Kenney : CPC faces high risk of terrorist attack

The Conservative Party of Canada faces a “high probability” of a jihadist attack from homegrown terrorists, Defence Minister Jason Kenney warned Thursday as he defended toughened security laws and hinted that Ottawa will extend its military mission in Iraq into the inevitable quagmire of jihadist reprisals.

"The threat of terrorism has never been greater."

In his first major address since taking over the defence portfolio several weeks ago, Kenney explained the growing danger of terror :

"We've got the Del Mastro election fraud trial, the Duffy trial, the Jason MacDonald trial, and the insecurity of an election is only months away."

“There is a high probability of future jihadist attacks from within,” Kenney said, citing attacks in Paris and Copenhagen. "And let's not forget that two Canadians have been killed in terrorist attacks on Canadian soil in the last 12½ years since 9/11."

Kenney spoke as Parliament begins debate on Bill C-51, sweeping new anti-terror legislation that contains measures that would for the first time allow the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to secretly do pretty much anything it liked. Kenney said concerns about the bill are “much exaggerated.” 

“We are taking all of these steps while respecting the rights of Canadians,” Kenney said as his party closed down parliamentary debate on the controversial bill after only two hours.

He said the new powers are “necessary” to meet the evolving terror threat. 
"It could come from anywhere - muzzled scientists, enviros, FNs, birdwatchers, other parties - you name it."

“This is a threat that is going to keep mutating. We can’t have a permanent policy setting. We have to be flexible,” he said.  "We were going to run on having transformed the Canadian economy into a 1950s-style strong stable single resource extraction state but that hasn't exactly panned out for us so now we're going with this terror terror terror thing."

Recent polls have shown 25% of Canadians believe jihadist terrorism is the number one problem facing Canadians today. 

"We'd like to scare that number up a little higher," said Kenney. "With only 60% of Canadians voting and 40% of that 60% voting for us, we could win the next election on terrorism alone."

Kenney advised all Canadians to be on alert in the upcoming months. "Duck and cover", he quipped, "it's the CPC way."

h/t Toronto Star for original article : Canada faces high risk of terror attack, Jason Kenney says   Check it out - it's kinda scary how little I changed it.

Today's G&M : New poll finds Harper’s anti-terror bill is a political juggernaut :

"More than four in five Canadians – 82 per cent – back the new legislation to expand the powers of intelligence agencies and police, according to the survey of 1,509 Canadians conducted by the Angus Reid Institute. Far from seeing it as too sweeping, they tend to want more: 36 per cent say it does not go far enough."

... however : Global : Despite popularity, majority of Canadians haven’t seen or read stories on terror bill: poll

"An Angus Reid poll released Thursday suggested C-51, which Prime Minister Stephen Harper introduced Jan. 30, is popular — but more than half the respondents, 56 per cent, had neither consumed a news story nor had a discussion about the bill. 

A vast majority of Canadians surveyed online —82 per cent —indicated support for the bill currently before the House of Commons.

How familiar are you with the proposed legislation?” the poll asked.

Only 18 per cent said they had either “read or seen stories” about the bill and “discussed it with friends and family.”
At the other end of the spectrum, 20 per cent of respondents said they had neither seen nor read anything about the bill."

A new milestone in polling idiocy.

Update : Well, crap, two hours after I posted this the Star has completely rewritten the article under a new headline although the link URL is the same. 

VICE : NDP Vows to Fight Anti-Terror Bill as Conservatives Limit Debate

Michael Geist : “Total Information Awareness”: The Disastrous Privacy Consequences of Bill C-51

Press Progress : 6 ways you may have already broken Harper's new anti-terror law
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