Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the issue brought up by the hon. member from Manitoba that we definitely have to put more resources into such agencies as the military, CSIS and the RCMP. There will be no argument from me in that regard.
Even if we have legislation similar to the United States, the fact is it will not stop someone like Timothy McVeigh. He was not an immigrant. He was not someone of Middle Eastern descent. He was an American who was trained by the U.S. military. He had a grudge against the government and decided to act in a very despicable manner by bombing the Oklahoma City federal building. The people of Oklahoma understand all too well the emotions felt in Washington, Pennsylvania, New York and around the world.
He is absolutely right that we require the resources and the legislation to put a stop to this but that is not enough. Terrorist acts have been happening around the world forever. There were the ETA in Spain and the Red Brigade in Italy. There were terrorist acts in Germany and California. When I was growing up there was the Symbionese Liberation Army, et cetera. Every faction out there or a handful of people who have a grudge against a particular democracy or government will act in a very despicable way.
I grew up British Columbia where we had the Squamish Five that went against Litton factories. They blew up the factories because of their view of the world.
If we have the legislation and the resources, does the hon. member honestly believe that without looking at the root causes of terrorism and why it happens internally and externally that we can bring justice to the dead and peace to the living?