MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – January 29, 2015

#CANvsISIL

• “Must-see QP: What does Harper know about Canada’s partners in Iraq?”
• PM in question period yesterday on the mission:  “The truth is that the NDP leader and the entire opposition are opposed to military missions to advise and assist Iraqi forces in fighting jihadist terrorists.  It is true that our troops killed jihadist terrorists who fired on them. That is their mission. We are proud of our troops and we are behind them 100% …. as I have said repeatedly, this is a robust mission to assist and advise the Iraqi forces.  I know the NDP is against that. I know the opposition members think it is a terrible thing that we are actually standing up to jihadists. I know they think it is a terrible thing that some of these jihadists got killed when they fired on the Canadian military.  I do not know what other militaries are doing, but I know that ours is doing exactly what this Parliament asked it to do, and that Canadians are behind it.”
• Minister of Defence in question period yesterday on how we’re helping:   “I appreciate that according to the NDP’s security requirements, it wants us to pinpoint exactly where and when our men and women are located and give an update immediately.  In fact, we are in close consultation. We have special forces on the ground. We have provided lethal equipment on behalf of other countries to Iraq and we have provided non-lethal equipment ourselves. We are very much a part of this fight and we are going to continue …. I can indicate to the hon. member that we have sent over non-lethal equipment over the last couple of months. We have sent equipment such as helmets, body armour, logistical support, and vehicles, and we are part of the air strikes that are being conducted out of Kuwait. We are doing our part.”
• “Minister: Canadian demining robots ‘will save many, many lives’ — IEDs cause 70 percent of all Peshmerga casualties ….” – “Canada Provides Bomb Defusing Equipment to Peshmerga”
• “NDP accuse Harper of misleading Parliament over Islamic State fight” – “NDP asks Speaker to sanction prime minister over Iraq”
• “Matthew Fisher: ‘Openness’ over combat with ISIS bites Harper government — Our elites want Canada to be heroic in some touchy-feely way but at the same time to remain boy scouts, unbloodstained, to let others carry the fight ….”
• Commentary  “CANSOFCOM Operations in Iraq and the Canadian Media — Recently, many Canadian media have been digging deeper on the current role CANSOFCOM is playing in Iraq. This could very well jeopardize OPSEC and PERSEC ….” – “Allow Canadian special forces privacy to do necessary task in Iraq”
• Iraq Situation Report: January 27-28, 2015 (Institute for the Study of War)
• More on Canada’s Operation IMPACT here, and on news from around that part of the world here (list of links) and here (Twitter list)

Internal Security

• “Christopher Phillips, accused in chemical scare, back in court”
• “CSE tracks millions of downloads daily: Snowden documents”
• Commentary  “The anti-terrorism legislation has likely been oversold”
• “New PMO video puts Harper at centre of Canada’s security — The PMO’s latest weekly video ties the prime minister closely to the country’s security ….” – “24 SEVEN Exclusive: Canada stands strong and free”
• “Canadian Muslim group funnelled $300K to Hamas-linked charity: Documents — One of the country’s largest Muslim organizations gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to a Hamas-linked charity, and vocally supported an Egyptian Islamist group, QMI Agency has learned ….”

Way Up North

• “Arctic Council meeting sets up awkward Russian visit to Canada — The federal government will host a high-level Russian delegation on Canadian soil in April, despite a deep freeze in relations between the two countries over the crisis in Ukraine ….”

Ukraine

• “Canada extends a second, $200M loan to Ukraine to promote economy”
• ATO map, 29 Jan 2015 (UKR gov’t, in Ukrainian)
• ATO map, 27 Jan 2015 (pro-separatist)
• “InformNapalm Team’s Summary Assessment as of January 28, 2015″ (pro-Ukrainian)
• “(UKR) President: Ukrainians demonstrate a high level of patriotism in the course of mobilization” – “Residents of occupied territories mobilized on voluntary basis only – General Staff” – “2.5 thousand volunteers want to go to ATO”
• “ATO participants to receive additional bonuses for enemy’s armament destruction” (UKR MoD)
• “Russia warns Bosnia and Herzegovina against ammunition supplies to Kiev”
• “Russian Justice Ministry says received no Yanukovych extradition requests”
• “The “summit of unrecognized states” (including Texas) will be held in Donetsk”
• “Russian Railways to build 87-mile railroad bypassing Ukraine by 2018″
• More of the latest from Ukraine here and here

