Thursday, September 13, 2001
A 'wake-up call' to Canada
By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN, TORONTO SUN
Canada's lax anti-terrorism policies and participation in the recent Durban anti-racism summit may have contributed to this week's terrorist attacks on the U.S., Liberal Sen. Jerry Grafstein said yesterday.
Grafstein said in an interview that successive federal governments have ignored repeated warnings Canada is being used as a staging ground for international terrorism.
He called for a public inquiry "into the whole question of Canada supporting or providing bases ... or intellectual support, or financial support, for these particular (terrorist) networks."
He said the issue should be the first item on Parliament's agenda when it resumes next week. "This should be a wake-up call," he said, adding a recent Senate report revealing gaping holes in Canada's ability to combat terrorism was largely ignored by Ottawa.
Grafstein was commenting on reports terrorists in Tuesday's attacks may have entered the U.S. through Canada.
He said Canada also ignored repeated warnings about lax internal security revealed in this year's millennium bombing case, in which Ahmed Ressam, a former Montreal resident, was caught attempting to smuggle explosive materials from Victoria, B.C. into Washington State in 1999.
As well, he said, there have been widespread media revelations about terrorist cells representing various groups operating in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener and Calgary.