Alright: let’s talk NSICOP report too and #CdnNatSec: https://twitter.com/nsicopcanada/status/1381630066086588423

While CSIS was (mostly) business as usual during the pandemic, less so here: “Given the reconstitution of the Committee in February 2020 and the disruption caused by the pandemic, the Committee could not finish a substantive review in 2020 for inclusion in the annual report.”

This...is not good. NSICOP is an important part of our #CdnNatSec apparatus, and its inability to do its job fully and thoroughly during a pandemic is something that really needs to be looked at. Infrastructure, staffing, access...not clear what the problem was, but not good.

Onto terrorism: apparently there was a foiled terrorist plot sometime between 2018 and 2020. Anyone have any idea what it was? My memory is failing me. How was it disrupted? Arrest? Other?

ooh look at this little (redacted) gem: “Individuals within Canada continue to finance terrorist groups, including Hizballah and those associated with ***”

Reminder: terrorist financing charges in this country within the last three years: ZERO. Carry on, I guess. (More details in para 30) #TerroristFinancing

Hey @ColinPClarke you’re cited on page 10.

Apparently our extremist travellers have been involved in financing, and some may just be “camp followers”. (Honestly. This term seems should go in the dust bin. They just followed around and didn’t support the group in any way? PLEASE.)

“Global Affairs Canada and Public Safety Canada continue to manage the process of Canadian extremist travellers seeking to return, and cooperate with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and other Canadian police to mitigate potential associated risks.” LOL what process?

oooh they also talk about an “individual’s spouse” being charged with leaving Canada to join a terrorist group. Again, identity tied to your marital status, I guess.

Some talk of neo-Nazi groups, none of which are listed entities in Canada in paragraph 34.

Starting at paragraph 48, some fun summaries of the Insider Threat issue...including reference to Cameron Ortis. Including a fully redacted paragraph 51. Wonder what that’s about..!

On the organized crime front: “New areas of organized criminal activities include: cyber crime, identity-related crime, trafficking in cultural property and organ trafficking.” Fun.

Most organized crime groups in Canada do not pose a threat to national security, according to NSICOP, but there are 14 that do.

“The government assesses that money laundering will probably increase in coming years.” Yes, I think that’s fair to say. Especially when we do so little to stop it.

They talk about how trade-based money laundering is poorly understood. OMFG are you serious? We were talking about this when I worked at FINTRAC a decade ago. I’m not sure it’s an understanding problem, TBH.

Apparently *** investigations were conducted into proliferation by CSIS and the RCMP. (Helpful. Truly.)

ANYWAY. Some interesting details in this report. This thread is much snarkier than I intended it to be, but I said what I said. Read the report, then ask for more.