When the global terrorist movement threatens Canada and Canadians not just abroad, but at home, that is when we most need moral clarity and tough leadership. We need to confront and address this threat and call it what it is – a force for evil that seeks to undermine our way of life and the values we hold dear. This clarity and determination to act to protect our country has been at the heart of our counter-terrorism measures here at home.

Our Conservative Government released Canada’s first Counter-terrorism Strategy in 2012, Building Resilience Against Terrorism, designed to counter domestic and international terrorism and protect Canadians and Canadian interests.

In 2013, the Combating Terrorism Act made it a criminal offence to leave or attempt to leave Canada for the purposes of participating in or facilitating terrorist activity.

In 2014, the Citizenship Act was amended to enable the government to revoke Canadian citizenship from dual citizens and deny it to permanent residents who are convicted of terrorism, high treason, treason or spying offences.

The Protection of Canada from Terrorists Act of 2015 gives the Canadian Security Intelligence Service the tools it needs to investigate threats to the security of Canada and ensure our collective safety.

The 2015 Anti-terrorism Act ensures that Canadian law enforcement and national security agencies can effectively investigate and counter those who promote terrorism and take part in terrorist activities, prevent terrorist travel by air and the efforts of those who seek to use Canada as a recruiting ground, and disrupt planned attacks on Canadian soil.

Sadly – and inexplicably, to most Canadians – a small number of young Canadians choose to turn their backs on our country, our values, and all the opportunities that living here brings, and travel abroad to connect with known terrorist organizations. Some participate in the atrocities these groups carry out in foreign lands; others seek to plot and commit similar horrors on Canadian soil. Canadians expect real action on the part of the government to prevent such attacks.

We need to protect Canadians here by making sure the “foreign fighters” who travel to parts of the world where terrorists hold sway are not allowed, on their return to Canada, to act on the warped ideologies and deadly skills they've learned.

A re-elected Conservative Government will introduce “Declared Areas” legislation, allowing the Minister of Foreign Affairs to identify any part of the world where terrorists are active as a “no-go” zone for Canadians without legitimate business there. Travel to designated zones would become a serious offence, carrying a significant prison term, and would allow Canadian authorities to arrest and detain foreign fighters upon their attempted return to Canada.

To counter terrorism and youth radicalization in Canada through research and education, our Government launched the Kanishka Project in 2011. Funded projects identify factors that build community resilience and help youth to resist violent extremism.

A re-elected Conservative Government will continue to address the growing problem of terrorist radicalization and violent extremism among Canadian youth by renewing funding for the Kanishka Project for another five years.

Treason, one of the oldest and most serious crimes on the books, has evolved since it was first codified into English law in the 14th century. Originally an attack against the reigning monarch, it came to encompass turning against one’s own state.

Now, in the 21st century we are witnessing the alarming emergence of a new form of treason. “Foreign fighters” who are mostly young men, including some Canadians, abandon life in the West to join global jihadi groups abroad in their war against our country and our allies.

Canadians see this as a betrayal of our most deeply held values and, indeed, as an attack on all of us. There is no greater crime than the betrayal of one’s fellow citizens, and our laws need to reflect this.

Our current laws call for life in prison for anyone convicted of High Treason. A re-elected Conservative Government will modernize the definition of High Treason to include fighting against the Canadian Armed Forces alongside jihadist terror groups.

The so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – or ISIS – is the greatest threat to Canadian security today. It wages war daily on everything we hold dear: freedom, democracy, tolerance, and openness. It seeks to destroy any and all who do not share its perverse, medieval view of the world. And, with alarming clarity, it has threatened Canadians directly and specifically.

Last year’s terrorist attacks in Canada, by killers inspired by ISIS’s extremism, are a reminder that we are not immune to these threats.

Canadians did not invent this evil, nor did we invite its hatred, but we cannot ignore it in the hope it goes away. Indeed, it was because ISIS met with little resistance at first that it was able to establish its so-called caliphate with such alarming speed.

It’s now using that territory to launch and inspire attacks around the world; its goal is to replace civilization with savagery, and order with chaos.

We must not allow ISIS to hold a safe haven from which it can pursue an agenda of anarchy and violence.

That's why the Canadian Armed Forces, alongside like-minded allies of all faiths and nationalities, are part of a broad international coalition confronting and disrupting ISIS in the Middle East right now. We’re fighting the jihadists there to protect Canadians here.

We're also a leading contributor of support to the countless men, women, and children forced to flee ISIS's advance. We don't have to choose, as some have suggested, between fighting the soldiers of ISIS and helping its victims. In fact, it’s imperative that we do both. And we are.

