While Canadians mourn their two soldiers killed by radicalized, homegrown terrorists, the Canadian government is passing a bill to bolster intelligence-agency budgets by improving transparency and communications between Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS) and the American National Security Agency (NSA).

The recent lone wolf attacks in Canada were a critical reminder of the need for law-enforcement organizations to work together to complete the task of combating homegrown terrorism. Neither the Canadian population nor the authorities were ready for such attacks despite their likelihood—considering the Canadian military presence in Afghanistan and Libya, and their special operations forces (SOF) operations in Africa.

The deaths of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Corporal Nathan Cirillo couldn’t have been predicted, but Canadian intelligence services have been working tirelessly to counter terrorist plots in both national and international arenas. Sadly, in this case, the effectiveness of even a poorly planned attack by lone wolves prevailed.

The CSIS and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are doing everything they can, as are all the counter terrorism (CT) officers who are working tirelessly to uncover terrorist activities. Unfortunately, Canadian authorities need more comprehensive tools for a successful Canadian counter-terrorism campaign.