Kidding Whom?

It's a great relief to know that there are those within Canada whose loyalty to the nation is sufficiently great that we can be assured they have every intention of exhibiting that loyalty by selflessly sacrificing themselves for the greater good of the country. Well, perhaps that could be put another way; informing authorities of imminent harm to the community on the part of co-religionists with whose activities they are familiar.

Accepting the fullness of Canadian citizenship obligations. To not stand idly by, disinterested in the possible outcome of a violent attack on Canadian symbols, institutions and high-profile individuals. To understand their duty as loyal Canadians to deter any such violent occurrences from coming to fruition. Alerting security authorities for the greater good of the country. And considering that to be a recognition of one's place as part of the country.

Simple enough, isn't it? Who, after all, wouldn't choose to be involved in ensuring that a violently catastrophic event would not take place, if they could ensure its avoidance? By the relatively simple expedience of informing those who could and would prevent it. By apprehending those whose malign purpose is to sow hatred and enact terror acts resulting in murder and mayhem.

But then there are other considerations. Of course. It can be quite inconvenient and possibly dangerous as well, for an individual to sacrifice his time and safety to the device of inveigling himself into the confidence of those planning terror. For the purpose of assembling evidence, required to become fully informed of those plans, and to enable the arrest of the malefactors.

So we are grateful to Shaher Elsohemy for his underground activities, infiltrating the "Toronto 18" terrorism plot. And at the same time perplexed that he successfully managed to reward himself with $4-million of taxpayer monies in the process. A shrewd businessman, no less, optimizing his loyal fealty to the country of his birth.

That inconvenient little triumph aside, Mr. Elsohemy, now bearing witness at a Brampton superior court in yet another Toronto 18 proceeding, the man insists he was informed by his "responsibility as a Canadian citizen, and nothing but that". We should perhaps be more grateful to him than we seem to be. His voluntary actions saved lives.

Of course his original demand for compensation, and for going into witness protection extended to his entire family, and he thought that $15.4-million sounded reasonable under the circumstances. Witness protection? Why? Do we assume that within the Muslim community there are ample others with minds and intentions like those of the Toronto 18 who would seek to exact revenge on an informer?

Does that tell us a whole lot of things we would prefer not to acknowledge? As it is the man was given cash, cars, and homes for himself, wife, daughter, parents and two brothers, all of whose original identities have now been protected for 'national security' reasons, living new, adopted identities and lives. Mr. Elsohemy received an "award" of $500,000 for his selfless integrity.

Along with $900,000 for a house, $50,000 to pay off debts, and $40,000 for his wife's dental bills. Why does that seem so tendentiously like extortion?