A re-elected Conservative Government will not cut and run, as our opponents would do. We will not abandon our allies in the broad international coalition against ISIS. We will not pull our troops from the fight against jihadi terrorism.

Our Conservative Government has consistently stood up for, and supported, persecuted minorities around the world. We’ve made a real difference in the lives of religious minorities and young girls and women. And we’ve shown leadership in accepting refugees and providing humanitarian assistance.

This is an important part of our principled foreign policy. A re-elected Conservative Government will continue to stand up for those who are targeted because of their faith or gender.

Freedom of religion and belief, and the ability to express that freedom without fear of repercussion or repression, is a basic human right – not just here in Canada, but everywhere. Our Government established the Office of Religious Freedom in 2013 to promote this belief globally, and to advocate tolerance and pluralism around the world. These values have made

Canada great, and our Government takes very seriously the work of advancing them.

However, a world of universal freedom of religion remains elusive, and there is much work left to do. Almost 75 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where religious freedom is highly restricted.

Currently, ISIS has carved out a so-called caliphate extending from Aleppo in Syria to near Baghdad in Iraq – and everywhere they hold sway, innocent men, women and children suffer atrocities daily because they don’t share the terrorists’ perverted version of Islam. Christians, Yazidis, Druze, Alawites, Sunni Bedouins and Shia Ismailis all face subjugation, persecution, and, frequently, grisly execution for their beliefs.

Through the Office of Religious Freedom, in partnership with civil society groups and non

governmental organizations, we are able to stand up for these oppressed peoples, and for Canadian values. Principle demands that we act.

A re-elected Conservative Government will build on our record of promoting tolerance and openness, as well as the rights of women and children worldwide, by funding a new three-year program within the Office of Religious Freedom to support persecuted religious minorities in the Middle East, and to protect their places of worship and priceless artifacts at risk of destruction.

The ISIS reign of terror and the horrific civil war being fought in Syria have taken an immense toll on innocent civilians, creating a refugee crisis of historic proportions.

The Canadian Armed Forces are taking an active and robust role in the fight against ISIS, but we’re also committed to providing comfort and aid to suffering people facing displacement and persecution because of the ongoing violence.

Canada has long been a refuge for people fleeing violence and oppression, from United Empire Loyalists and fugitive slaves from the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries, to Eastern Europeans and Vietnamese “boat people” fleeing communism in the 20th. And in the 21st century, Canada is once again opening its doors to those in need.

We’ve pledged to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees by September 2016, and 3,000 Iraqis this year. They will join the 20,000 Iraqis who have already arrived on our shores since 2009. Religious minorities within Iraq are at risk of genocide at the hands of ISIS, and Canada will provide safe haven.

A re-elected Conservative Government will accept 10,000 more persecuted Syrian and Iraqi refugees fleeing the brutality of ISIS.

We’ll also provide further humanitarian assistance through the Syria Emergency Relief Fund to match individual donations from Canadians up to $100 million.

Every year, millions of girls around the world – some as young as five years old – are forced into marriage. This is far more than just a moral outrage; it is often a matter of life and death. In the developing world, the leading cause of death among girls between the ages of 15 and 19 is complications during childbirth.

Forced marriage deprives girls of their right to an education, and condemns them to a life of poverty and dependence.

And forced marriage is also a weapon of war. Canadians are rightly appalled at reports of ISIS fighters taking young female prisoners as “brides,” or forcing families to let them marry their daughters in exchange for protection from further ISIS depravities.

Canada has been a leader in improving maternal, newborn and child health, and protecting women and girls is a key component of our foreign development goals.

It’s also in keeping with Canadian values, which we hold to be universal. Forced marriage is unacceptable in Canada, and we’ve taken action to prevent it from occurring on our soil. But it’s equally unacceptable anywhere else in the world, no matter what the misguided

A re-elected Conservative Government will take further action to support the victims of child, early, and forced marriage, particularly in the “rape camps” and slave markets of Iraq and Syria, by establishing a new program within the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development to fund efforts to combat these practices.

Improving the health of mothers, newborns, and children around the world has been Stephen Harper’s top development priority. The Prime Minister has been leading the world on this important initiative. And there’s been progress: thanks to Canadian leadership and global action, maternal mortality rates are declining and millions more children are celebrating their fifth birthday.

Yet there’s more work to be done. That’s why our Government has pledged significant resources to maternal, newborn, and child health from 2015 to 2020.

We’ll continue to rally world leaders to follow Canada’s lead in improving women’s and children’s health in developing countries.

