A DEADLY MIX

Canada is losing friends owing to its liberal immigration policy and weak counter-terrorism laws

- NAMRATA BIJI AHUJA

On the outskirts of Castlegar, a little town in British Columbia, a statue of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy stands tall in the garden of the Doukhobor Discovery Centre. Much before Khalistani terrorists brought a culture of guns and gangs to British Columbia, the province became synonymous with the nonviolent and pacifist ideals of the Doukhobors. A small ethno-religious group of Russian origin, the Doukhobors fled to Canada in the 1890s, fearing persecution from the Russian church and state. Tolstoy is said to have assisted in their mass migration, and his statue stands testimony to his efforts and Canada’s tradition of welcoming refugees.

Canada has come a long way since. Today, it has become the go-to place for migrants from across the world, including refugees from conflict regions. But among them, a number of terror operatives, ranging from the Islamic State (IS), Palestine’s Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah to Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, have also found a safe haven for clandestine activities.

“Canada is hesitant to admit it, but the threats from immigrants is very palpable as it has also attracted terrorists, criminals and extremists,” says Wyatt Claypool, senior Canadian journalist. He cites the example of the 2018 Danforth shooting. “The police identified the gunman as Faisal Hussain, son of a Pakistani immigrant,” he says. “While some reports claimed that Hussain may have visited Pakistan before the shooting and that the Islamic State claimed the attack, there seemed to be a lot of hesitation to delve into the Islamist links to the incident. It was blamed on mental health issues finally.”