2010-11-30 13:51

OTTAWA - Canada has taken some steps to protect itself from terrorism, but it lacks a coherent strategy to defend against foreign and domestic terror threats, a former Canadian diplomat said on Monday.

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Speaking at a news conference, former diplomat Paul Chapin presented a report saying Canada needs greater control on immigration, especially its generous refugee system, and a stronger military that can react to conflict in other parts of the world.

"We might prefer to think the world holds few perils for us. But ... we need to be both intelligent and vigilant about our security," Chapin said in the report written for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, which was recently established to examine security and military issues, foreign policy, immigration and economic issues.

Chapin specialized in international security during his 25-year career at Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs, including a post at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters in Brussels.

His report was presented in the wake of the publication of the US diplomatic documents on "WikiLeak" showing US dissatisfaction with Canada's level of participation in the so-called "War on Terror."

Chapin, like many other critics, accused Canada of relying on the US for protection.

"Canadians cannot take their security for granted, comfortably convinced that trouble in distant time zones matters little to us, " he said.

Canadia's attitude makes it "extremely attractive" for terrorists, some of whom use Canada's refugee system to get into the country, he said.

According to government statistics, in the past five years, Canada accepted nearly 150,000 refugees.

Currently, tens of thousands of refugee claimants are still waiting for their cases to be heard by tribunals. Virtually anyone who claims refugee status can stay in the country for years as his or her case grinds through the system.

"Canada faces security threats at home and abroad ... national defense takes military capability that only Canada can provide, unless the country is prepared to cede sovereign functions to the United States," he said.

Chapin said he did not believe the government ignored security issues, but noted that different departments in the government, the nation's police forces and the military need to work together on a strategic plan to fight terrorism and strengthen the country's ability to react to threats.

Canada lacks the ability to deal with threats inside the country, he said, and blamed it for the fragmentation of the decision-making system, which is often skewed for partisan political reasons to appease ethnic minorities in Canada.

"Canada will remain an attractive haven for terrorist and criminal activities until government better calibrates the flow of new arrivals, exercises greater control over entry to the country, " he said in the report.