Advances in technology have led to vast improvements in our standard of living, but they have also led to our greater dependence on a digital infrastructure that underlies everything from our communications networks to our financial systems to our electrical grid. And this dependence makes us vulnerable to attacks that could compromise our day-to day living, our personal safety, our economy, and even our national security.

The threat of cybercrime is one with serious consequences for Canadians and our economy. Our Conservative Government has been focused on strengthening our cyber security to protect Canadians.

Since 2010, our national cyber security strategy has been based on three pillars:

Securing government systems.

Partnering to secure vital cyber systems outside the federal government.

And helping individual Canadians and their families enjoy increased online security.

In Economic Action Plan 2015, we announced significant funding to protect our vital cyber systems, including establishing a dedicated RCMP team to investigate cybercrime.

Still, there’s more to be done. Our cyber systems can be targets for foreign military and intelligence services and criminal and terrorist networks. As more and more Canadians rely on the internet for business and sales, we must ensure that we’re protected from cyber-attacks and cybercrimes.

We’ve proposed legislation that will require operators of vital cyber systems to implement robust cybersecurity plans that meet established standards, and to report cybersecurity breaches to the federal government.

A re-elected Conservative Government will enshrine this in law by passing the Protection of Canada’s Vital Cyber Systems Act when Parliament resumes.

Canada stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and will continue to do so. Our position has been clear: We will never accept Russian President Vladimir Putin's unwarranted and illegal occupation and annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, nor his continued proxy war in other parts of eastern Ukraine.

The people of Ukraine have left no room for doubt: The future they desire lies to the West, with all the freedoms, opportunities and prosperity that brings. We, along with our allies in NATO, support them without reservation, and we stand together in Central and Eastern Europe as a bulwark against the instability Vladimir Putin promotes with his reckless provocations.

With the rest of the Western world, Canadians celebrated the end of the Cold War and the years of peace that followed. But Vladimir Putin wants to turn back the clock; he wants Russia to bask

in the perceived glories of its past, in order to disguise his failures of leadership in the present. We look forward to the day when Russia returns to the community of nations – but until then, Vladimir Putin’s belligerence must be met with resolve and real consequences.

Under our Conservative Government, Canada has been a leading voice on the world stage in this regard, both in speaking out against Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked aggression and in putting pressure on Russia through tough and meaningful sanctions.

Such sanctions are a key tool in our Government’s foreign policy, having proven effective against Iran and North Korea, as well as Russia.

A re-elected Conservative Government will toughen Canada’s sanctions regime by:

Adding “gross human rights violations” as a new ground for sanctions.

And closing loopholes that allow sanctioned individuals to circumvent travel restrictions

These measures will reinforce our support for the Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom, as well as strengthen our ability to respond to international crises, and align our sanctions regime with our broader values. They’ll also reinforce our commitment to standing up for freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law abroad.

To make sure our sanctions continue to be properly targeted, and properly implemented, we need to better track the flow of Russian capital through global markets – in particular capital connected to Russian state-owned enterprises and individuals already under sanction.

A re-elected Conservative Government will establish a financial task force of foreign policy experts and financial analysts to perform this task, ensuring that our sanctions regime maintains its rigor and limits Russian influence in the global economy.

But our support for Ukraine extends far beyond sanctions. Canada has contributed both Canadian Armed Forces personnel and much-needed equipment to assist the Ukrainian military in its fight to maintain Ukraine’s sovereignty. We're:

Deploying CAF personnel to western Ukraine to develop and deliver training programs for their Ukrainian counterparts.

Contributing an array of non-lethal supplies, including tens of thousands of coats, pants and boots, helmets, protective vests, high-frequency radios, night-vision goggles and ballistic eyewear, medical kits and a mobile field hospital structure, tents, and sleeping bags.

Providing $1 million to the NATO Trust Funds for Ukraine, intended to enhance the country’s command and control capabilities.

Deploying military personnel as part of Operation REASSURANCE, including HMCS Regina, HMCS Toronto, and HMCS Fredericton, and participating in military exercises.

Canada continues to stand with Ukraine in the face of Russian provocation and aggression, and will never accept the Russian occupation of Ukrainian soil. The measures we have taken to date are robust and meaningful, but there is more we can do.

A re-elected Conservative Government will enter into a defence co-operation agreement with Ukraine.

We’ll also add Ukraine to the list of eligible countries for Canadian military and defence exports.

Our Government, as part of our principled foreign policy, has long been a leader in promoting free expression and human rights around the world, and in speaking out against dictatorships for their cruel and undemocratic actions. The digital world is one more battlefield in that struggle.

Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and illegal occupation of Ukraine has been accompanied by a remarkable propaganda push by Moscow. Russia has used the internet and other media to manipulate public opinion and spread misinformation and falsehoods.

By spreading half-truths, rumours and outright lies, the Kremlin not only confuses opponents but also sows unwitting and uninformed support for its cause.

Canada can do more to help Ukraine push back against Russian propaganda.

A re-elected Conservative Government will establish a Digital Freedom Fund to support international groups and independent media using digital tools to advance the causes of freedom and democracy around the world. In particular, the fund will support efforts to counter Russian propaganda in Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe.

Canada’s Armed Forces have been central to the story of our country for more than 200 years – central to our national identity, central to our success as a country, central at times to our very survival. And in the ever more insecure world in which we are now living, that is as true as it ever was.

We live in an unpredictable world, and the Canadian Armed Forces must be ready to respond immediately to events that threaten the interests of Canada at home and around the world. Canada’s fighting men and women have always been, and remain today, the ultimate guarantors of our values and freedoms.

To ensure that the CAF can carry out its missions, we’ve:

Re-built the "core military capabilities" of the CAF following a decade of darkness under the Liberals. The CAF's air transport, sovereignty surveillance and army combat capacities have all been strengthened.

Taken the steps needed to rebuild the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard through the comprehensive National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy worth some $35B. With ships now being built in both Halifax and Vancouver, the NSPS engages Canadian industry from coast-tocoast in sustaining RCN and Coast Guard fleets in the decades to come.

Resolutely defended Canada and our friends overseas against a growing terrorist threat by deploying military forces to participate in the military coalition led by President Obama against ISIS.

Taken a firm stand against Russian aggression in Ukraine by establishing a Canadian military training mission there, and also by supporting deterrence in Europe in conjunction with our NATO allies.

A re-elected Conservative Government will continue to support and stand up for Canada’s military because they’re the ones who stand up for us. This support includes an $11.8 billion, ten-year increase to the Department of National Defence’s budget to ensure that Canada can continue to field a combatready military to serve at home and abroad.

Missions abroad sometimes fall to Canada’s Special Operations Forces, who have the agility and adaptability to tackle any challenge, anywhere in the world. When duty calls, the CAF is always there for us and our allies, and our Special Operations Forces are the sharp end of the spear.

Right now, members of the Special Operations Forces are in Iraq, training and advising Kurdish Iraqi forces in the fight against the so-called Islamic State – confronting them there, to protect Canadians here at home.

But no matter what the task, from training allies to carrying out hostage negotiations, from responding to terrorist threats to taking direct action against Canada’s enemies, grateful Canadians can count on the men and women of the Special Operations Forces to stand up for Canada when the need is greatest.

To help the Special Operations Forces maintain their top operational capacity, a re-elected Conservative Government will expand their size, bolstering their ranks by nearly 35 percent by 2022.

The military reserves have a long and proud history in Canada, dating to before the War of 1812, serving with distinction in every conflict in which Canada has been involved. When the Primary Reserve and the Supplementary Reserve are combined with the Canadian Rangers and Cadet organizations across the country, Canada has 24,000 men and women ready, willing and able to answer their country’s call.

The reserves are a vital part of our military structure, supplementing the Regular Forces and providing “surge” capacity when required. Reservists accounted for one in four of our men and women who served in Afghanistan, and some have already served in our mission against ISIS in Iraq.

The reserves are also an important part of our communities; they're the pride of more than 100 cities, towns and villages from coast to coast to coast. And they've always been there for Canadians when duty calls at home, including providing emergency response to natural disasters like floods, forest fires, and ice storms.

Their service to our country is indispensable, and to ensure the Reserves have the numbers necessary to carry out the many duties asked of them, a re-elected Conservative Government will increase the number of reservists by 15 percent, bringing the Reserves’ total strength to 30,000 in the next four years.

We’ll also streamline and shorten the current reserve recruiting process, improve training opportunities for reserve personnel, and broaden the eligibility criteria to include permanent residents in order to tap into this significant pool of possible recruits and facilitate their path to full Canadian citizenship.

Supporting Canada’s military means ensuring that they have the assets, training, and resources needed to do their jobs safely.

Our Conservative Government has made major investments to upgrade and improve our military’s readiness after the Liberal Decade of Darkness, with its budget cuts and neglect that imperiled our military and left Canadians less safe.

We won’t let that happen again. A re-elected Conservative Government will continue to invest in Canada’s military and support the men and women who put their lives on the line for their fellow citizens.

