The Canadian CT researcher alpha dog, @AmarAmarasingam ATIP'ed an important @csiscanada intelligence assessment and I want to talk about a key finding in it as relates to the discussion we are currently having about migration. #cdnpoli #cdnnatsec
It's a little tough to read but it says "In all of these cases of failed mobilization, family members... played a key role in alerting the authorities. This statistic demonstrates the importance of families' role in countering mobilization." 
Why is this important? It shows 1) families are deeply worried and concerned about their loved ones and are desperate for help when they may be radicalizing/mobilizing 2) They do not support violent extremism and do not want to participate in it.
3) Most importantly - THEY TRUST AUTHORITIES AND COME FORWARD WITH KEY INFORMATION. If we have a national discourse that creates mistrust about immigration and migration, this trust goes away. We will 100% lose a key counter-terrorism tool.
This weekend I highlighted @TSASNetwork research that shows that rhetoric that plays up the narrative that the government is incapable of managing border security or that there is a migrant "crisis" encourages extremism on the far right.
What I am saying here is that if immigrants & refugees feel unsafe or demonized, they will not come forward to authorities with key, potentially life-saving information if they feel they will be blamed for it or prosecuted. Talk of crisis hurts trust and that hurts security.
@paulgill_ucl's brilliant work on lone actor violent extremism shows that in 50% of cases some one knows about the attacker's intention. We absolutely have to build this trust between communities, law enforcement and national security.
Immigration/migration is an important policy issues for Canada to discuss. But in doing so we need to think through the very real consequences of doing so irresponsibly. *FIN*
