Abstract
In the early morning of July 2, 2020, 46-year-old Manitoban Corey Hurren drove his pickup truck through the front gates of Rideau Hall in Ottawa. There, he picked up five of his loaded guns and wandered around the property until confronted by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers, who diffused the situation and convinced Hurren to surrender peacefully after 90 minutes (Humphreys in Correy Hurren on Rideau Hall Attack: ‘I Figured as Soon as I Got on the Property, I Would Get Shot Down’. National Post, 2021). During the aftermath of the event, it was revealed that Hurren was an avid conspiracy theorist and anti-COVID-19 activist who dabbled in and consumed online content from far-right websites and social media.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Several of the authors are involved in a three-year project (2020–2023) financed by the Canadian Armed Forces to examine this question from a theoretical and empirical standpoint. For more information, see: https://sites.ontariotechu.ca/rwe-caf/index.php.
- 2.
See the B.A.C.A International website for more information: https://bacaworld.org/.
- 3.
Wolf’s (1991) research that employed participant observation with Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs is a stellar example of this approach.
References
Abadinsky, H. (2013). Organized Crime (10th edition). Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing.
Adams, S. (2020). Forming the Canadian Airborne Regiment. LEGION. Canada’s Military History Magazine. https://legionmagazine.com/en/2020/04/forming-the-canadian-airborne-regiment/.
Allard, C. (2018, February 15). Montée de l’extrême droite dans les Maritimes. CBC Nouveaux-Brunswick. Available at: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/special/2018/extreme-droite-maritimes/index.html.
Amad (2018). Remembering the ‘Somalia Affair,’ Canada’s Forgotten Abu Ghraib Moment. Vice. https://www.vice.com/en/article/7x75xg/remembering-the-somalia-affair-canadas-forgotten-abu-ghraib-moment.
Airborne Regiment Association of Canada. (2014). The Story of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. http://airborneassociation.com/e/about/history.html.
Asal, V., Chermak, S. M., Fitzgerald, S., & Freilich, J. D. (2020). Organizational-Level Characteristics in Right-Wing Extremist Groups in the United States Over Time. Criminal Justice Review (Atlanta, Ga.), 45(2), 250–266. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734016815626970.
Bercuson, D. J. (2009). Up from the Ashes: The Re-professionalization of the Canadian Forces After the Somalia Affair. Canadian Military Journal (Ottawa), 9(3), 31–39.
Bilge, S., & Collins, P. H. (2016). Intersectionality. Malden, MA: Polity Press.
Boire, S. (2020). Right-Wing Extremism, Radicalization, and the Canadian Armed Forces [Master Thesis, JCSP 47 Master of Defence Studies, Canadian Forces College].
Boutilier, A. (2018, October 23—Updated 2020, March 2). Neo-Nazis Chatted About Joining Canadian Military Reserves, Report Says. The Hamilton Spectator. https://www.thespec.com/news/canada/2018/10/23/neo-nazis-chatted-about-joining-canadian-military-reserves-report-says.html.
Bremner, J. D., Southwick, S. M, Darnell, A., & Charney, D. S. (1996). “Chronic PTSD in Vietnam Combat Veterans: Course of Illness and Substance Abuse. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 153(3), 369–375.
Brewster, M. (2020, December 9). Military Launches Investigation After Reservist Attacks Vaccine Plan at Anti-lockdown Rally. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/vaccine-reservist-pandemic-covid-lesley-kenderesi-1.5833518.
Burke, A., & Pauls, K. (2021 March 15). Military Conducted Secret Investigation of Reservist Patrik Mathews as a Possible Terrorist Threat. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/patrik-mathews-canadian-forces-neo-nazi-terrorist-1.5948202.
CASIS. (2019). Right-Wing Extremism Elements in the Canadian Armed Forces. The Journal of Intelligence, Conflict, and Warfare, 2(2), 7. https://doi.org/10.21810/jicw.v2i2.1059.
CBC (2017, October 4). ‘We Have to Be Neutral’: Canadian Forces Warn Members Affiliated with Radical Groups. Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-military-warns-members-joining-groups-la-meute-1.4327085.
Chermak, S., & Gruenewald, J. A. (2015). Laying a Foundation for the Criminological Examination of Right-Wing, Left-Wing, and Al Qaeda-Inspired Extremism in the United States. Terrorism and Political Violence, 27(1), 133–159. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2014.975646.
Chiu, E. (2017, May 26). Rear Admiral Apologizes to Indigenous Recruits for Sailor’s ‘War Cry’ Insult. CBC News Nova Scotia. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/novascotia/rear-admiral-apologizes-to-indigenous-recruits-for-sailor-s-war-cry-insult-1.4133185.