Ebola

• “Canadian Forces med team heading for Ebola stricken West Africa” – From the Info-machine  “Canadian Armed Forces Medical Team to depart for UK in preparation for mission to Sierra Leone” -“Technical briefing to provide update on Canadian Armed Forces’ efforts against the Ebola outbreak in West Africa (this afternoon)” – Operation SIRONA Backgrounder
• More news on Ebola from Google News and MediSys

Veterans & Helping Veterans

• “Canadian forces major tells story of mental illness publicly for first time”
• “Veterans minister says staff will look at cases of benefits being denied”
• “Justice Dep’t spent $694,000 in legal fight against veterans”

Other

• Jesse Tait, 2 PPCLI, R.I.P.  “Local soldier could light up any room, friend says” – “Family of dead Shilo soldier issues statement” – NDP MP Statement in House of Commons on Jesse Tait
• “Suicide claimed 19 soldiers in 2014, military says”
• “Military investigation ordered into treatment of sex assault complainant — The statement said “irregularities in administrative procedures” prompted the investigation, but the military did not explain what that means ….” – From the Info-machine:  “Commander Canadian Army convenes a Board of Inquiry”
• Video, from the Pentagon Info-machine  “2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Arrives at Atterbury for Warfighter”
• “Ghana: Canada Supports Army With Speed Boats”

World War Two

• “Helmut Oberlander plans to fight after losing appeal of deportation order — An elderly Kitchener-Waterloo developer facing deportation over his connection to a Nazi killing unit will appeal a recent Federal Court decision dismissing his application for a judicial review, his lawyer says ….”

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MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – January 8, 2015

#CharlieHebdo Attack

• “Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on shooting at offices of French news magazine in Paris”
• “Canada offers assistance to France after ‘barbaric’ attack”
• “Montreal’s Muslim council president deems Paris massacre ‘totally unacceptable’ “ – “Toronto Muslims weigh in on Paris shootings”
• More on the shootings from Google News here and European Commission news aggregator here & here

#CANvsISIL

• “Canada to resettle 10,000 more Syrian refugees over 3 years” – “Syrian refugees wonder why they are being treated differently”
• “(7 Jan 2015) Statement from Minister (of International Development and La Francophonie Christian) Paradis to Announce Additional Humanitarian Assistance in Syria and Iraq”
• Control of Terrain in Iraq: January 7, 2015 (Institute for the Study of War)
• Iraq Situation Report: January 4-7, 2015 (Institute for the Study of War)
• More on Canada’s Operation IMPACT here, and on news from around that part of the world here (list of links) and here (Twitter list)

Internal Security

• “Some say PM could justifiably shut down Parliament in crisis: survey — A small but growing minority of Canadians says the prime minister would be justified in padlocking Parliament and the Supreme Court in the face of “difficult times.” ….” – “Canada Social Research – The Environics Institute” – Full report (PDF)
• “Bail denied for man facing hoax-related terrorism charges in Quebec”

Way Up North

• “Harper Shuffles Veterans Affairs Minister To Arctic Sovereignty Gig”
• “Russia Is Sending Drones To The Arctic In The Beginning Of 2015″
• “New (Russian) Northern Fleet Rescue Vessel Starts Sea Trials”
• “The Arctic: An Emerging “Hot Topic” “

Ukraine

• “(UKR) PM urges to be united combating terrorism”
• “LPR sure Kiev ready to give up territories controlled by republic” (ITAR-TASS)
• “Separatist Militant: “On the 1st of January the Kremlin Began an Open War against the Russians in the LPR and the DPR” “
• “Russian humanitarian convoy arrives in Ukraine’s Lugansk, Donetsk” (ITAR-TASS)
• More of the latest from Ukraine here and here

