Speeches and Presentations
Statement by Assistant Director, Operations
at Press Conference
Saturday, June 3, 2006
Check against delivery
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Luc Portelance and I’m
the Assistant Director, Operations for the Canadian Security Intelligence
Service (CSIS).
CSIS has a mandate to collect, analyse and report to the Government information and intelligence on threats to Canada’s national security. Investigating terrorism and keeping Canadian residents safe is our number one priority.
CSIS played a vitally important role in this investigation.
The men arrested are Canadian residents from a variety of backgrounds.
For various reasons, they appear to have become adherents of a violent
ideology inspired by Al Qaida.
Any movement that has the ability to turn people against their fellow citizens is obviously something CSIS is very concerned about. We work closely with our partners both domestically and internationally to ensure that terrorists do not attack our country or our citizens.
This particular investigation is an excellent example of seamless cooperation between the RCMP, CSIS and other law enforcement partners. By working together, we have prevented acts of violence and protected people from harm.
CSIS is proud to acknowledge its role in this case because it’s important that people have confidence that we are doing all we can to fullfill our mandate and keep them safe.
This is the largest counter-terrorism operation and arrests in Canada since the creation of the Anti-Terrorism Act and the amendment of the Criminal Code to better define terrorism.
It’s important to note that this operation in no way reflects negatively
on any specific community or ethno-cultural group in Canada. Terrorism
is a dangerous ideology and a global phenomenon. As yesterday’s
arrests demonstrate, Canada is not immune from this ideology.
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