Canadian Intelligence Eh

The debate over the events of Jan 6 in Washington continues.  Was it terrorism?  A riot?  A coup?  Well, a Canadian Member of Parliament has decided it was most definitely terrorism.  Is that OK?  Do we want the government to tell us how to think?  Borealis weighs in on this trend.

► Check out my latest book The Peaceable Kingdom? A history of terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the Present 

About the host Phil Gurski:

Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Subscribe - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/subscribe/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

A doctor in Turkey has been charged with terrorism for embarrassing the government over true COVID figures.  How is that terrorism?  Borealis looks at how many are widening the scope of the term terrorism to ridiculous ends.

► Buy my latest book The Peaceable Kingdom? A history of terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the Present 

About the host Phil Gurski:

Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Subscribe - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/subscribe/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

Episode 81 - France has suffered a disproportionate number of terrorist attacks, mostly Islamist in nature, in the 2010s and 2020s when compared to other Western nations.  Why is this?  Borealis is joined by Alexandre Rodde, a French terrorism researcher and trainer for that country's law enforcement to discuss the situation in France.

About my guest Alexandre Rodde:
Alexandre is a security consultant, specialized in terrorism and mass shootings issues. His work includes risk assessment, threat monitoring, and research on national security subjects.

►Find out more about my guest Alexandre Rodde

About the host Phil Gurski:
Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Check Phil's latest book ''The Peaceable Kingdom'' - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/the-peaceable-kingdom/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

Every major Western power has a foreign intelligence service that collects information on the intents and capabilities of foreign states. Except Canada.  We do allow CSIS to collect FI as it is called, but in a very constrained way - why?

In this Quick Hits episode, Borealis looks at  a recent court ruling and comments on this silliness.

► Buy my latest book The Peaceable Kingdom? A history of terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the Present 

About the host Phil Gurski:

Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Subscribe - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/subscribe/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

QAnon has been shown to not be very good at predictions. Trump lost the election, there is no satanic pedophile cult in the White House, etc. So will it now turn violent... or disappear.  Borealis speculates on where this all goes and how much attention we need to pay to it.

► Buy my latest book The Peaceable Kingdom? A history of terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the Present 

About the host Phil Gurski:

Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Subscribe - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/subscribe/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

The 2008 film Ironman starts in Afghanistan where the main character, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), ends up wounded by shrapnel from one of the weapons his company made.  How well does the movie portray the military deployment to Afghanistan and does it show why we should not see counter terrorism as primarily a problem for the army/air force to solve.

►Watch video version on YouTube
►See also, Lessons on Terrorism | How Captain Marvel badly uses the word 'terrorism'

About the host Phil Gurski:

Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Subscribe - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/subscribe/
►Check Phil's latest book ''When Religion Kills'' - https://amzn.to/2ALdpoG
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

The federal government has added 13 groups to its list of terror groups, including five ISIS affiliates, and a handful of far-right extremist groups, including the Proud Boys.

The move comes after parliament voted to call on the government to add the Proud Boys to the list in the wake of its involvement in the Jan. 6 events at the U.S. Capitol.

But what does the terror designation actually do?

Author and former CSIS terrorism analyst Phil Gurski joins Dave Breakenridge to discuss the purpose of Canada’s terror group list, where it can be helpful in dealing with extremist groups, but where politics can muddy the process.

► Buy my latest book The Peaceable Kingdom? A history of terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the Present 

About the host Phil Gurski:

Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Subscribe - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/subscribe/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

Episode 80 - The race between codemakers and codebreakers is an ancient one.  Success in breaking the enemy's codes often turns defeat into victory on the battlefield.  Borealis sits down with former Canadian cryptologist Richard Brisson to talk about this fascinating field.

About my guest Richard Brisson:
Richard Brisson is a graduate from the University of Ottawa (B.Sc. Math-Physics in 1978 and M.Sc. Systems Science in 1980). Upon graduation, he was hired by the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) from which he retired in 2011. Over the last 25 years, he has been collecting vintage cryptographic and clandestine artifacts dating up to and including the Cold War.

►Find out more about my guest Richard Brisson

About the host Phil Gurski:
Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Check Phil's latest book ''The Peaceable Kingdom'' - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/the-peaceable-kingdom/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

Religion can inspire heights of magnificence and depths of violence.  Each faith has a wide range of interpretations from 'normative' to 'extreme'. 'Extreme' does not mean violent, but extreme views can endanger the public. Borealis looks at extreme views that may not be violent but which still can an effect on public safety.

► Buy my latest book The Peaceable Kingdom? A history of terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the Present 

About the host Phil Gurski:

Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Subscribe - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/subscribe/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

20 years ago the Canadian government decided to list the Iranian group MeK as a terrorist group.  Ten years later a different government elected to 'delist'  it.  Why?  Had it changed its ways?  If not, what does this say about the whole process?  Borealis comes out against the whole process of listings, calling it more or less useless.

► Buy my latest book The Peaceable Kingdom? A history of terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the Present 

About the host Phil Gurski:

Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Subscribe - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/subscribe/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]