Ebola

• “Clinical trial starts at Ebola center for anti-viral drug”
• More news on Ebola from Google News and MediSys

Veterans & Helping Veterans

• Analysis  “Five Things O’Toole Can Do to Win Back Ex-soldiers — There are five burning issues on the veterans affairs file that Erin O’Toole could do to help patch things up with former soldiers ….”
• “Julian Fantino shuffled out because caucus wanted him gone”

Other

• Canadian Military Journal article:  “Just how advanced have ground-based unmanned weapons systems become and what military advantages do they now provide? Today, Gary Martinic reviews the rapidly developing capabilities of these systems and assesses their future impact on ground warfare ….”
  

• From the RCAF Info-machine  “16 Wing (Borden) “In Focus” “

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MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – December 16, 2014

What’s Canada Buying?

• Big Honkin’ Ships  “Report suggests radical solution to navy woes”
• F-35 Tug o’ War  “F-35 saga soars to ineptitude, piled upon bungling” – ” ‘Reset’ button on F-35s won’t work”
• Wanted:  Someone to design/build new building at Bagotville for ~$30million
• “CAE Inc. has received $115-million worth of contracts for training equipment and services from military customers in Poland and elsewhere.  The Montreal-based company will design and build a full flight simulator for the Polish Air Force, to be delivered in 2017, to train crews for C295 transport planes ….”
  
• “IMP Aerospace Delivers First Interim Beyond Line of Sight (IBLOS) CP-140M Aurora Aircraft to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)”
• “Cubic has secured a contract amendment to deliver an urban operations training system (UOTS) capability to the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND).   The $12m agreement requires the company to work on the initial phase of the project, which includes the integration and validation tasks for the system instrumentation used in the UOTS environment.  The UOTS complements the weapon-effects simulation (WES) force-on-force engagement training system deployed by Cubic in 2006, by adding an urban village training capability in several regions across Canada ….”
• Wanted:  “…. charter service of a commercial aircraft to provide air drop test and associated services at the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental and Test Ranges ….”
• Wanted:  Virtual stuff for virtual reality training environments – more on the system in question here
• Wanted:  6200 x “overalls, extreme cold weather” + 6200 x “cold weather parkas”
• Wanted:  720 x “sniper weapons scope mount” - some technical details in the Statement of Work here
  
• Wanted:  Equipment to help detect nasty little bugs more easily
• Wanted:  Armoured vehicle makers interested in sitting on a team to make even better armoured vehicles  “Companies operating in Canada in the value chain for armoured vehicles and/or personal protective equipment (from advanced materials suppliers to OEMs) are invited to submit the candidacy of a member of their leadership team to become a member of the Canadian Security Materials Technology Roadmap Steering Committee …. Canada’s armoured vehicle (AV) and personal protective equipment (PPE) industry is globally competitive. This industry is based upon conventional engineered materials such as Kevlar, polymer matrix composite laminates and monolithic ceramics, which are rapidly approaching their performance limits.   While there are continuing advances in constitutive material properties such as fibres and monolithic ceramics, these advances are occurring at a relatively slow rate compared to the rapidly evolving demands for higher performance and lower weight protection systems …. New transformational technologies are required to continue to improve armour mass-efficiency ….” – more on the Canadian security materials technology roadmap here

#CANvsISIL

• BBC News Hour speaks to mother of Canadian jihadi (27:25 minutes into podcast) – more on Damian Clairmont
• “The Assad Regime Under Stress: Conscription and Protest among Alawite and Minority Populations in Syria”

Way Up North

• “Russia to file Arctic shelf claim by end of March 2015 — minister”

Veterans & Helping Veterans

• “NDP calls for inquiry into defoliant use at CFB Gagetown — The veterans affairs critic for the NDP is calling for an inquiry into defoliant spraying at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick and is encouraging anyone who was exposed to the chemicals file a claim with the federal government ….”

