How Safe are Canadians?

On the same day John Manley was telling CBC News that Canadians shouldn't be worried about our airplanes being hijacked because cockpits have been reinforced and while security expert Barry Cooper, a Poli Sci professor at the U Of C, was touting the wonderful security measures now underway in airports, we learn that Sun Media reporters were easily able breach airport security measures several times recently:

Security is so lax at Montreal's international airport that a Sun Media reporter was easily able to get into prohibited zones on seven separate occasions.

Twice, it was as easy as crawling under a fence on the outskirts of Trudeau Airport. The other times, the reporter used the entrances of airport employees. He had no uniform or security pass but sailed right through checkpoints by appearing as if he belonged there.

The reporter was able to walk onto the tarmac by the international flights, touch aircraft, visit hangars, get into a subcontractor's vehicle and play around with the food carts being prepared for flights.

The article goes on to detail other specific incidents.

Do you feel safer now?

This news, coupled with Harper's foreign policy positions - lengthening Canada's committment in Afghanistan and his unconditional support of Israel's so-called 'measured' response - ought to give Canadians pause for thought. Couple that with recently released videos by al Qaeda, recalling that they've threatened Canadians in the past, and you have a recipe for disaster in this country.

We don't need to live in fear in Canada and we certainly don't want our leaders pounding their pulpits in an attempt to terrorize us like they do in the US, but we do need to remember that we are at risk as well and while the Conservatives are dragging their feet on passing legislation that would accord proper oversight of our intelligence services, we must also ensure that our civil rights are not being violated. It's a delicate balance but we must never be scared into believing that we must surrender our freedoms to a government that would consider all of us as suspects instead of citizens along with those who want to join us as such. Abuses such as the secretive security certificates must be monitored or our country will just turn into America Lite when it comes to restricting infringements on what we believe it means to be Canadian.

So, while there's obviously much work to be done in terms of our physical security, we also need to have a national discussion about subjects like foreign policy, immigration, our relationship with the US intelligence apparatus and how to best maintain a Canadian sense of rights and responsibilities so that we can adequately and legally protect ourselves on all fronts - through our government and from our government.