Roundup: Foreign fighters and the fear industry

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As the issue of returning jihadis continues to ramp up, with some frankly irresponsible journalistic stirring of pots along the way, it’s important that we take a breath and listen to some of the experts who study this kind of thing for a living.

To that end, Ralph Goodale was on CTV’s Question Period yesterday, talking about how it’s unlikely that most of those who return could be rehabilitated (which is assuming that those who return are hard-core jihadis and are not likely women and the children they had while over in there), which is again countered by yet other experts who say that it is possible to rehabilitate them, but it requires careful effort.

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But the thing that we should be most aware of is the fact that there is an industry dedicated to fear in Canada, and we should be very cautious of feeding into it – especially if it’s simply for partisan point-scoring, or even for the sake of a sensational headline. And we are seeing a lot of this partisan point-scoring right now, with the Conservatives insisting that the government is being “soft on terror” by welcoming the worst murders back with hugs and government dollars for said rehabilitation, which is completely not the case – but hey, we’re in an era right now where the truth is hardly anywhere to be seen in the opposition benches as everything needs to be wrapped in a disingenuous and mendacious frame in order to amp up the drama, for the sake of sharing it on their social media channels, damn the consequences. And there are consequences, such as the reports of people trying to confront Trudeau about those returning jihadis during that swarming at the mall in Scarborough, no doubt whipped up by the fear industry. We should have a sense of responsibility around a serious topic like this, but I’m not seeing much of one.

https://twitter.com/StephanieCarvin/status/934444931573321729

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Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau has announced that he’ll be going to China on December 3rd to 7th, with a focus on trade and human rights.
  • On Saturday, Trudeau also spoke about the need for men to take a greater role in ending violence against women.
  • At the same time as the government will be making their official apology to persecuted LGBT Canadians, they settled a class-action lawsuit from those victims.
  • Here’s an interesting comparison between Justin Trudeau’s attitude toward official apologies as compared to his father’s.
  • The government has agreed to review the case of a woman whose husband was killed before her immigration paperwork was finalized, and now faces deportation.
  • The former head of the FCC under Obama thinks that Canada should raise net neutrality as part of NAFTA talks.
  • Bob Rae says the issue of Aung San Suu Kyi’s honorary Canadian citizenship is not central to what is going on in Myanmar with the Rohingya.
  • The Senate bill on protecting journalists sources has passed, and here’s a look at what it will do (and won’t do).

Odds and ends:

Here’s a look at the new Nunavut premier.