Good morning, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
I am Superintendent Stéphane Bonin, director of financial crime with the RCMP federal policing criminal operation.
Thank you for the opportunity to come speak to you today on the issue of terrorism financing, and more specifically, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's response to address this threat.
Since the attacks of October 22, the threat of terrorism has been the focus of renewed debate and attention. Those attacks highlighted how the threat is changing in Canada, shifting from sophisticated foreign-supported plots to the unpredictable actions of individuals radicalized to violence aiming to travel abroad to conduct terrorist activities or engage in domestic attacks here at home.
This new threat presents a significant challenge to law enforcement, as there are few common paths to radicalization to violence, and often little to no warning of their pending move to acts of terrorism; hence, we face a threat where law enforcement has limited information, or little to no time to intervene to prevent terrorist activity. That is why the RCMP has mobilized every capacity at our disposal to address this threat, including reassigning over 600 additional officers to the RCMP-led integrated national security enforcement teams, and implementing an unprecedented level of interdepartmental cooperation through the national security joint operation centre.
However, our investigations are not limited to those committing violence, but also focus on those who are facilitating or financing these actions. The threat of terrorism goes beyond the undertaking of the actual attacks, and not everyone involved in terrorist organizations directly perpetrates violence. Terrorists, regardless of the scope of their efforts, depend on financial and material support to operate. Disrupting this activity directly impacts on an individual's ability to conduct acts of terrorism.
In Canada and around the world, individuals or groups raise funds for terrorist groups at home and abroad through the use of traditional criminal activity such as extortion, fraud, or theft, or under the guise of offering assistance to those in need through illegitimate charities. However, the scope and nature of terrorism financing is shifting along with the threat environment.
While the large-scale financing operations by terrorist organizations remain a persistent threat, we are also seeing new small-scale terrorist financing activity in light of the high-risk traveller phenomenon. These individuals are self-financing, including raising money themselves to travel abroad, or in some cases to gather inexpensive materials for domestic attacks.
That is why investigating and disrupting terrorism financing activities in Canada is a key component of the RCMP's overall response to the threat of terrorism. Our goals are to prevent and disrupt terrorist activity using every tool at our disposal, from laying terrorism-related charges or using other provisions under the Criminal Code of Canada to disrupt the activity and proceed with successful prosecutions.
We also work in partnership with our counterparts across the Government of Canada, including the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to achieve our goals.
This close collaboration also leads to effective ways of disrupting terrorism financing using a whole-of-government approach. For instance, in 2014 the Government of Canada successfully listed the International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy, IRFAN Canada, as a terrorist entity. This is an organization which had transferred approximately $14.6 million worth of resources to various organizations with links to Hamas, Listing IRFAN prevented their financing activities from continuing and provided the RCMP with the ability to seize and retain property associated with this organization.
This is a clear example of the various arms of government working together as partners to disrupt terrorism financing in Canada. Terrorist financing does not occur in isolation from illegal international financial activity like the worldwide illicit transfer of funds. We recognize this and we are leveraging all this financial integrity expertise and tools to address this formidable threat.
We are also working with our international partners to identify and spot terrorism so we can work together to ensure we adapt to emerging terrorism financing trends. Unfortunately, there is no sign of the current terrorist threat abating. As we address this threat, we must remember that providing financial support or facilitating the travel of individuals who have the intention of committing terrorist activities is a crime. It remains a significant priority for the RCMP and all partners across the Government of Canada.
We will continue to actively investigate terrorism financing with a goal of disrupting their wider terrorism support activities to make it more difficult for radicalized individuals to travel abroad or to commit acts of terror at home or abroad.
I am pleased to answer any questions the members of the committee may have.
Thank you.