Since its founding in 1952, Royal Military College Saint-Jean (College Militaire Royal de Saint-Jean) has been preparing young Canadians for careers in the Canadian Armed Forces and beyond.

The College began granting university degrees in 1985. But it fell victim to Liberal cuts to defence spending, and closed ten years later.

Our Government partially re-opened the College in 2008 as a CEGEP organized to prepare Quebec Cadets for post-secondary education – in particular studies at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario.

But we want to see the College once again achieve its full potential, and do more to encourage a new generation of Francophone military officers.

99If re-elected, we’ll honour Quebec’s historic and present-day contributions to the Canadian Armed Forces by re-establishing Royal Military College Saint-Jean as a full, degree-granting post-secondary institution similar to RMC in Kingston. We’ll work with the Government of Quebec to fulfill this promise.

HMCS Discovery – located adjacent to Stanley Park – was constructed in World War II from the Vancouver Half Company of the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve. Its initial purpose was for the recruitment and training of almost 8,000 personnel during the war

Discovery continues to serve an important role in training, and as the headquarters for several Reserve and Cadet Units.

Our Conservative Government recently announced enhancements to the facility that will expand the Navy and Coast Guard’s capacity to conduct search-and-rescue operations as well as oversee response to marine pollution incidents in the Vancouver Harbour area.

99If re-elected, we’ll build on these efforts by rebuilding and expanding Royal Canadian Navy reserve division base HMCS Discovery in Vancouver, positioning it to become a major Maritime joint operations centre for the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard. HMCS Discovery has a proud history with the RCN, and this construction will respect the current facility’s historic architecture.

The Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River aren’t just iconic in terms of geography – they’re defining elements of our history, and part of the reason for Canada's growth into a great trading nation. With the development of the St. Lawrence Seaway, they became our gateway to the world.

Now, commercial vessels make more than 2,000 trips through the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Seaway system every year. They generate a staggering $34 billion in economic activity in Canada and the United States, and support more than 200,000 good, stable jobs.

Given the vital importance of this system to our national economy, and the access it provides to our most populated areas as well as Canada’s industrial heartland, it's imperative that the Royal Canadian Navy have a presence on these waters.

99A re-elected Conservative Government will build on our commitment to our national security by commissioning four Royal Canadian Navy patrol vessels, to be dedicated to the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

This investment will allow for training on the Great Lakes and help with recruitment and retention in the Naval Reserve and Sea Cadets. Presently about half their membership is based in the Saint Lawrence- Great Lakes region, in Ontario and Quebec.

The North has achieved immense geopolitical significance, and corresponding increased interest from foreign powers, demanding a Canadian presence to back up our legal and historic claims to its lands and waters.

We have taken important steps to date, including expanding the Canadian Rangers, establishing an Arctic Training Centre in Resolute, modernizing patrol aircraft and expanding our air transport fleet, procuring Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships, and launching the contruction of the John G. Diefenbaker polar icebreaker.

Still, there is more to be done. Our Conservative Government will continue to make protecting our Northern sovereignty a major priority. The choice is to "use it or lose it," and that lies at the heart of our Arctic foreign policy: In the

North, exercising our sovereignty through effective military capability, active diplomacy, and sustainable economic development is our number-one goal.

Since the end of the Second World War, the Canadian Rangers, as part of the Canadian Armed Forces reserve, have been our eyes and ears in the North, serving in national security and public safety capacities. (Their apt motto is Vigilans, which means “The Watchers.”)

For all those years, the Rangers have been issued No. 4 Lee-Enfield rifles. The Lee-Enfield’s history of service to the Canadian military is matched only by its sturdy reliability under Arctic conditions, but the time has come for its replacement. That’s why our Government is replacing the Rangers’ Lee-Enfields with new rifles over the next four years.

The Lee Enfield has taken on iconic status, a proud symbol of both Canada’s distinguished military history and our sovereignty over the Arctic – much like the Rangers themselves.

When the new, modern firearms are issued, a re-elected Conservative Government will honour the Canadian Rangers and their long service by transferring ownership of the Lee- Enfields to the Rangers they have served for so many years.

The Junior Canadian Rangers program, in which Canadian youths aged 12-18 learn camping, navigation and firearms training as well as a greater appreciation of traditional Northern culture and lifestyles, is approaching its 20th anniversary.

Permanently established in 1998, there are now more than 135 Junior Canadian Ranger patrols in remote and isolated communities across the North.

Our Government increased the number of Junior Rangers participating in this popular and worthy program from 3,400 to more than 4,200 in 2008. If re-elected, we’ll increase their number yet again, to 5,000, in time for the organization’s 20th anniversary.