Connolly, A. (2021). Military Sexual Misconduct Class Action Claims Up 170 Percent over the Last 6 Months. Global News. Available at: https://globalnews.ca/news/8022013/canadian-forces-class-action-lawsuit-claims-increase/.
Foot, R. (2019, August 2). Canadian Paecekeepers in Somalia. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-peacekeepers-in-somalia.
Government of Canada. (2020a, July 10). DAOD 5019-0, Conduct and Performance Deficiencies. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/policies-standards/defence-administrative-orders-directives/5000-series/5019/5019-0-conduct-and-performance-deficiencies.html#def.
Government of Canada. (2020b, July 13). Canadian Armed Forces Releases Policy That Defines and Addresses Hateful Conduct. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/maple-leaf/defence/2020/07/caf-releases-policy-defines-addresses-hateful-conduct.html.
Government of Canada. (2020c, July 24). New CAF Administrative Order and Military Personnel Instruction on Hateful Conduct.https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/maple-leaf/defence/2020/07/new-caf-ao-mp-instruction-hateful-conduct.html.
Government of Canada. (2020d, November 5). Canadian Army Order 11-82 Hateful Conduct. http://www.army-armee.forces.gc.ca/en/policies/cao-11-82-hateful-conduct.page.
Granatstein, J. L., & Oliver, D. F. (2013). The Somalia Affair: The Oxford Companion to Canadian Military History. Canadian Military History, 22(4), 59–63.
Harada, S. (1995, January 15). Rampant Racism in the Airborne Regiment. CBC Digital Archives. https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/rampant-racism-in-the-airborne-regiment.
Haugstvedt, H. (2021). The Right’s Time to Fly?: Exploring the Possibility of Right-Wing Extremists’ Use of UAVs. The RUSI Journal, 166(1), 22–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/03071847.2021.1906161.
Huddleston, A. (2020). Canadian Armed Forces Retention: A Wicked Problem? [Master’s thesis, Department of Political Studies University of Manitoba, Winnipeg]. https://mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca/bitstream/handle/1993/34939/Huddleston_Amanda.pdf?sequence=1.
Humphreys, A. (2021, March 3). Correy Hurren on Rideau Hall Attack: ‘I Figured as Soon as I Got on the Property, I Would Get Shot Down’. National Post. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/corey-hurren-on-rideau-hall-attack-i-figured-as-soon-as-i-got-on-the-property-i-would-get-shot-down.
Hutter, K. (2018, May 10). Three Percenters are Canada’s ‘Most Dangerous’ Extremist Group, Say Some Experts. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/three-percenters-canada-1.4647199.
Jackson, S. (2019). A Schema of Right-Wing Extremism in the United States. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep19625.
Jakupcak, M., Conybeare, D., Phelps, L., Hunt, S., Hollie, A., Holmes, B. F., Klevens, M., & McFall, M. E. (2007). Anger, Hostility, and Aggression Among Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans Reporting PTSD and Subthreshold PTSD. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 20(6), 945–954.
Kanagaratnam, P., & Asbjornsen, A. E. (2007). Executive Deficits in Chronic PTSD Related to Political Violence. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 21(4), 510–525.
Koehler, D. (2019). A Threat from Within?: Exploring the Link Between the Extreme Right and the Military. (n.d.). International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. https://icct.nl/app/uploads/2019/09/ICCT-Koehler-A-Threat-from-Within-Exploring-the-Link-between-the-Extreme-Right-and-the-Military.pdf.
Koring, P. (June 7, 2012). Blue Helmets Cast Aside, Canada Keeps the Peace No More. The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/blue-helmets-cast-aside-canada-keeps-the-peace-no-more/article4240950/.
Lagerquist, J. (2017, July 3). ‘This Is a British colony’: Group Disrupts Mi'kmaq Ceremony in Halifax. CTV News. https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/this-is-a-british-colony-group-disrupts-mi-kmaq-ceremony-in-halifax-1.3487246.
Lamoureux, M. (2018, October 22). Neo-Nazis Want Canadian Military Training. Vice. https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/a3pppz/neo-nazis-want-canadian-military-training.
Lamoureux, M., & Makuch, B (August 2, 2018). Member of a neo-Nazi Terror Groupappears to Be Former Canadian Soldier. Vice. https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/7xqe8z/member-of-a-neo-nazi-terror-group-appears-to-be-former-canadian-soldier.
Lawrence, G. H., & Kane, T. D. (1996). Military Service and Racial Attitudes of White Veterans. Armed Forces and Society, 22(2), 235–255. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X9502200205.
