Minister Vic Toes recently issued a reassuring statement for all Canadians: “The First responsibility of any government is to ensure the safety and security of its citizens.” That the Canadian government takes this responsibility very seriously was evidenced by the RCMP when it arrested individuals who were planning on undertaking terrorist acts in Canada. The arrest was the result of an ongoing investigation (“SMOOTH”) into terrorism-related activities. The Government attributes part of its success to its close cooperation with international partners to combat terrorism, namely the FBI. According to Minister of Public Safety Vic Toes, operation SMOOTH “is an example of Canada’s long-standing and productive intelligence sharing relationship with domestic and international partners.” As a Canadian, suffice to say that one can only hope that our government will indeed stand firm in its commitment to protecting Canada from terrorists and the fear they hope to generate.
Smit LeSieur is a Full-Service International Law Firm based in Toronto. Areas of practice include data privacy, cybersecurity, Internet and e-commerce, intellectual property, access to information, media and entertainment, marketing and advertising. More information is available at http://www.smitlesieur.com.
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