No, it won't be easy. No, it might not work. No, none of our allies has come up with a magic formula that we can copy. And yes, we still have to try.
In the wake of Aaron Driver's video promising attacks against Canadians in the name of the so-called Islamic State, and his death at the hands of police while allegedly on his way to carry out such an attack, the federal government has announced its first new initiative to deal with people identified as potential terrorists. On Thursday, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the government will hire what it calls a deradicalization adviser, who will head up a $10-million office.
The Liberals promised this during the last election, and they were right to. Our justice system knows what to do with someone who has been caught preparing a terrorist act, or carrying one out. Our police know how to arrest; our courts know how to prosecute; our jails know how to imprison. What we don't know is how to handle someone who appears to be a terrorist sympathizer and who is suspected of having terroristic thoughts, but who has neither attempted nor committed a crime.
Putting them under surveillance or imposing a peace bond – basically an order to keep the peace, with conditions such as staying off of the Internet, living in a certain place or not owning weapons – may make sense, but it also seems like a half-measure. If you suspect that someone is a ticking time bomb, why not try to figure out how to defuse them?
The challenge is, that's easier said than done. Other Western nations are already working on the problem, and evidence of success is slim. Then again, this is a relatively new threat. It is also an extremely rare one – the number of radical Islamist-related terrorist attacks in Canada last year was nil. The number of Canadians considering suicide bombing as a career is clearly very, very low.
There is no way of absolutely eliminating the possibility of future Aaron Drivers, just as there is no way of reducing Canada's low murder rate to zero. But we must always be thinking about what other steps can be taken to reduce the risks, and lower the dangers, while respecting civil liberties and the presumption of innocence.
The police and intelligence services already identify people they believe are potential threats. They have lengthy and detailed files. It's time to move beyond compiling dossiers.