The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that sophisticated terror operations such as the Oct. 7 attack on Israeli citizens are costly -- as is sustaining Hamas's protracted insurgency. Guest columnist Christian Leuprecht writes that both Hamas and Hezbollah enjoy state-based backing, receiving an estimated $100-million and $700-million a year, respectively, from Iran. Hamas's and Hezbollah's financial tentacles span the globe and reach deep into Canada. Canada's problem with dirty money has been well documented for decades. A weak national security posture, failure to enforce and under-resourced and overstretched intelligence agencies have made Canada safe for terrorists. A 2006 Fraser Institute report estimated terror financing in Canada at $180-million annually. Various law enforcement bodies have laid out a litany of accusations: Hezbollah uses Canada to launder billions in transnational narcoterrorism. It colludes with Chinese triads and Mexican cartels to fund extremist violence. Canadians may do well to look closer to home. In its criminal indictment of TD Bank, the U.S. Treasury determined that the ledgers and transactions of Canada's financial system have been actively enabling extremist violence.
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