Talk Description

Canadians are taught to remember the War of 1812 as the defining moment when our territory was threatened from the south. Far less well known is a second, very real challenge to Canada’s security that unfolded only decades later—after Confederation—when Irish-American militants launched a series of cross-border raids in an attempt to pressure Britain into granting independence to Ireland.

Between 1866 and 1871, members of the Fenian movement—many of them veterans of the American Civil War—believed they could seize Canadian towns, transportation routes, and strategic sites, and use occupied Canadian territory as leverage against the British government. While the raids ultimately failed, the threat they posed was taken seriously by Canada’s newly formed federal government and by communities along the border, particularly in eastern Ontario.

Drawing on local reactions, government responses in Ottawa, and the experiences of small towns and rural settlements suddenly placed on the front line, Phil Gurski explores how the Fenian threat exposed the vulnerabilities of a young country and helped shape Canada’s early approach to defense, security, and sovereignty. By examining how Canadians understood—and responded to—this unconventional and politically motivated campaign, this book reveals a largely forgotten episode that contributed to the development of Canadian nationalism and the foundations of Canada’s modern national security system.

Presenter Biography

Phil Gurski worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in Iran as well as Islamist terrorism and from 1983 to 2001 as a senior multilingual analyst at Communications Security Establishment (CSE – Canada’s signals intelligence agency), specializing in the Middle East.  He also served as senior special advisor in the National Security Directorate at Public Safety Canada from 2013, focusing on community outreach and training on radicalization to violence, until his retirement from the civil service in May 2015, and as consultant for the Ontario Provincial Police’s Anti-Terrorism Section (PATS) from May to October 2015. 

He is the author of eight books on terrorism including The Peaceable Kingdom: A history of terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the present and 9/11: the unfinished battle - why jihadi terrorism is wider, stronger and far from over.

Books available for purchase and signing by the author. Cash or e-transfer accepted.

This talk takes place On Saturday November 7 from 1pm - 2pm at the Grimsby Museum, Located at 6 Murray Street, Grimsby. If you have further questions, please reach out to us at (905) 945-5292 or [email protected]