Lofland, J., & Stark, R. (1965). Becoming a World-Saver: A Theory of Conversion to a Deviant Perspective. American Sociological Review, 30(6), 862–875. https://doi.org/10.2307/2090965.
Lokay, A., Robinson, K., & Crenshaw, M. (2021). The Oath Keepers. Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict, 14(2), 160–178. https://doi.org/10.1080/17467586.2021.1912375.
Malhotra, T. (2020). Right-Wing Extremism in the Canadian Military. McGill Journal of Political Studies. https://mjps.ssmu.ca/2020/02/23/right-wing-extremism-in-the-canadian-military/.
McCristall, P., & Baggaley, K. (2019). The Progressions of a Gendered Military: A Theoretical Examination of Gender Inequality in the Canadian Military. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 5(1), 119–126. https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh.2017-0026.
McCristall, P. (2020). (In)Visible Systemic Injustice: A Qualitative Inquiry into Women’s Experiences of Gender Discrimination in the Canadian Military [PhD dissertation, Department of Sociology, Queen’s University] Kingston, Ontario.
McKelvey, S. (2020). Canadian Armed Forces: Class Action. Stewart McKelvey Lawyers-Advocats. Retrieved June 26, 2020. https://stewartmckelvey.com/class_actions/canadian-armed-forces/.
Moses, J. (2000). Aboriginal Participation in Canadian Military Service. Civilization, ca.
Nemeth, M. (1993, January 11). African Relief: Canadians Join A Global Rescue Operation. MACLEANS. Retrieved 2020, December 4. https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1993/1/11/african-relief.
Okros, A. (2021, August 11). Hateful Conduct Policies in the Canadian Armed Forces [Webinar]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDYlHAShisc.
O’Reilly, M. (1998). MD at Centre of Somalia Controversy Finds Peace in Northern Ontario. Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), 158(2), 244–245.
Parent, R. B., & Ellis, J. O. (2015). Right-Wing Extremism in Canada. Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism. 1–39.
Pauls, K., & Johnston, A. (2020, January 21). Ex-reservist Patrik Mathews and Others Planned Violent Revolution, U.S. Prosecutors Say. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/patrick-mathews-base-violent-revolution-1.5435323.
Perry, B., & Scrivens, R (2019). Looking in: Group Dynamics of the Canadian Right-Wing Extremist Movement. In N. Chakraborti, & B. Perry (Eds.), Right-Wing Extremism in Canada (pp. 55–88). Palgrave Hate Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25169-7.
Perry, S. (2021). The Nexus of Right-Wing Extremism and the Canadian Armed Forces. [M.A. Thesis]. University of New Brunswick, Canada.
Presley, S. M. (1996). Rise of Domestic Terrorism and Its Relation to United States Armed Forces [Thesis, United States Marine Corps]. Command and Staff College. https://fas.org/irp/eprint/presley.htm.
Public Safety Canada. (2019, June 6). Currently Listed Entities. Government of Canada. https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/lstd-ntts/crrnt-lstd-ntts-en.aspx.
Pugliese, D. (2019, June 14). Sajjan Taken to Task About White Supremacists in the Canadian Forces—Military Says It’s Dealing with the Issue. Ottawa Citizen. https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/news/canada/sajjan-taken-to-task-about-white-supremacists-in-the-canadian-forces-military-says-its-dealing-with-the-issue-322280/.
Quon, A., & Previl, S. (2017, August 31). ‘Proud Boys’ Return to Active Military Duty, Face No Criminal Charges. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/3709463/proud-boys-return-to-active-military-duty-face-no-criminal-charges/.
Razack, S. (2000). From the “Clean Snows of Petawawa”: The Violence of Canadian Peacekeepers in Somalia. Cultural Anthropology, 15(1), 127–163. https://doi.org/10.1525/can.2000.15.1.127.
Rittel, H. W. J. & Webber, M. M. (1973). Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning. Policy Sciences, 4, 155–169.
Rocha, R., & Yates, J. (2019, December 4). Navy Investigating Reservist Who Encouraged Fellow Members of Neo-Nazi Web Forum to Enlist. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/navyreservistironmarchdata1.5382424, https://canadianjewishrecord.ca/tag/boris-mihajlovic/.
Rumbolt, R. (2018, November 10). Soldiers Suspended over Links to Calgary-Base Surplus Store Alleged to Promote White Supremacy. Calgary Sun. https://calgarysun.com/news/local-news/canadian-soldiers-suspended-as-military-investigates-caglary-based-surplus-stores-alleged-white-supremacist-links/wcm/38eafc1f-ed08-48f6-8e3c-c14825deb446.
