The country’s security agencies are “exerting heightened vigilance” in the wake of the attack on former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, federal Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says.
Mr. LeBlanc posted a series of messages on the X platform to indicate that he had been briefed by the deputy minister of Public Safety, the commissioner of the RCMP and the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). All were in close contact with their American counterparts.
“I am confident that they will continue to keep Canadians safe,” LeBlanc wrote.
The governor of Pennsylvania said one man died trying to protect his family during the attack. Two others were seriously injured.
The shooter is also believed to be dead. According to the FBI, he is a 20-year-old adult, Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The case is being treated as attempted murder.
“The information we have to date does not indicate any connection to Canada,” LeBlanc added. “However, our security agencies and law enforcement organizations stand ready to assist our American counterparts in any way they can.”
Well-protected elected officials
The attack on Donald Trump is unlikely to have a profound impact on how Canadian elected officials are protected, says a former RCMP undercover officer.
Chris Mathers, now a consultant, believes the security of the prime minister and party leaders matches the threat levels against them.
None of the party leaders or Justin Trudeau wanted to add to what they have already said about the events that occurred Saturday in Pennsylvania.
The leaders of all four major federal political parties have unequivocally denounced the attack on Mr. Trump. Mr. LeBlanc echoed their sentiments.
“Violence is corrosive to democracy – and we will always oppose it. Whatever our political disagreements, violence is never the solution. Such acts are an assault on us all,” he wrote.
According to Mr. Mathers, the situation in the United States is different because of the very large number of firearms circulating among the population.
“The gun culture is very big in the United States, not so much in Canada,” he said. “Everywhere in the United States, people have access to guns.”
Mr Mathers predicted that security experts will study what happened to determine how things went wrong on Saturday. They will change their own procedures if necessary.
He points out that it is difficult to predict attacks carried out by a lone wolf.