prominent MPs 
that are visible minorities, something reinforced recently by 
the selection of a Haitian-born Governor General.  There is a 
clear way forward here for immigrants, that Staunton says is 
not the case in Britain. 
Nativist rhetoric:  Staunton said some British politicians 
have appealed to nativist sentiment to stake out 
anti-foreigner positions, which often come across as racist 
and anti-Muslim.  The message to some is that immigrants will 
never really be British.  In contrast, Canadian politicians 
are sometimes accused of pandering to the non-Canadian born 
vote.  More than 80% of Muslim voted in the 2004 election and 
71% of them voted Liberal.  The Canadian Islamic Congress 
claims that Muslims hold a key swing vote (between 1.8 and 
13.5%) in as many as 100 ridings.  The message of all 
Canadian politicians is that Canada values the skills and 
contributions of immigrants, and the message of Canadians is 
that they value diversity. 
 
Radical Imams:  Britain has been unlucky, Staunton says, with 
regards to radical Imams.  He believes this is less because 
of distinct government policies, since free speech is 
similarly protected in both Canada and the UK, as much as the 
simple luck of the draw.  Once London began to attract 
radical Imams several decades ago, they fueled each other and 
the city became a hub of extremist rhetoric.  Canada 
experienced no similar invasion and with only a few 
exceptions its Imams have been comparatively moderate. 
 
Distance from Middle East:  Staunton also believes that 
London's status as a political, economic, and travel "hub" 
gives it a different dynamic than, say Ottawa and Toronto, 
which are final destinations.  This simply increases the 
traffic in and out of London and the likelihood that radicals 
will come there and stay.  London has been a European hub of 
radical politics for decades, Staunton says, and such 
politics are well ingrained there.  Canada has not been 
involved in Middle Eastern politics and is simply not on the 
beaten path for those who are. 
 
CANADA'S APPROACH TO MULTICULTURALISM 
------------------------------------- 
 
7. (C/NF) Staunton provided Poloff with a copy of a briefing 
prepared by Canadian Heritage in May 2005, entitled "Canada's 
Approach to Multiculturalism."  He was provided the brief 
under the condition that he not share it with London 
(although he said there was no stipulation about sharing it 
with the US Embassy).  The briefing reviews Canadian 
government policies on multiculturalism, and how these 
policies are evolving with an eye toward the 150th 
anniversary of Canada in 2017.  It describes the goals of 
Canada's multicultural program as civic participation, social 
justice, and identity.  Priority areas include shared 
citizenship, cross cultural understanding, development of 
institutions reflecting diversity, and efforts to combat 
racism and discrimination. 
 
Diversity in Canada is built on the three fundamental 
realities of: 1) Aboriginal population, 2) Linguistic 
duality, and 3) Ever-increasing diversity -- ethnic, racial, 
cultural, and religious.  It states as policy, that "Canada's 
diversity provides the country with the opportunity to 
strengthen Canada by building an all-inclusive society which 
values differences and fostering a sense of belonging, while 
maximizing the potential and contribution of all Canadians." 
 
8. (C/NF) The brief goes on to describe Canada's model of 
"shared citizenship, which is one of inclusion, not 
assimilation; pluralism, not homogeneity; valuing diversity, 
not simply tolerating it, and peaceful resolution of 
conflict."  There is an overview of the legal framework that 
supports Canada's multiculturalism policy, including the 
Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982), the Citizenship Act 
(1985), and notably the Multiculturalism Act (1988).  The 
latter is described in the act's preamble as being intended 
to "preserve and enrich the multicultural heritage of 
Canadians while working to achieve the equity of all 
Canadians in the economic, social, cultural, and political 
life of Canada.  It strives to develop a framework to 
eliminate racism and discrimination, promote equality and 
cross cultural understanding, foster shared citizenship, and 
help federal institutions to be responsive to Canada's 
diversity."  Other initiatives are an Action Plan Against 
Racism, and the Canada 2017 Initiative, designed to help 
cushion the transition to a Canada in which one in five 
Canadians will be a visible minority. 
 
9. (C/NF) Comment: Analysts such as John Thompson of the 
MacKenzie Institute are arguing strongly that Canada is 
vulnerable to terrorist attack and "our turn is coming soon." 
 And there is increasing awareness that Canada does face a 
threat both from terrorists who emanate outside the country 
and a small number who could emerge from within.  But the 
differences between Canada and Britain in terms of the 
internal threat are worthy of consideration, and the things 
Canada has done to integrate new immigrants who could, even 
at the second and third generation, turn hostile to their 
adopted homeland, are noteworthy.  In this regard these very 
well crafted policies of the past several decades are paying 
off and should be helpful as Canada faces an increasingly 
multi-cultural future. 
 
Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
WILKINS