This is far from the last of these sorts of attacks that we will see.
CSIS and the RCMP have been quietly indicating for several years that they have been tracking extremists in country and abroad for many years. It's an issue that has finally been making front page news since it started being reported that several radicalized youths from Calgary had been killed fighting in Syria. For a long time though, examples such as the Khadr family and the Toronto 18 were portrayed as singularities in the media, anomalies in a multicultural society.
I am frankly not surprised to find that the suspects in both incidents have Quebecois sounding surnames. It's worth noting that the FLQ, Denis Lortie, Gamil Gharbi, Kimveer Gill all came from Quebec, as did the guy that ran over the soldier the other day. I suspect that we will find that this latest gunman also hails from Quebec. The province seems to have a history of producing radicals and misanthropes that express themselves violently.
I'd also suggest that the fact the government has recently decided to militarily support anti-ISIS operations overseas has a lot to do with the timing of these attacks. And again, polls indicate that backing for that decision is lowest in Quebec.
As I said though, I think this will not be the last incident.
Calgary is home to the largest mosque in Canada, and given the number of extremists reported to have come from here and gone abroad to fight for organizations like ISIS, I am greatly concerned - and have been for a long time - about something happening here.
At times like these, I recall arriving at work the morning of September 11, 2001 and among those who were shaken and solemn, hearing cries of exultation from others. Canada may have embraced a multicultural philosophy, but not all of them have embraced Canada.
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