We considered the issue of vulnerability. In general, youth can't be radicalized from one day to the next. There's a socioeconomic and international policy context. There are many reasons why a person can lack a sense of belonging to Canadian society. For example, the person's parents may not have integrated well because they failed to find a job despite their qualifications.
There are also external factors, essentially websites. The United States has developed very good programs to find out the recruitment methods and analyze the dialogue on these sites. Canada doesn't have these programs. I know the RCMP is working a little on these things, but the government could equip the volunteers on the ground with this type of program and develop ways to investigate this type of dialogue. The volunteers could therefore develop certain indicators.
The danger is that no typical profile exists. A person must not be stigmatized directly. That's when the role of volunteers on the ground becomes important. These are people who can be trusted. For example, I received calls from parents who trusted me. I met with them. We spoke with their children, and, in the end, there was no need to worry. These people from outside the community have a certain reputation in the community. We can see that the young person is more comfortable talking to these people than to his or her parents. That's when we see whether any isolation issues exist.
For example, in a number of neighbourhoods in Montreal, we integrated radicalization prevention into daily activities. The biggest mistake is to establish an external program because it's seen as a stigmatization of the community.
We connect young people who practice judo with trainers. It's a multicultural environment. It's not one community in particular. We tell them that, as youth, they have a very important role to play in countering radicalization. We don't give them an accuser or victim role, but a proactive role. Each time we involve young people in the process, we educate them on the issue. We share very basic investigation methods with them. We tell them they can speak with the RCMP, for example. We then introduce them to someone from the RCMP who is well-informed, who knows how to do things and who is familiar with the environment.
Training is very important. Today, there are many workers. There's an industry of radicalization prevention programs, and people are looking extensively for funding. Some act as specialists, but they don't know the communities.
We did this experiment, and the youth started asking questions. They consider themselves on a mission. A young person who may be vulnerable to radicalization ends up on a mission to ensure that no youth in his or her neighbourhood or environment fall victim to terrorist groups who spread propaganda over the Internet.
Young people have a great deal of energy and knowledge. They want to have plans. Unfortunately, the plan to go to Syria is a personal challenge. The government must also make many other improvements in terms of international policy. I agree with what was said on the topic. There are things we can control and things we can't control. We can at least transform the young people's energy into positive energy so they can help counter the radicalization phenomenon. I can assure you that some young people were very mistrustful.
Two things are required. First, the community must be very active—I'm not referring to a particular ethnic group—and the leaders must be ready to act. Then, the authorities must not be indifferent. They must be prepared to get involved, but in a spirit of non-interference. Their involvement must not be seen as spying. The authorities need to provide guidance to create this dynamic among the youth.
This has happened in a number of neighbourhoods in Montreal. There have been soccer, singing, music and judo activities. It works very well. Now the young people are asking whether a program exists because they want to make sure other young people join their activities.