The Peaceable Kingdom? A History of Terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the Present

Canada experienced its first act of terrorism before its first birthday as an independent nation. It has suffered a few more since that day in 1868 from a wide variety of actors.

This book is a look at terrorism and counter terrorism in Canada as told by a former Canadian counter terrorism strategic intelligence analyst together with the experiences of dozens of his colleagues with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). It is thus an ‘insiders” story peppered with anecdotes from the women and men tasked with keeping Canada and its allies safe.

Never before have Canadians and others had a look inside the country’s counter terrorism agencies to see what they do and – to some extent (secrecy is still necessary sometimes!) how they do it. A very personalised account of how to stop terrorists from killing and maiming our fellow citizens. The author, Phil Gurski, has already penned five previous books on terrorism and this is his first to be self-published. Former CSIS Director Ward Elcock wrote the introduction to this fast-paced book.

“An absolute must read for any security intelligence and counter-terrorism practitioner”
-William C. Malone, Former RCMP Officer

“An informed and informative account of Canada’s experience with terrorism. Written by a seasoned insider, Gurski’s observations have relevance that extends beyond the country’s borders. An important contribution to the field, a fascinating read.”

-Brian Michael Jenkins, Senior advisor to the President of RAND and terrorism expert

Author Information

Phil Gurski is the Program Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI) and the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. He worked as a senior strategic analyst at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation. He is the author of five previous books on terrorism.