Savard, J. F., & Landriault, M. (2019). Transforming the Relationship Between the Canadian Military and Indigenous People: Evidence from the Traditional and Social Media. Canadian Political Science Association.
Schneider, S. (2017). Canadian Organized Crime. Toronto: Canadian Scholars.
Scrivens, R., Osuna, A. I., Chermak, S. M., Whitney, M. A., & Frank, R. (2021). Examining Online Indicators of Extremism in Violent Right-Wing Extremist Forums. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2021.1913818.
Shimooka, R. (2021, May 12). The Lessons Canada’s Military Didn’t Learn from the Somalia Inquiry. National Post. https://nationalpost.com/opinion/richard-shimooka-the-lessons-canadas-military-didnt-learn-from-the-somalia-inquiry.
Smith, C.F. (2019). Gangs and the Military: Gangster, Bikers, and Terrorists with Military Training. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
Somalia Inquiry. (1997, July 2). Dishonoured Legacy: The Lessons of the Somalia Affair: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Deployment of Canadian Forces to Somalia. http://hdl.handle.net/1974/6881.
Stewart, B. (1993, May 5). Somalia Affair: The Whistleblower. CBC Digital Archives. https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/Somalia-affair-the-whistleblower.
Taber, N. (2017). The Canadian Armed Forces: Battling Between Operation Honour and Operation Hop on Her. Critical Military Studies, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/23337486.2017.1411117.
Taylor, H. (2019). Domestic Terrorism and Hate Crimes: Legal Definitions and Media Framing of Mass Shootings in the United States. Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, 14(3), 227–244. https://doi.org/10.1080/18335330.2019.1667012.
Taylor, S. (2020a, December 28). Scott Taylor: One Racist in the Canadian Armed Forces Is Too Many. The Chronicle Herald. https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/national-perspectives/scott-taylor-one-racist-in-the-canadian-armed-forces-is-too-many-535369/.
Tebbutt, T. L. (2020). Cultural Perspectives of Right-Wing Extremism in the Canadian Armed Force [Master Thesis, JCSP 47 Solo Flight, Canadian Forces College].
The National Magazine—CBC Television. (1997, July 2). Dishonoured Legacy: Chronology of Events in Somalia. Retrieved 2020, December 4.
Thompson E., & Brewster, M. (2020, August 25). Military Intelligence Probes Far-Right Activity in Canadian Ranger Unit. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rangers-far-right-investigation-1.5697977.
Thorpe, R. (2019, October 25). No Sign of Neo Nazi Former Soldier. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/no-sign-of-neo-nazi-former-soldier-563877802.html.
Thorpe, R. (2020, September 18). Ryan Thorpe: Far-Right Infiltration of Canada's Military Poses a Serious Threat, Says Winnipeg Reporter. CBC Radio. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/ruth-bader-ginsburg-dead-at-87-the-far-right-in-canada-s-military-super-mario-at-35-and-more-1.5728537/far-right-infiltration-of-canada-s-military-poses-a-serious-threat-says-winnipeg-reporter-1.5728539.
Toronto Sun. (2020, January 20). LOOK BACK: 25 Years Since Somalia Affair-Stained Canada's Reputation. https://torontosun.com/news/national/look-back-25-years-since-scandal-led-to-airborne-regiment-being-disbanded.
United Press International (1995, January 23). Disgraced Airborne Regiment Disbanded. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/01/23/Disgraced-airborne-regiment-disbanded/5605790837200/.
von Hlatky, S. (2019). The Gender Perspective and Canada’s Armed Forces. In R. Egnell, M. Alam, & M. Verveer (Eds.), Women and Gender Perspectives in the Military: An International Comparison (pp. 73–86). Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Wallace, B. (1993, September 13). Too Few Good Men. Macleans. https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1993/9/13/too-few-good-men.
Winslow, D. (1997). The Canadian Airborne Regiment in Somalia, a Socio-Cultural Inquiry: A Study. Commission of Inquiry into the Deployment of Canadian Forces to Somalia. Canadian Government Publishing, Ottawa, Canada.
Wolf, D. R. (1991). The Rebels: A Brotherhood of Outlaw-Bikers. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
McCristall, P., Hofmann, D.C., Perry, S. (2022). The Nexus of Right-Wing Extremism and the Canadian Armed Forces. In: Perry, B., Gruenewald, J., Scrivens, R. (eds) Right-Wing Extremism in Canada and the United States . Palgrave Hate Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99804-2_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99804-2_16
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-99803-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-99804-2
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)