Justice powers or community outreach: How Canada can counter radicalization

Since ISIS sympathizer Aaron Driver died in a confrontation with police in Strathroy, Ont., the question of what can be done to counter radical extremism in Canada has been a prime topic of discussion.

RCMP said Driverhad made a "martyrdom video" and was planning an attack within 72 hours. On Wednesday afternoon, officers surrounded a taxi with Driver in it,and a device was detonated inthe back seat. The 24-year-old Driverwas killed, while the cab driversuffered minor injuries.

"[The] events underscore the need for Canada to become a world leader in counter-radicalization," Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters on Thursday.

• Aaron Driver: Troubled childhood, ISIS supporter, terror threat suspect
• TIMELINE: Aaron Driver's history of radicalization

There is ongoing work to counter radicalization across Canada in cities, provinces and with the RCMP, Goodale said, but there is no national plan.

"It's all in bits and pieces and dribs and drabs across the country," he said during an interview on CBC's Power and Politics.

The Liberals are creating a centre of excellence for community outreach and counter-radicalization, Goodale said. In the 2016federal budget, the governmentearmarked $35 million over five yearsto fight the radicalization of young people in Canada.

"Its purpose will be to develop and co-ordinate expertise in identifying those who could be vulnerable to radicalization and to try to connect with them," Goodale said, adding it would help stop tragedies before they happen.

• National security oversight committee coming by summer, says Ralph Goodale

Community support handinhand with police response

Community support needs to be integrated with a police response to counter radicalism,especially when it comes to people who have converted to Islam, says Hussein Hamdani, a Hamilton lawyer and vice-chair of North American Spiritual Revival.

NASR has helped deradicalize several young people, Hamdani said.

"The last few sort of high-profile incidents in Canada have all been involving white, Anglo-Saxons, who have in some way or another embraced Islam and then gone down this radical path," he said,pointing to Ismael Habib, Martin Couture-Rouleau, John Nuttall and Amanda Korody.

"It tells me as an activist in the Muslim community, that we need to make sure that we don't have people who are just converting to Islam as part of their protest manifestation."

Driver, who grew up Christian, had a troubled childhood and was not close with his father or stepmother. He turned to Islam when he was 17 after watching videos online.

For many people who have become radicalized,Hamdani said, there is a lack of understanding aboutIslam.

"[They] had a very rudimentary knowledge of Islam. They were not scholars, they are not well versed, they were people who had a very simple understanding," he said.

One of the things that can curb radicalization, Hamdanisaid, is for people to learn the Muslim religion. He saidthat's why it was dismaying to learn Driver's requirement to attend religious counselling was removed from his anti-terrorism peace bond in February by a Winnipeg judge.

"The closer they get to being members of a mosque and a larger religious community, the less likely they will have extreme or radical ideas that will lead to violence," he said.

Instead, Driver hadrestrictions and no religious support, andHamdani said thatlikely left the young man feeling like a victim.

"When you have a person who is not religiously knowledgeable and feeling like he's a victim and then takes on some type of cause that he believes will bring him martyrdom well that's an awful dangerous soup to have," he said.

He said there needs to be stronger partnerships with the religious community, public safety and police services so that the "Aaron Drivers of the world, instead of being deceased potential terrorists, [are] changed, reformed, positive contributors to Canadian society.

"It can happen. We lost this opportunity," he said.

• Foiled attack raises questions about value of peace bonds

Stronger response in the justice system

Outreach has to be combined with a stronger arm in the justice system, according to a former CSIS and RCMP counter terrorism operative.

Mubin Shaikh said police and RCMP did everything they could in Driver's case, but "sometimes the best you can do is not good enough for the people who are committed to act out."

Shaikh said when a person is identified as becoming radicalized,there should by psychological and spiritual outreach.

"We need to make available to them all of these alternatives and where they don't respond positively to them,we have to use more coercive methods; there is just no other way around it," he said.

London Muslim Mosque released a statement Thursday indicating that Driver had come to itsattention about a year ago. Members tried to "change his perspective" and kept the police informed of his presence, according to the statement.

Radicalization is highly individualized and the deradicalization process needs to reflect that, Shaikh said. Although counselling must be involved,judges need to start looking at conspiracy charges rather than peace bonds when a person shows they are rejecting the community's efforts, he added.

"Now in these sorts of cases, maybe [the Crown] might start going back to conspiracy [charges]," he said adding he wouldlike to see the justice system err on the side of public safety over civil liberties in terrorism cases.

During the October federal election, the Liberals also promised to make amendments to Bill C-51, Canada's controversial anti-terrorism law,and Goodale said they are consulting with Canadians first. He added that the new office on counter-radicalization will be setup this summer.