Other

• “Early retirements and weak recruitment has the Canadian military facing a shortfall of personnel — The Canadian Forces is short hundreds of full-time members and thousands of reservists, due in part to an unexpected spike in the number of personnel hanging up their uniforms and difficulties attracting and training new recruits ….”
• “Harper urged to award Memorial Cross to mom of ‘one-penny’ soldier”
• “Ex-soldier says her dismissal was payback for accusing superior of rape”
• From the Info-machine on the CF’s search and rescue work  “Practice makes perfect” – “Setting up for success”
• “(P.E.I.) Military centre reaching out to ‘extended family’ “
• “Taliban school shooting shocks local Pakistani community” – “Ottawa shares in grief, shock over Pakistan school attack” – “Canada condemns terrorist attack” – “(Foreign Affairs Minister John) Baird Condemns Taliban Attack in Pakistan”

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MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – November 4, 2014

#CANvsISIL

• “Military releases video of air combat mission against ISIS targets — The first strikes of Canada’s air war over Iraq were aimed at heavy engineering vehicles used by ISIS ….” – “The Dispatch: On Canadian targets in Iraq” - “Canadian warplanes bomb Islamic State construction site in Iraq” – “Frappes canadiennes en Irak : importante cible stratégique touchée” – “Canada’s bombs hit ISIL construction gear used to dig defences, divert water” – 
• “Budget watchdog focuses on cost of Iraq mission — With Canadian warplanes striking targets in Iraq, Parliament’s budgetary watchdog is trying to put a price tag on Canada’s war against the Islamic State ….” – “Canadians won’t know cost of Iraq mission for months”
• “How CSIS and ISIS Gather Intelligence In Tragedy”
• “Heavy Fighting Between Kurds, IS Continues in Kobani”
• “New Zealand says it won’t send troops to fight IS in Iraq but may help train Iraqi forces”
• “The origins of ISIS: Finding the birthplace of jihad”
• More on Canada’s Operation IMPACT here, and on news from around that part of the world here (list of links) and here (Twitter list)
  

Attacks on CF in Canada

• “Retired Marine gets threats after guarding Canadian war memorial — Retired Marine Maj. ‘Fox’ Sinke says he has received threatening phone calls from Arabic speakers since he stood guard at Canada’s National War Memorial last week ….”
• Nathan Cirillo, R.I.P.  “Cpl. Nathan Cirillo’s ‘best friend’ back on duty at NWM”
• “The women and men who confronted danger on Oct. 22 tell their stories”

Internal Security

• “Proposed CSIS power boost to be debated by MPs”
• Question to the Info-machine:  which Federal Court of Appeal ruling?  “Minister of Public Safety responds to Federal Court of Appeal’s ruling on the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act” – maaaaaaaaaaaybe this one from the summer?
• “Ex-Shin Bet chief warns Canada over escalating terror”
• Commentary  ” ‘Terrorism’ debate misses the point”

Ebola

• “Canada commits funding for Ebola vaccine research, stockpile” - “Government of Canada announces Ebola-related investment” – “Canada contributes more money, but no medical workers ….” – “Ebola outbreak prompts Canada to deploy more quarantine officers at airports” -
• “Call for Ebola medics falls on deaf ears: MSF”
• Commentary  “Canada and Australia Make the Right Choice on Ebola”

Ukraine

• Commentary  “In Ukraine, Putin takes another (not so stealthy) bite”

Other

• “Canada suspends Burkina (Faso) aid after army grabs power” – “Le Canada coupe momentanément l’aide au gouvernement du Burkina Faso” – From the Info-machine:  “Canada suspends development assistance to the Government of Burkina Faso” – alternative press commentary:  “Burkina Faso: Masses Rise Up Against Neo-Colonial Rule” – more news from Burkina Faso here (Google News) and  here (European Commission news aggregator) 
• From the Info-machine  “Royal Canadian Air Force: Anytime, anywhere”

Remembering ….

