Government Priorities

Government Research Priorities for TSAS

TSAS works with a number of departments in government. This document alerts academic researchers to the questions that policy analysts find most interesting and relevant to their work. Researchers should note that although TSAS is an independent network, the research undertaken by our affiliates will have greater resonance in policy circles if it is pursued with one or more of these issues or questions in mind. This list is not exhaustive, and is subject to change.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)

The RCMP is interested in research into a wide range of substantive concerns:

• Interview-based case studies of former foreign fighters focused on questions of radicalization and de-radicalization experiences and processes.
• Interview-based case studies of former terrorists who were active in Canada focused on questions of radicalization and de-radicalization experiences and processes.
• Research on best approaches to engage with diverse communities and milieus in order to prevent radicalization to violence. This research needs to go beyond the Muslim communities to examine best practices and approaches specific to other communities and milieus where individual or organized acts of violence have or could occur and could include, for example: anti-tax/anti-government milieus, First Nations communities, or immigrant communities with ongoing homeland conflicts.
• Scenario analysis of the future(s) of right-wing terrorism in Canada, in light of current trends in the USA and Europe.
• Network analysis relating to best practices in operations to disrupt terrorist groups / networks
• Research on the roles of women in terrorist movements from various ideological and cultural contexts, including examinations of recruiting and radicalization, operational roles, and influence of women as actors in their own right.
• Applying a survivor analysis approach, research into the traits and experiences of individuals who have worked in a foreign conflict zone for medical or other humanitarian purposes. The purpose is to look for reasons why they decided not take up arms in the conflict. This could uncover opportunities to help communities divert individuals into constructive roles in a foreign conflict.
• Long-term evolution of cyber terrorism – potential futures.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)

Cyber

• Terrorist groups’ use of social media for command, control, communication, co-ordination, information/intelligence, research/reconnaissance, attack-planning and targeting (“C4IRAT”)
• Since 2010, terrorist groups have demonstrated a growing use of social media platforms, technologies and human-factor relationships to support their operations directly – alongside or distinct from using it as a tool for communications, propaganda and (dis)information.
• What differences have been notable among different groups’ take-up and use of social media tools for the purposes of command, control, communication, co-ordination, information/intelligence, research/reconnaissance, attack-planning and/or targeting?
• How does this usage complement or differ from their ‘real-world’ activities in the same regard?
• What specific social media tools are showing the greatest use by actual terrorist groups?
• What specific social media tools are showing the greatest use by violent extremists who profess support for terrorist groups and causes?
• What similarities or differences are notable in the use of these social media tools by different types of terrorist groups and violent extremists – both across and within specific ideologies?
• How does such use vary among individuals and groups based in Western countries relative to other countries not seen to be part of a specific global / diaspora conflict?
• What innovative or unusual use of social media tools is notable when assessing operational use by terrorist groups or violent extremists (eg, the use of Twitter to support tactical / movement co-ordination within a conflict zone)?

Terrorist Financing

• The mechanisms with which terrorist groups and cells finance their activities, based on a comparative analysis of court cases in Canada and abroad.

Terrorism Violent Extremism

• Possible links between the rise in right-wing extremism and radicalization and the reciprocal radicalization of other groups and communities.
• What role, if any, do individual personality traits play in radicalization and mobilization to violence?
• Are there any factors that make the Canadian experience with radicalization, extremism and terrorism unique compared to other Western countries? If so, why and how? If not, why not?

Transport Canada

Transport Canada has an extensive list of specific topics:

• tools for strategic risk assessment
• insider threats
• risk-based passenger and baggage screening
• maritime security
• information sharing within the marine security environment
• cargo security
• perimeter security (Canada-US)
• integrated cargo security (North America)
• preclearance
• capacity-building within the transportation industry
• terrorist targeting strategies and tactics
• surveillance activities
• mitigation approaches
• cyber threats to transport systems
• performance metrics
• cost-effective alternatives to regulation
• the effects of the ‘Beyond the Border’ strategy on trade and security
• societal acceptance of risk-based systems.

Justice Canada

Officials at Justice Canada have highlighted the following set of concerns:

• the response of the justice system to victims of terrorism
• the challenges of responding to multi-victim incidents (i.e. recognition of and approaches to differentiation among the victims)
• the experience of other states with, and their approaches to, victims of terrorism
• identifying best practices for delivering information and working with victims of terrorism
• availability of information in a 24/7 and international environment, including lessons from the Air India bombing and the subsequent Air India Inquiry
• improving the interaction and experiences of victims with the criminal justice system

Public Safety Canada

Policy issues at Public Safety include the following:

• With respect to further improving information sharing between government institutions for national security purposes, what new authorities can be created, to further break through barriers, all while maintaining appropriate checks and balances?
• Regarding data fusion and data fusion centres within government or between governments for governmental use or for use by private entities, what are effective and appropriate approaches for the Canadian context to fuse data effectively without breaching the privacy of individuals for security or other purposes?
• In context of obtaining consumer information from Telecommunications Services Providers (TSP) for law enforcement / border enforcement purposes, what solutions exist to allow agencies to obtain TSP information for valid purposes while respecting the privacy of individuals?
• More priorities of the Kanishka Project can be found here.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

CIC’s primary interest is in the further study of:

• issues of social inclusion and exclusion in Canadian society;
• youth and youth radicalization;
• the impact of Canadian counter-terrorism measures and media coverage on youth and their sense of belonging, with regard to different cultural, religious, and social group perspectives.
• the importance of social networking in the radicalization/deradicalization process (i.e. small group dynamics vs. demographic risk factors).
• global trends with respect to citizenship policy and national security? For example, what countries have provisions to revoke/remove citizenship for serious offences/terrorism? Which of these countries applies these revocation/removal provisions to dual citizens only, and how do they determine whether an individual is a dual citizen?

