The horrific massacre at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City in St. Foy, Quebec was an act of terror. The suspect, Alexandre Bissonnette, has been linked to hateful ideologies, including anti-immigrant and anti-feminist comments. However, in Canada, when we speak of the threat posed by terrorism, we are inevitably speaking of young black and brown Muslim men. When disaster strikes and the suspect is depicted as being either Arab or Muslim, the reflexive response is to assume that this was an act of terror driven by radical forms of Islam. But when a white person engages in a terror-plot or act of mass-violence, there is often official reluctance to identify it for what it is: terrorism. In my own research, I have found that the threat of terrorist violence by white supremacists receives only passing mention in official policy documents and does not receive the same level of media coverage as acts of terrorism associated with radical forms of Islam.

Alexandre Bissonnette is escorted to a van after appearing in court for the deadly shooting at a mosque, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017 in Quebec City. (Photo: Jacques Boissinot/CP) The stated focus of post-9/11 Canadian counter-terrorism policy has been the threat posed by "Sunni Islamic-inspired" violent extremism. In particular, the government, law-enforcement and intelligence agencies have been concerned with domestic or "homegrown" radicalization, whereby Canadians are converted to extreme social, political and religious beliefs that justify and compel violence. While other terror threats are acknowledged, the radicalization of young Muslim males is continually identified as the central security threat facing Canadian interests. This concern has resulted in Muslim Canadians being subjected to excessive surveillance and preventative arrests. Canada has a long history with right-wing extremist groups and mass-violence perpetrated by white, Christian Canadians. Furthermore, since 9/11, white supremacist terrorists have conducted the majority of fatal domestic attacks in the U.S. By not giving sufficient credence to the threat of terrorist violence posed by these groups, the Canadian government risks neglecting one of our primary domestic security concerns.

In the cases where the government has identified the threat posed by white supremacist and extreme right-wing ideological violence, it has largely been in relation to so-called "lone-wolf" attackers who act without direct operational links to established terror groups. This belies the complexity of the threat and ignores long-standing connections between Canadian right-wing extremists and those abroad, and the growing strength of white supremacist and right-wing extremist groups in the U.S. and Europe. Canada has also focused on countering violent extremism by attempting to counter radical narratives. To this end, the RCMP and other law-enforcement agencies have expended considerable resources in developing programs and initiatives designed to not only counter the immediate threat posed by terrorism, but also to build engagement with 'diverse ethnic, cultural and religious communities' and resilience and resistance to violent ideologies. The RCMP recently released the Terrorism and Violent Extremism Guide, which identifies extremist right-wing ideology as one of the three main types of extremism. However, these initiatives remain focused on "Islamic-inspired" threats and Canadian Muslims. Following the Quebec attack, U.S. President Donald Trump offered Prime Minister Trudeau his full support, including military and intelligence resources. White House press secretary Sean Spicer would also use the attack to further justify Trump's anti-immigrant policies, describing them as a progressive approach to national security. However, it is unclear how an attack on Muslims by a person professing extreme right-wing views could be used to justify policies designed to restrict the citizenship and movement of Muslims.