• “Woman, 83, spends 25 years fighting for statutory Remembrance Day” - “Make Remembrance Day a legal holiday, NDP MP says” – Private Member’s Bill C-597 An Act to amend the Holidays Act (Remembrance Day)
  
• “Royal Canadian Legion forgives Edmonton store that booted out Poppy Fund volunteers”
• “Community members pay tribute to Veterans in Barrie”
• “Minister of Veterans Affairs joins youth in honouring Veterans at commemorative ceremony in Ottawa”
• “Grief’s geography: Mapping 6,160 Torontonians killed in three wars — Using data from card files and archives, Global News plotted Torontonian war casualties from World War One, World War Two and the Korean war ….”
• Commentary  “Let’s show our support on Remembrance Day”

World War Two

• “Nomad finally has a home”

War of 1812

• “Military parade to mark final War of 1812 battle”

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MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – October 16, 2014

Internal Security

• “The Government of Canada to Introduce Changes to CSIS Act — The Honourable Steven Blaney, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, today announced that the Government of Canada intends to introduce legislative changes to the CSIS Act ….” – “Harper Government to give CSIS more powers in fight against homegrown radicals” – “Canada’s plan to monitor potential terrorists is on track, public safety minister says” – “Canada to boost powers of spy agency to address terrorist threat”
• “Emotional Ahmed apologizes for terrorist crimes: ‘It is not who I am’ — As his relatives sobbed, convicted terrorist Misbahuddin Ahmed apologized Wednesday for his crimes, saying he “cherished” being Canadian and the freedoms that Canadians enjoy ….”

Ebola

• “Botched U.S. Ebola response raises serious doubts for Canada’s own preparedness — The threat of Ebola is becoming more relevant and more real to Canadians every day, and the latest news out of the United States has done nothing to ease tensions north of the border ….” – “Ebola fears in Canada are real but overblown”
• From the PM  “Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke with Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations (yesterday) about the evolving Ebola crisis in West Africa.  There was a good exchange on the situation and the international response. The Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for Canada’s contributions to date. Prime Minister Harper indicated that Canada would commit additional support to the international effort in the coming days.”

Way Up North

• From the Pentagon Info-machine  “Airmen support remote arctic operations — Located just 508 miles from the North Pole and 1,140 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Canadian Forces Station Alert and its small contingent of personnel provides signals intelligence there and for its detachment stations ….” – “Operation Boxtop supplies remote Canadian station”

Other

• “Canada should heed Pentagon’s climate change warnings: defence expert”
• “Officials planned to defend general’s in-city moving expenses before Andrew Leslie blasted over ‘excessive’ claim”
• “Russell Williams clings to his pension”
• “Military planes (including Canadian ones) flying over Spokane part of training exercise”
• From the Pentagon Info-machine  “U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, center right, shares pumpkin pie with Canadian Minister of National Defense Robert Nicholson (at a meeting on Canadian Thanksgiving) ….” – more – more
• One man’s story  “Combat vets still on the front lines when they return home – The war mask Micael Duguay wore for months as a combat veteran in Afghanistan is still visible – but he’s doing his best to keep it under wraps ….”
• “Corporate Canada Converges on Montreal to hire Canadian Armed Forces Veterans”
• Commentary  “Need for soldiers will always be there”
• From the Info-machine  “The Canadian Armed Forces Chaplain Branch Returns to its Historical Identity”
• “Veterans Voices of Canada in town for more stories from veterans”
• “Legacy of local Springhill Veterans preserved”
• “The Royal Canadian Mint launches an abundant selection of collector coins in time for the fall season — The Royal Canadian Mint has once again launched a spectacular variety of collector coins finely crafted in gold, silver and platinum. Whether commemorating Canada’s role in the First and Second World Wars, celebrating the return of Canada’s National Hockey League® teams for a new hockey season or embracing the spirit of winter and the holidays, the Mint is showcasing a broad range of Canadian themes appealing to all tastes and occasions. All products announced today are available to the general public ….”
• Commentary  “Take the time to show you remember”

World War One

• “10 things you didn’t know were World War I memorials — When we think of war memorials, we picture cenotaphs, statues of angels and soldiers, but after the First World War, communities searched for original ways to honour their fallen citizens. Some took the traditional route, while others came up with other methods to memorialize the dead ….”

