Public security

The more security agencies grapple with terrorist threats, the less they appear to be telling Canadians. Focusing on four current examples of secrecy, the Citizen’s Dylan Robertson spoke with security experts about what the public should be entitled to know.

... The RCMP held a detailed press conference after arresting suspects in an alleged April 2013 plot to derail a Via Rail train. The force did the same on Oct. 20, when a radicalized man killed a soldier in Quebec. It also held an initial press conference after Michael Zehaf-Bibeau attacked in downtown Ottawa Oct. 22.

But the force has released only the names and charges in the recent arrest of two twin brothers and a third man, providing no details of what they are alleged to have done. The RCMP said last Wednesday it had no current plans to update the public. Why the secrecy on an issue of such public importance?

 Security versus secrecy: What is the public entitled to know?