Canadian Intelligence Eh

Canadian Intelligence Eh

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Canadian Intelligence Eh episodes

  • Episode #119 - Could plastic recycling fund terrorism?

    A lot of us feel good when we put the recycling bin out on garbage day, confident we are helping the environment.  But did you know that organised crime is a big part of this industry?  Could terrorist groups get involved too?  Borealis talks with Virginia Comolli, author of a new paper "Plastic for Profit: tracing illicit plastic waste flows, supply chains and actors".

    Virginia Comolli is the research manager for the GI-TOC programme ‘Anticipating and disrupting environmental crime in the globalized economy’, which focuses on South East Asia and central and East Africa. Before joining the GI-TOC, she was head of the Conflict, Security and Development programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

    Phil Gurski 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]

    34 min
  • Quick Hits | Now I've seen it all: Sharks as 'terrorists'!

    Shark attacks are terrifying; on that I think we all agree.  So are sharks therefore 'terrorists'?  If a Michigan state attorney can charge a 15-year old school shooter who 'terrified' his classmates with terrorism where does this all end? Borealis looks at the worrisome recent tendency to attach the 'terrorism' label to lots of events which have nothing to do with 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.

    ►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]

    10 min
  • Episode #118 - A fictional Canadian terrorism plot by a leading Canadian writer

    Terrorism is no laughing matter but on the other hand it has been said it helps to laugh at what frightens you.  There are lots of spy and intrigue novels, but what is it like to make them look and sound real if the author has no background in national security?  Borealis talks to Terry Fallis, award-winning Canadian writer and author of the bestselling Operation Angus.

    A two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Terry Fallis is the author of eight national bestselling novels including his latest, Operation Angus, all published by McClelland & Stewart. The Best Laid Plans was the winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour in 2008, and CBC’s Canada Reads in 2011. It was adapted as a six-part CBC- Television miniseries, and a stage musical. The High Road was a Leacock Medal finalist in 2011. Up and Down was the winner of the 2013 Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award and was a finalist for the 2013 Leacock Medal.

    Phil Gurski 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]

    29 min
  • Episode #117: Veteran CSIS investigator Dan Stanton

    In the aftermath of 9/11 all the attention seemed to migrate to counter terrorism. That was a big change in the intelligence world where countering foreign spies had been the #1 task for decades.  How has this shift affected the way intelligence services operate?  Borealis has a discussion with veteran CSIS investigator Dan Stanton

    Dan Stanton served for thirty-two years with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, including twelve years as an Executive Manager in operations. Mr. Stanton had a lengthy career in counterintelligence, counter-proliferation, and counterterrorism, with recognized expertise in human source recruitment, handling, validation, and training. A graduate of Queens University, he has an Honours B.A. in History and Philosophy.

    Phil Gurski 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]

    31 min
  • Quick Hits | How reliable is Saudi Arabia as a counter terrorism partner?

    15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi. A Saudi Air Force pilot who had joined AQ killed 3 US servicemen in Florida in December 2019. The Saudi Crown Prince orders the assassination of those he does not like. Borealis asks the question: is Saudi Arabia a desirable partner for the West when it comes to CT?

    Mentioned articles:
    ►Survivors of the Pensacola terror attack speak out
    ►Bin Salman has blood on his hands that refuses to be washed away
    ►The Saudi Connection: Inside the 9/11 Case That Divided the F.B.I.

    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]

    10 min
  • Episode #116: Mayor Brad West on the role of municipalities in national security

    We see public safety and national security as largely federal or national responsibilities.  And yet most of us are more connected with local officials - mayors and councilors.  What role do they play in this?  Borealis talks with Port Coquitlam (BC) Mayor Brad West about Chinese interference and influence peddling in Canada and other issues.

    ► Read: 'I wanted to see that room empty': Mayor slams attendees of Chinese-funded reception

    Brad lives in Port Coquitlam with his wife Blaire. In 2017, the couple welcomed their first child, Liam and in 2021, their family welcomed a second son, Owen. Becoming a Dad motivates Brad every day to make Port Coquitlam a place future generations will be proud to call home. He is a graduate of the University of Victoria, St. Francis Xavier University and most recently completed a program in Leadership at Harvard University.

    Phil Gurski 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]

    38 min
  • Quick Hits | Way too many things are being called terrorism today

    In the wake of another mass school shooting in the US - this time in a city near Detroit - a 15-year old teen has been charged, among other things, with 'terrorism'.  The rationale?  He 'terrorised' the student population.  Is this a good move?  Borealis looks at the ever-expanding use of terrorism in very unnecessary ways.

    Mentioned articles:
    ►Gurski: Why 'terrorism' shouldn't be in Canada's Criminal Code
    ►The hypocrisy of America’s terror debate
    ►Parents of Michigan school shooting suspect are charged with involuntary manslaughter

    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]

    12 min
  • Quick Hits | Those that can become practitioners, those that don't...

    Quick Hits #180 - Why is that some academics dislike practitioners?  There are some who think practitioners have nothing to offer and should actually be ignored?  Borealis looks at the problem from the perspective of a (former) intelligence practitioner.

    ► Read  Carleton criminology department cuts ties with police, prisons

    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]

    12 min
  • Episode #115: Former NSA Mark Ericson - The importance of alliances in intelligence sharing

    Canada is part of what is called the '5 eyes' intelligence sharing club (Australia, New Zealand, UK and US are other four members).  How important is this?  How is Canada viewed in this arrangement?  Borealis talks with NSA veteran linguist Mark Ericson on these matters.

    Mark Ericson was a Japanese language analyst and foreign affairs officer with the National Security Agency who retired in 2017 after 37 years with NSA. Raised by missionary parents in Japan, he obtained his PhD in Japanese history from the University of Hawaii and taught at the university level before taking a position with NSA in 1980. Early in his career there, he became the first NSA language analyst to be seconded to the Canadian Communications Security Establishment (CSE).

    Phil Gurski 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]

    33 min
  • Quick Hits | It turns out Canada cannot prosecute returning foreign fighters...

    Quick Hits #179 - Joining a listed terrorist entity  is illegal.  And yet hundreds of Canadians have done so and some are now home... but have not been charged.  What should we do with these cases?
     
    See also:
    ►Canadian woman freed from ISIS detention camp reunites with daughter in Canada
    ►Second Chance: Jailed Kazakh Islamic State Widow 'Optimistic' About Future
    ►Listed Terrorist Entities

    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]



    12 min

About Canadian Intelligence Eh

From the publisher's feed

Everywhere you look these days terrorism and violent extremism dominate the headlines. Whether you follow what is happening in Afghanistan or Iraq, or in the West writ large, we are inundated with…

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