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MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – October 14, 2014

 

#CANinIRQ

• “Nicholson, Lawson talk Islamic State campaign with U.S. officials at White House  — The country’s top military commander is representing Canada at a White House meeting ….” – “Minister Nicholson meets with US Secretary of Defense” – “Tom Lawson Talks ISIL Campaign With US Officials At White House” –  “Obama, allies plot anti-ISIS strategy”
• “Canada in combat – (Conservative MP Bev) Shipley talks war with ISIS”
• One analyst’s take  “…. One issue for any coalition operation is selecting which targets to strike. In the 1999 NATO air campaign in Kosovo, there was significant disagreement among the NATO allies about what to bomb …. Canadian officials did not immediately respond to questions about whether the Canadian military would not strike certain types of targets.”
  
• From the mideast media  “Kuwait: Canada’s risky ally” – “Deployment of Canadian troops to Kuwait stirs memories of Gulf War” – “Hagel confirms ‘long-term’ fight against ISIS”
  
• “Ghosts of the Libyan campaign likely to haunt new war against ISIL  — The ghosts of Canada’s last air war are likely to haunt its participation in the new campaign ….”
• Commentary  “Canada’s response amounts to a scolding” – “Full Pundit: This is no way to go to war” – “The mission against ISIS fails the national interest test” – “Point / Counterpoint: What strategies should Canada employ in the fight against ISIS?” -
• “US, Russia Vow Intel-Sharing on Islamic State”

Ebola

• “Ebola test result awaited by member of CF aid mission” – “Ottawa patient tests negative for Ebola; DND member still in isolation” –  more – more – more
• “Canadian Ebola vaccine begins testing” – “Human testing of an experimental Canadian-made Ebola vaccine began Monday, while health care workers in Alberta and Ontario held patients who were showing symptoms of the virus in isolation.  The vaccine, known as VSV-EBOV, was created by scientists at the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory and officials say the drug could be shipped to West Africa within months if it proves successful ….” – From the Info-machine  “Experimental Ebola vaccine developed by Public Health Agency of Canada to be tested in humans” - more on the vaccine from Google News
  
• “Ebola ‘will go over 9,000 cases this week,’ WHO says”

Ukraine

• “HMCS Toronto participates in Exercise NOBLE JUSTIFICATION  — Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Toronto joins Exercise NOBLE JUSTIFICATION today as part of her Operation REASSURANCE NATO deployment in response to Russia’s aggressive military actions against Ukraine.  Toronto and other Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) warships will conduct Task Force training exercises and force integration activities in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea regions from October 13-26 ….”
  

Way Up North

• From the Info-machine  “Operation Nevus: Mission accomplished”

Other

• “Canada to review policy that boots wounded from military”
• “Military’s mental health system ‘abandoned’ CFB Shilo soldier — A soldier says mental health care at Canadian Forces Base Shilo in Manitoba has been ‘a nightmare for me and other patients.’ Among other things, the base has been without a psychiatrist for three months ….”
• “Military veteran alleges abuse by drill sergeant — James Robichaud went from promising military recruit to injured veteran before he could even complete basic training ….”
• Commentary  “Harper Government is failing the Canadian Armed Forces”
• “Military may gets its $3-billion back — Even as the Harper Conservatives have deployed CF-18 fighter jets to Eastern Europe, and now to Kuwait to join the air war against Islamic State, the Canadian Forces have seen their funding slashed. But that may be about to change, as the government considers adding back part of all of the $3.1-billion removed from the military’s piggy bank in last February’s budget ….”
• “Statement by Vice-Admiral Norman on the Chief Review Services Evaluation of Naval Forces” – still no such evaluation report on the Home of Chief Review Services/Assistant Deputy Minister (Review Services) page
• Some Info-machine nuggets  “Cooking up a storm: a rewarding challenge for military cooks” –  – “NORAD: Canada’s role in the most integrated defence partnership of the modern age”
• “Peace groups opposed to military course in Regina schools — A coalition of Saskatchewan peace groups has started a petition about a new course being introduced to Regina schools that includes military training ….” – More CBC coverage of Regina military co-op program

World War One

• “Marking a special centennial for Canada’s troops”

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MILNEWS.ca News Highlights – October 9, 2014

