The House

Midweek podcast: is Canada meeting its Rio goals?

On the midweek pod, Chris talks to Anne Merklinger of Own the Podium about Canada's Rio goals - and how to build on the success Canada's female athletes in particular are achieving. Plus, terrorism expert Michael Zekulin explains what is meant by "counter-radicalization", how the government can measure its goals in combating homegrown terrorism, and how Canada stacks up in the global fight. Then, we remember longtime Ottawa MP Mauril Bélanger, who passed away Tuesday after a battle with ALS.
From top left, Jen Kish, Penny Oleksiak, Rosie MacLennan, and the women's soccer team. (Getty Images/Canadian Press)

On the midweek podcast, Chris talks to Anne Merklinger of Own the Podium about Canada's Rio goals — and how Canada plans to build on the success our female athletes in particular are achieving.

"Each one of these heroes come back to our country, and they inspire young women to get involved in sport," Merklinger tells Chris.

One thing Canadian athletes don't have enough of?

The answer isn't more medals, says Merklinger — although she wouldn't turn down more appearances on the podium..

"If there's one gap we're constantly trying to address in our country, it's to develop, recruit and retain more coaches," she says.

"Coaching is the key to developing Paralympic and Olympic champions, and we don't have enough."

Fighting homegrown terrorism 

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale is doubling down on the government's counter-radicalization efforts.

In a speech to the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs, Goodale restated the feds' commitment to come up with what he called a coherent, national effort to prevent young people from becoming radicalized.

But what goes into countering radicalization? And how will the government measure success?

Video footage showing Aaron Driver is seen behind RCMP Deputy Commissioner Mike Cabana (left) and Assistant Commissioner Jennifer Strachan during a press conference on Thursday in Ottawa. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)

Terrorism expert and University of Calgary political science professor Michael Zekulin says it's not so easy to put any definitive markers on success.

"When you're dealing with human beings, it's very, very difficult to measure," he tells Chris. "It's really difficult to quantify who you've reached, or how many, or how successful it's been, and that's only one part fo the equation. 

"The next part is how do you come up with something to implement. The path someone takes to radicalization is very individual, so you'd have to assume that a counter effort would be just as individual."