Just as day five of the weeklong sentencing hearing for the University of Waterloo the attacker was wrapping up, Justice Frances Brennan and federal prosecutor Howard Piafsky had an intense exchange over the concept of ideology in relation to the terrorism charge.
In the Canadian criminal code definition, a terrorism act must satisfy three components.
• For a political, religious or ideological cause
• Committed with the intention of intimidating the public
• Intended to cause serious violence to people
Most of the arguments court heard have been over ideology and if the court can consider Villalba-Aleman’s broad collection of right-wing grievances as an ideology.
Several times Justice Brennan asked Piafsky to define Villalba-Aleman’s ideology.
“I’m concerned the definition you are asking me to adopt is so broad we will dilute what we mean by terrorist motivation,” said Justice Brennan.
The crown argues that the law does not require a tidy ideological view to be considered terrorism.
“This is exactly the type of activity we want this terrorist legislation to cover,” said federal prosecutor Howard …