#CANinIRQ

• “CF-18 jets won’t join anti-ISIS fight for 3 weeks” –  “Military planes will come from three Canadian bases”
• Statement by The Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of National Defence  “ISIL is a terrorist group that poses an active threat not only to the region but also to us here in Canada. Its members are raping and pillaging across the Middle East; committing acts of genocide; beheading Western journalists; kidnapping women and selling them into slavery; abusing and torturing children, and planning attacks on this country. Left unchecked, ISIL represents a serious danger to the national security of this country and to Canadians ….”
• Analysis  “ISIS votes, ISIS threats and our crumbling Commons on Wednesdays with (CBC’s) @Kady”
• Commentary  “War debate in Commons clears muddied waters: Siddiqui” – “What we need in Iraq: Limited objectives, clear goals and a short war” – “After five years in sanctuary, U.S. (deserter) Rodney Watson warns against another war in Iraq” – “Canada’s parliament votes to join new Mideast war” (World Socialist Web Site)
• The Politics  “Axworthy Disappointed By Trudeau’s Opposition To Iraq Combat Mission” – “Quebec voters at the heart of NDP, Liberal positions on Iraq” – – -
• MP Irwin Cotler on “Why I Abstained From the ISIL vote” – more
• “ISIS threat to Canada not imminent but real, CSIS director warns”
• “The RCMP has about 63 active security investigations on 90 suspected extremists who intend to join fights abroad or who have returned to Canada, said Bob Paulson, commissioner of the national police force. “The pace and tempo of operations is quite brisk,” Paulson told the Commons public safety committee on Wednesday. He quickly added: “It’s nothing that I think that Canadians need to be alarmed about.” ….” – “Canada says 80 citizens and immigrants who recently returned from war zones including Iraq and Syria are suspected of having links to “terrorism” groups. The suspects were planning “terrorist activity” on Canadian soil and are accused of working with the Islamic State organisation in Iraq and Syria, where a US-led coalition is launching air strikes against the jihadists. “These dangerous individuals have a desire to commit terrorist activity and pose serious threat to law-abiding Canadians,” Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said ….” – “The Canadian government said Wednesday it will use additional powers in the coming weeks to monitor those who could become terrorists and to help combat what it says is a threat to the country from the Islamic State militant group ….”
• Analysis  “Has Ottawa been too slow to take on radicalized Canadians? — Government’s plan to deal with jihadists recruits more weighted to punishing than preventing ….”

Ebola

• “Canada is going to start “targeted temperature” screening of travellers arriving from countries affected by the Ebola outbreak, Health Minister Rona Ambrose said Wednesday. Ambrose made the announcement during daily question period, in response to a query from the opposition about Canada’s ability to contain potential Ebola cases on Canadian soil ….” –  “Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada on Additional Border Measures” – “Texas Ebola patient dies as Canada, U.S. unveil screening plans” – “The United States and Canada announced stepped-up airport screening measures Wednesday to look for passengers carrying Ebola, as the deadly virus killed a man in Texas and the worldwide toll neared 3,900 ….”

Other

• Finally, from the Info-machine “HMCS Athabaskan disrupts 820 kg of cocaine in the Western Caribbean”
• Oopsie …. “He was crossing the Canadian border en route to a fresh professional start in Alaska. Now a U.S. special forces soldier faces an uncertain future after admitting he tried smuggling a handgun and ammunition inside his vehicle. Ryan Byler, 22, pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to 14 days of time served plus a $4,000 fine. He was expected to be released from custody late in the day and escorted to the Canada-U.S. border, where he was arrested Sept. 25. Officials with the Canada Border Services Agency would then send him on his way once he’s on his home soil. The criminal conviction in Canada means it’s unlikely he could return here any time soon. “I’d like to apologize for my lapse of judgment. I hope it doesn’t reflect on my character as a man or a United States soldier,” the polite, soft-spoken Byler told court ….”
• “A Liberal MP’s backbench bid to lift the curtain on the operations of Canada’s electronic spy agency and give MPs more oversight over national security issues may not make it to House of Commons finish line after all ….”

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