Paul Martin, the Minister of Finance, wants to end terrorist fundraising in this country. The Cabinet approved new regulations Tuesday, freezing the assets of 22 groups and individuals with links to Middle Eastern terrorism. Anne McLellan, Canada's Justice Minister, is reportedly planning follow-up legislation that will define terrorism and change the criminal code so that all terrorist fundraising is banned. These announced initiatives signal that Jean Chrétien's Liberals are coming to terms with a problem they have long ignored. It remains to be seen, however, whether they have the political will to enforce the laws now being drafted.

The Liberals have given reason for concern by waffling repeatedly since the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. They give assurances that they will take all necessary measures to guarantee security, but also insist nothing will be done to change the status quo or adopt U.S.-style policies. Take, for example, the government's attitude toward a bi-national security perimeter that would permit Canada and the United States to harmonize some immigration policies while allowing the movement of people and goods between our two countries. Although Gordon Campbell, Mike Harris and Bernard Lord, the premiers of British Columbia, Ontario and New Brunswick respectively, have all endorsed the idea, the Prime Minister has declared it a non-starter. Mr. Chrétien's dogmatic reaction not only threatens our nation's physical security, but also its economic security. Without substantive co-operation leading to a strong bilateral perimeter, legitimate U.S. security concerns could impede and reduce trade across the 49th parallel, which now amounts to more than US$1-billion a day.

It is encouraging that John Manley, the Foreign Affairs Minister and a bright light on Mr. Chrétien's largely unimpressive front bench, is taking a lead in developing anti-terrorism initiatives, as chairman of a powerful new Cabinet committee on security. But so much power is concentrated in the Prime Minister's Office that Mr. Manley may find he can do little unless Mr. Chrétien stops drifting in the political breeze. The Prime Minister needs immediately to reassure the country that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service will be reformed and, at last, properly funded. Mr. Manley's committee must be allowed by the Prime Minster to overhaul CSIS, steering more money toward it and demanding that it reciprocate by delivering more and higher quality information to MPs.

The government must also reform itself by jettisoning its left-liberal prejudice that prompts it to suspect, and occasionally denounce, legitimate concerns about terrorists as sublimated racism. Past CSIS reports about the Tamil Tigers, a Sri Lankan terrorist organization, have been repeatedly ignored. And it appears from the new list of terrorist groups which are having their funds frozen that Tiger operations in Canada are still being ignored. As we wrote in a recent editorial, Tamil Tigers kill more people than al-Qaeda and Hamas put together -- yet the Liberal government is content to let Tiger bagmen extort money from Canadian Tamil communities. A war on terrorism means a war on terrorism, not just a war on the terrorists who happen to be in the news this moment.

There is also the question of whether the government will have the political will to ensure that anticipated new immigration and refugee laws make it past the courts. Sixteen years ago, in the case of Singh v. Minister of Employment and Immigration, the Supreme Court of Canada extended the protection of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to refugee claimants. As a result, Ottawa has been hamstrung in its effort to deport refugee claimants who are a security threat in Canada, because they would have been at risk of torture or execution if returned to their own countries. The Singh decision is likely incompatible with the new, stricter refugee policies that are long overdue. Two cases before the Supreme Court of Canada touch on the same issue and might give the Supreme Court a chance to overrule their 1985 decision. But if the Court refuses to act, we hope the government will exercise the Charter's notwithstanding clause and implement the new legal provisions anyway.

As U.S. President George W. Bush has reminded Americans many times, the war on terrorism is going to be a long battle that will require not just a burst of patriotic zeal, but also patience, and a willingness to adjust our lives in countless small ways. We sincerely hope that Mr. Chrétien and his Cabinet got that message.