Politics on TV: Security and the aftermath of the Boston bombings

Here are the three things you should not have missed:

1. MPs on the security situation
2. Security reaction to the Boston bombings
3. IMF growth forecasts

MPs on security:

In the wake of the Boston bombings, and public safety minister Vic Toews’ assurances of a heightened state of vigilance, Power & Politics spoke with an MP panel of Candice Bergen, Randall Garrison and Wayne Easter for their comments. Bergen wanted to assure Canadians that are working together with their American counterparts and are exercising that increased vigilance at points of entry. Garrison said that this was a time to be patient and to let the investigators do their work. Easter, a former Solicitor General, said he was pleased with the government’s response to date, and wanted people to exercise caution with the kinds of speculation that is out there.

Security reaction:

Evan Solomon spoke with former Assistant Secretary of Defence Lawrence Korb, who said that the attack was extremely well planned, given that they were able to do it without any initial traces, making it difficult to catch the perpetrators. Given that someone normally takes credit for attacks of this magnitude, and no one has yet, Korb suggests that it could be a random act of violence or a “patriot group” such as what happened in Atlanta in 1996. Solomon also spoke with former Assistant Director of Intelligence of CSIS, Ray Boisvert, who said that at this stage, one of the biggest challenges is collating the terabytes of data coming in, and that intelligence agencies will be using advanced analytics like facial recognition, and that going forward, there needs to be a balance between security and accessibility at these kinds of events, where people will need to be increasingly environmentally aware.

IMF growth forecast:

Power Play spoke with former TD Bank chief economist Don Drummond about the IMF’s downgraded growth forecast for Canada, projecting a mere 1.5 per cent growth this year. Drummond said that part of the problem is that the economy is in a “classic liquidity trap,” and that increasingly, trying to take measures become like pushing on a string, and that one can’t spend their way out of this situation. Drummond also said that one should take the IMF’s suggestion that austerity could be detrimental with a grain of salt, as their record isn’t spotless.

Worth Noting:

• US Ambassador to Canada David Jacobson said that he appreciates the outpouring of support and sympathy from Canadians for the people of Boston, and noted that unlike previous incidents, the various agencies are not tripping over one another.
• Conservative MP Ryan Leef, who was at the Boston Marathon, said that the past 24 hours have been surreal, and that his life-long sport of running has had the innocence stripped from it.