When a country can no longer guarantee it has dutifully guarded against the threat of terrorism, it becomes a threat itself. Pictured: Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc. Photo Credit: Dominic LeBlanc/X.
It is unnerving to hear that two individuals were arrested this week for plotting a terrorist act in Toronto. This news comes as Canadians are enduring on-going pro-Palestinian protests and unchecked acts of lawlessness on the streets of Toronto and Montreal. Conservatives are calling on the Trudeau government for some explanations about the latest terrorist arrests, and Canadians are deserving of some answers.
Last weekend, the RCMP arrested Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi and his son, Mostafa Eldidi, on nine charges of terrorism, including conspiracy to commit murder on behalf of the terror group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The police stated that the two men were “in the advanced stages of planning a serious, violent attack in Toronto.” Because of the nature of the crimes, the RCMP shared little details other than confirming that the father is a Canadian citizen, while the son is not.
By way of background, ISIL is an Iraqi- and Syrian-based terrorist organization with ties to the al-Qaeda network, committed to establishing a new Islamic state under Sharia law. Evidently the Eldidis were intent on bringing their foreign conflicts and bloodshed to Canadian soil.
Importing racial, political and religious terrorism from abroad is of utmost concern to those wanting to maintain a peaceful and secure nation. When a country can no longer guarantee it has dutifully guarded against the threat of terrorism, it becomes a threat itself. That was the underlying message of a group of US senators who have voiced their serious concerns about the increased likelihood of Hamas terrorist activity in Canada.
In a letter to President Joe Biden, Florida Senator Marco Rubio warned that criminals and terrorists could enter the States over the Canadian border.
“We are deeply concerned and request heightened scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security should any of them attempt to enter the United States at ports of entry as well as between ports of entry,” the Rubio letter reads, co-signed by five Senate colleagues.
Canada’s reputation with our closest allies, and with the international community, is being questioned due to a number of foreign affairs issues with the Trudeau government.
First, Canada is the only country that has established a special refugee program to provide a safe haven for Gazans – even the Muslim states in the Middle East, including Iran and Egypt, have denied Palestinians refuge. As Canada is prepared to welcome up to 5,000 Gazans, international news reports the unrest caused in Toronto and Montreal by pro-Palestinian protests.
Second, there have been an increased number of incidents of anti-Israel extremism in Canada since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel. This ugly trend was brought into sharper focus in the international community recently when Zachareah Adam Quraishi of Cold Lake, Alberta was killed by security guards in Israel, while he was wielding a knife shouting “free Palestine.”
Third, in late July, 55,000 Canadian Sikhs gathered in Calgary, some carrying swords and spears, and terrorist organization Babbar Khalsa shirts. They were there to vote in a Khalistan Referendum, which expressed Sikhs’ desire for a separate independent state from India. Senior members of the government’s support for the Sikh’s aspirations have caused tension between Canada and India.
Fourth, and perhaps most concerning domestically and abroad, is the knowledge that there are elected representatives in the Trudeau government who have collaborated in potentially treasonous activities with foreign governments.
Canadians have become very aware of the increased foreign presence in the country with the disruptive protests in their city streets. Just this week in Montreal the cenotaph was graffitied and violated, and in Toronto at the City Hall square there was an uncivil display of smoke bombs and weaponry. In the streets of Ottawa, a little girl was filmed leading a Palestinian antisemitic rally, calling for the annihilation of Israel. Then on Tuesday in Toronto, an unruly group blockaded the Gardiner Expressway to disrupt and harass morning commuters. Police are turning a blind eye to these public demonstrations and only when there is a hint of counter-protest activities do they appear, often to threaten arrest of the counter-protestors.
The two-tiered policing that is playing itself out on Canadian streets is also taking place in London, England and in cities across the UK – and it has resulted in violent clashes. The UK’s situation erupted with the horrific stabbing murder of three young girls, and knife injuries to eight other children and two adults. Police have charged Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 17, born in Wales to Rwandan parents. Anti-immigration protesters took to the streets, and the unruliest of the groups smashed windows of mosques and hotels housing migrants, and tossed rocks and debris at police lines.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer addressed the nation calling out the protestors as “far-right” racist rioters and stating they would face lengthy jail terms. Then, the next night, Muslim gangs rioted with knives and machetes, chanting “Allahu akbar,” attacking patrons in pubs and shops, and clashing with police. (Remarkably, after the harsh message against the anti-immigration protestors, Starmer was silent regarding the night of Muslim rioting).
Back in Canadian news, media released facts that the arrested father, Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi had become a Canadian citizen in 2016 and his citizenship was granted even when he had appeared in 2015 in an Islamic State (ISIS) execution video apparently dismembering a person’s limbs.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asked the obvious question on every Canadians’ mind when he posted on X, “How did a terror suspect and former ISIS fighter, who was filmed torturing people, immigrate to Canada and become a citizen? Trudeau must answer to Canadians on how this happened. Conservatives are calling for a Parliamentary investigation immediately.”
The Conservatives have written the House of Commons public safety committee asking that it meet.
“The attempted terror attack in the Greater Toronto Area shows the importance of this Committee returning so parliamentarians can do their work to ensure Canada’s national security,” reads the Conservative letter. “Any more delays from the Liberal-NDP coalition are an unacceptable act of negligence… What is even more shocking is that one of the two accused men had entered Canada, and had been granted a Canadian citizenship by the Trudeau Government, even though he had been videoed dismembering a prisoner on behalf of ISIS in 2015.”
At an Ottawa press conference midweek, the Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer called the government’s national security system a “colossal failure.” He stated: “For Canadians to have confidence in our immigration system, we need to know that in every case, in every application, the due diligence and proper screening is done. Clearly that was not done in this situation and lives were almost lost.”
News broke on Parliament Hill Thursday afternoon that a committee meeting will be held next week, but there is no indication that a government minister or any immigration officials will appear. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc would only say he may have something to share “at some future point.”
But surely, Canadians deserve answers regarding the threats of terrorism in our streets?
Chris George is an advocate, government relations advisor, and writer/copy editor. As president of a public relations firm established in 1994, Chris provides discreet counsel, tactical advice and management skills to CEOs/Presidents, Boards of Directors and senior executive teams in executing public and government relations campaigns and managing issues. Prior to this PR/GR career, Chris spent seven years on Parliament Hill on staffs of Cabinet Ministers and MPs. He has served in senior campaign positions for electoral and advocacy campaigns at every level of government. Today, Chris resides in Almonte, Ontario where he and his wife manage www.cgacommunications.com. Contact Chris at chrisg.george@gmail.com.
