Canada under Terrorist Attack?

[TravellingGuy]

With all the sadness happening south of the border I find myself trying to reflect upon why Canada has not had the same problems. I hear lots of reasons why Terrorists attack the United States, and there appears to be lots of Political reasons, many countries support the US in their actions through out the years (including Canada) and sometimes you hear about attacks in other places (like Bali).

My question is this: Have there ever been any terrorist attacks in Canada?

Canada's reputation around the world has certainly faired better than the US and I'm certainly happy about that. I've travelled around the world and always welcomed warmly as a Canadian and I've watched those with US Passports get worse treatment.

There's also the fact that Canada is the easiest place to enter the US (certainly easier then crossing the border from Mexico), so the Terrorists are certainly "using" us, and wouldn't want to "attack" us because we might respond by tightening our own security (which we should do anyways to help the US) which would make it harder for them to attack the US.

I am not bashing the US, I am not taking any sides, I disagree with some of things the US do, but I do not condone any of the violence against them. I am just wondering about Canadian History and Terrorist attacks against us.

 

[Don]

Lets face it, Canada is often forgotten in the internationally community. I was reading an artice in the Globe the other day, something about "Marketing Canada Better", about a Canadian teaching english in Japan. Then he asked if anyone wanted to visit Canada and what they expected to learn and one student said that she/he could learn "how to build a log cabin"! When asked what they think of when they think of Canada, the responses were "Eskimos, igloos, snow, logs, hockey, etc...."

Also canada's non-agressive role of peacekeeping plays a part. With the US to take care of business (whether warrented or not), Canada can simply stay in the relatively safe background.

 

[james t kirk]

I actually feel pretty sorry for the americans.

I think the average american gets a bum rap from the rest of the world.

I will be the first to admit that they have a had a tough go round lately - 911, the cole, africa, now this crazy sniper.

It's like anything else, a few bad apples spoil it for everybody.

On the issue of Canada's turn at the terrorist attack table. I actually figure it IS going to happen sooner or later, most likely Toronto, or Montreal.

Toronto would be an easy target frankly, and easy for a terrorist to blend into the woodwork.

Canadians will be shell shocked when it does happen. At least the Americans are doing something, (though i have to wonder why they can't find bin ladden). Canadians would stand there looking at each other wondering what do to.

Not that we don't have the knowledge, it's just that our military has been inviscerated over the last 30 or 40 years. I truly believe that the small military that we do have is staffed by patriots and truly honourable men and women, BUT the gov't seems not to care.

 

[TravellingGuy]

Like every other discussion...

Please don't turn this discussion into another of the typical US vs. the rest of the world banter, I'm looking for someone who knows about Canadian history and what terrorist attacks took place here and why.

 

[Cool Dude]

In 1970, Pierre LaPorte, a Liberal Party minister in Quebec was kidnapped and murdered by FLQ terrorists. I think a British diplomat was also kidnapped but was later found alive.

 

[Cool Dude]

It's like anything else, a few bad apples spoil it for everybody.

Only if people continue to accept the "bad apples" as the norm, not the exception James T. I certainly will not allow my sincere fondness for Canadians to be soured by a few of your rotten to the core countrymen.

 

[YorkNorthGuy]

Re: Canadians are so similar to US

They're struggling with the winds of change that is so similar
to US in the '60s. It was difficult for me then, it's now difficult
for my lineage. The synthesis of this conflict is that we do not
live in good times. God save us, both Canadians and US, from
our failings. Give us grace to persevere dear God. We need it.

Ciao, DQ

You gotta like that separation of Church and State they have down there...

Terrorism in Canada. Like mentioned before the FLQ situation was the closest thing that I can remember. The War Measures Act was the declaration of Martial Law. Those terroists came from within this country too. I remember the mail bombs. It was not pleasant.

 

[djk]

<Canadians will be shell shocked when it does happen. At least the Americans are doing something, (though i have to wonder why they can't find bin ladden). Canadians would stand there looking at each other wondering what do to.

Not that we don't have the knowledge, it's just that our military has been inviscerated over the last 30 or 40 years. I truly believe that the small military that we do have is staffed by patriots and truly honourable men and women, BUT the gov't seems not to care.>

Yeah, it's damn sad. When they do attack, we won't even be able to fight back without depending on other countries miltary might.

-djk

 

[iguana]

FLQ comes to mind first. A Quebec man once blew up a commercial flight to try to claim an insurance premium on his wife or mother (I forget which). Uh...Louis Riel? "As leader of a rogue army, he was considered a terrorist at the time..."
I once heard that 700,000 Anglos have left Quebec over the years, and I know that English firms have been threatened with bombings.
The abortionists clinic that was blown up on Harbord Street in Toronto.
Biker bombings in Quebec.......

 

[wumpscut]

we're forgetting the Montreal incident...

... a little while ago, do you remember there was a plot to bomb a predominantly jewish intersection that was discovered before it could be carried out. The reason it didn't happen? Simply good fortune, it was found out somehow. Good luck, good undercover work, whatever. It almost happened to us then and being a pessimist, I believe that sooner or later it will happen. We may be more popular than US tourists in some places but that in no way proves that terrorist freaks don't hate us just as much, being as we sent troops to gulf war and Afganistan, don't enforce a muslim system of government, are evil to them because we like a permissive, open society, etc.

 

[james t kirk]

I have the utmost respect for the people in the Canadian forces.

I have worked with them before (as a civilian) and they keep a stiff upper lip about it all.

The traditions are proud and go back to the times of Brock but they can only do so much with an ever shrinking budget.

This year W bush approved a 15% increase in military spending.

To put it in perspective, that amounted to around 46 billion US dollars more in military spending i believe

Canada's annual military budget is less than one third of the american INCREASE.

That brothers and sisters is very very very sad.

If nothing else, or military budget should be equivalent to the Nato average (which it is not even close to)

I am not saying we have to go nuts, that is equally dumb. But we have to be more supportive of our military.

Just the average, that's all i want, and our men and women will contribute far above average.

The F-18's we fly are a joke, half of them are mothballed, or canablized for parts. They are some 25 years old now, and in terms of their technology, their on board computers are about as powerful as a comodor vic 64!

And that is the truth.

Re the FLQ.........

You want to know something really really interesting.

I work a lot in Quebec, and you will see documentary after documentary, after documentary on TV about the FLQ.

It's the one thing about quebec that truly disgusts me. This crap happened 30 years ago and you still see these old cigarette smoking FLQ murderers braying away on TV about the glory days of the FLQ.

(Chretien once said that Quebec television is infested with separatists, i would say he is right there.)

I also am amazed when you are driving down the highway and you come across a house flying the FLQ flag on top of a flag pole.

I can handle the blue and white, but the murdering FLQ - No.

They killed Pierre Laporte so that people would take notice, and they kidnapped james cross who they thankfully decided not to murder.

Trudeau was right to envoke the war measures act.

There is no excuse