HARPER RENEWS SUPPORT FOR KANISHKA PROJECT ON 14TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11

Today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper commemorated the 14^th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and in particular the 24 Canadians who died that day.

“The murder of 24 Canadians at the World Trade Center during 9/11, the Air India bombing in 1985, and the callous attacks on two Canadians right here last year all serve to remind us that Canada is not immune to terrorist threats,” the Prime Minister said.  “When we stand together against terrorism, we stand in support of Canadian values of freedom, democracy and pluralism, and in defence of our way of life.”

The Prime Minister marked the anniversary by committing to renew the Kanishka Project for five years with an investment of $10 million. The Kanishka Project was named in recognition of the 1985 Air India bombing and established in 2011 to counter terrorism and radicalization in Canada through research and education.

The Prime Minister also outlined his Conservative Government’s record on combatting terrorism and reiterated his commitment to build on this record through new initiatives to create banned travel zones to stop foreign fighters, to fight violent radicalization at home, and to provide additional support for religious minorities and refugees in the Middle East.

• In 2013, there were almost 10,000 terrorist incidents reported in 93 countries.
• In 2014, the Government was aware of 80 individuals who had returned to Canada after engaging in terrorist activities and training.
• Canada joined the global coalition against ISIS led by US President Obama in 2014. Other members of the military mission include Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Denmark, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey and a number of other Middle Eastern countries.
• As a result of the coalition’s military intervention, ISIS has lost a quarter of the territory it previously controlled.
• The Harper Government has introduced and enacted a series of counter terrorism initiatives at home to stem the flow of foreign fighters and to prevent their travel to ISIS-controlled regions and back to Canada, to stop terrorist recruitment and financing, and to provide law enforcement with additional powers to investigate and disrupt terrorist plots.

“We know the measures we have taken are necessary precisely because they are working,” the Prime Minister said. “Canadian authorities have stopped would-be terrorists from travelling overseas to join ISIS, and have arrested and charged suspects plotting to commit terrorist acts in Canada.  Unlike Justin Trudeau and the NDP, only a Conservative government recognizes that the terrorist threat is real and is prepared to take the difficult decisions necessary to protect Canadians.”