Financial Transactions Report Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)

As an overarching theme, FINTRAC is interested in developing knowledge on current and emerging issues related to terrorist financing and associated activities. Key topics include:

• identifying how financial activities related to certain types of products and services in and across formal and alternative (including emergent) financial sectors might be abused for terrorist financing;
• producing a typology of criminal proceeds related to the financing of terrorism;
• assessing resourcing (including financial) strategy decision-making within terrorist organizations and cells;
• assessing how one or more diaspora communities relate to conflicts in their origin countries to the extent that they provide funds and other resources, including people in support of an insurgent or violent extremist group;
• identifying and classifying mechanisms for financing/resourcing of lone wolves or home grown violent extremist actors;
• assessing the performance of the Canadian anti-money-laundering / counter-terrorist-financing regime

Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA)

CBSA is interested in acquiring information to improve:

• The detection, monitoring, and control of strategic exports that are destined for terrorist purposes elsewhere;
• The detection, monitoring and control of imported items that could be used for illegal and violent purposes in Canada;
• The interdiction of foreign nationals with links to terrorism;
• North American security cooperation;
• A cultural analysis of the CBSA’s response to terrorism post 9-11. To what degree does the Agency’s mandate and its legislative authorities support counter-terrorism responses and to what degree does this align, or not, with programs and priorities since that time?
• Professionalizing the Border: What types of expertise does the CBSA require to ensure the security and integrity of the “modern border”? Where does the Agency currently stand and what can the CBSA learn from international benchmarking and best practices on building these professional capacities?
• Does Canada’s land border regime add to the security of the country?
• Assessing the impact of border infractions: CBSA failure to interdict illicit movements of people and goods has consequences for Canada and Canadians. Which of our “misses” have the biggest impact on the Canadian economy, environment, communities and people?
• How do we induce increased compliance by levers other than control/enforcement? What does scientific evidence say about what works in this area? What are the best practices?

Correctional Services of Canada

CSC is predominantly interested in areas of study related to the management, supervision, assessment, identification and intervention with radicalized and terrorist offenders. This includes evaluation of effective institutional accommodation and community supervision practices, prison programs and interventions (including disengagement and de-radicalization initiatives) tailored to the needs and motivations of ideologically motivated offenders, correctional staff cultural competency and radical /extremist training, and faith-based service provisions.

In order to directly assist TSAS researchers identify areas of specific interest, the following list has been generated for their reference:

A. Radicalization and Recruitment in the Prison Setting
1. Comparative study of organized crime vs. terrorist convicted/violent extremist group member recruitment capabilities (i.e. methods, tactics, targeted populations or persons) within the prison setting.
2. Measure of the effectiveness of radicalization/counter violent extremism (CVE) Awareness Training for correctional staff (e.g. courses, programs, booklets, pamphlets, indicators, guidelines, etc.)
3. A comparison of the process and relative “success” of offender radicalization in prison by prison converts vs. radicalization by established terrorist and violent extremist offenders.

B. Disengagement and De-radicalization
4. Disengagement from violent extremism – Comparison and evaluation of prison-based interventions, measures and programs.
5. Political and religious counter-narrative messaging (e.g. effective delivery strategies/models, individual vs. group comparative analysis).
6. Al Qaeda inspired Islamist terrorists’ views / attitudes on being criminalized – charged, convicted, and incarcerated (freedom, injustice, martyrdom, civil responsibility, etc.).
7. The role of scholars/experts (religious, political, etc) in the rehabilitation of terrorist convicted and violent extremist offenders (i.e. in relation to de-radicalization).
8. The role of community support (i.e. family, community members, faith/religious services) in the successful reintegration of terrorist convicted and violent extremist offenders.
9. Maintenance (continued engagement) vs. Desistance (discontinue radical beliefs and activities) of radical ideology/behaviour post-release among those offenders radicalized during their period of incarceration.

C. Religion & Prison-Based Faith Service Providers
10. Potentially conflicting role of religious service providers (i.e. chaplains, imams) in correctional settings – rehabilitation and reform vs. security observer (and associated service reporting requirements).
11. Comparative study of religious conversion models as applied to offenders within a correctional setting (both Provincial/Territorial and Federal)
12. Prison-based offender faith worship – benefits (reform and coping) vs. disadvantages (radical conversion and groupthink)

D. Miscellaneous
13. Comparative study of Aboriginal Canadian (First Nation land claims and Sovereignty political protests) & right wing anti-government movements (I.e. Freeman on the Land – Sovereigns).
14. How does the definition/interpretation of the term “radicalization” differ among community faith groups and between these groups and our criminal justice/law enforcement partners?

NOTE: CSC encourages TSAS researchers interested in pursuing any of the above listed priorities to contact representatives in our National Headquarters – Operational Research section (Research Branch) so that we may assist in framing the scope and objectives of the project. Research projects that include offenders under the jurisdiction of the CSC or staff of CSC will be required to undergo review and approval through the External Research Proposal Submission process.