Thank you for your question and comments.
I think I agree with your underlying point about the exaggeration of threats. We should understand what risk really is in this domain. It's a combination of three separate and distinct elements: the frequency of any occurrence, the likelihood of it, and the consequence of it.
I think any metric that you look at would suggest that foreign-fighter-based terrorism is probably outside the top one hundred threats that Canada faces in terms of life and limb here in Canada. You shouldn't mistake that for a belief on my part that it doesn't need to be addressed, but it should be kept in proportion.
That's why I said, in my opening comments, that in terms of the balance between our security and charter rights and everything else, we should be making deliberate decisions that actually diminish our security, because it's an informed position of risk and threat. You only get there, though, if you have the supporting mechanisms that I've alluded to previously this morning, so that they're informed decisions.
My concern is not about the exaggeration of threat. It's about the ignorance of threat. I'm perfectly comfortable with governments, agencies, law enforcement agencies, etc., deciding not to do something. I'm really uncomfortable when they decide not to do something because they just don't know, and that's actually the reality, in my opinion.
I would agree with the underlying part of that, which is that there are some individuals who want to exaggerate that for effect because ideologically that fits with them, or it's their policy base, or whatever the case is. I'm certainly not there, but this certainly needs conscious decision-making, acceptance, and weighing of threat based on an informed decision process that's supported by a structure of government that's fully integrated. Those final three steps just are not present.