Guest Commentary
By Harjit Sajjan

The recent attack on our Parliament and the horrible murder of our two servicemen, Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Corporal Nathan Cirillo, have rightfully brought the topic of home grown terrorism and radicalization into the minds of Canadians. These tragic events have touched us deeply, and they serve to remind us that we need to remain active and vigilant in order to uphold and preserve the security of Canada as a nation. 
Based on the insight I gained in the military and in law enforcement, I truly believe that the unique, open and diverse society we have built in Canada is a strength we have in dealing with future threats. By focusing our government’s efforts on fear, suspicion and finger pointing, as has been the case recently, we risk wasting Canada’s greatest strength – its people, and in the process we put our nation’s security at further risk. 
During the past 25 years, I have had the unique opportunity of transitioning between my military and law enforcement careers. Regrettably, I have faced the worst of our society, not only at home, but also abroad in locations such as Bosnia and Afghanistan. While it may come as a surprise to some, the policing experience I gained as a detective in the Gang Crime Unit in Vancouver provided me with valuable insight that I employed in my military duties as part of a multi-national force in the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan. 
While in Afghanistan, I learned that although combat was necessary to fight terrorism, combat alone could not help us achieve our goals against the Taliban. I discovered that a great deal of the Taliban’s power came from the recruitment of young Afghan males, and we came to understand that we needed to take steps to impede the Taliban’s recruitment efforts. I understood that our efforts in this regard, as they were in the fight against gangs in Vancouver, were dependent upon us winning the support of the local population. This required building a genuine rapport with key Afghan communities who had the knowledge and necessary insight to target the Taliban in a meaningful way. Fortunately, this simple approach worked with tremendous results, and we were able to earn the trust of the people we were sent there to help. Our intelligence increased which in turn allowed us to target the right threat more quickly and with greater accuracy. Thus, it was through meaningful engagement with the Afghan communities that we were able to gain a true awareness of the situation, and this allowed us to assess and determine the root cause of the problem while we continued to fight the symptoms.
Back in Canada, our situation is not much different. It is the local community that can tell the subtle difference within their neighbourhoods and community gathering places when someone does not fit in or if someone may potentially cause harm. Regardless of the community, a Canadian will come forward with the clue that will lead to an investigation and potentially result in the arrest of suspects and the prevention a terrorist act. A potent example is the case of the Toronto 18 from 2006. Regrettably, this was a homegrown terrorist plot, but one that was brought to the attention of the police by members of the local community and thankfully thwarted.
As I mentioned earlier, diversity is one of Canada’s strengths. Canada’s positive approach to diversity and its culture of acceptance allows security services to recruit from a pool of trusted Canadians. This ensures that Canadians with the cultural understanding and language skills will make up part of our security services. Coupled with proud visible minority communities, terrorist elements within Canada will be identified from within. This simple approach of inclusiveness makes a community feel they are partners with the security agencies and part of the solution to radicalization, rather than making them feel they are the cause of it.
If Mr. Harper’s government is serious about preventing more lone wolf attacks in Canada, then it should stop its divisive fear based rhetoric that is alienating the Muslim community in Canada. Police departments across Canada need to work in cooperation with the communities they serve. Divisive rhetoric hinders law enforcement agencies from building meaningful relationships with the communities that have the ability to see the subtle differences that can identify a threat at the early stages. While starting a debate on a woman’s right to wear a niqab is clearly politically self-serving for the Harper government, it serves to stoke the fire of divisive politics while putting Canadian security at greater risk for lone wolf attacks.
Our Prime Minister should demonstrate leadership by bringing Canadians together. Instead of marginalizing people from certain communities by using divisive rhetoric and acting as if we believe they and their religion are the problem, we should be empowering these communities by enabling them to understand that they are part of the solution. There is no one solution to the problem of radicalization. A layered approach is needed that involves government, communities and law enforcement, working together. 
Harjit Sajjan is a former Detective Constable with the Vancouver Police Department and senior officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. He has been credited with helping reduce the influence of the Taliban in Kandahar Province during his 3 deployments to Afghanistan. Harjit is also the Federal Liberal Candidate for Vancouver-South.