Driver's death shows need for 'continued vigilance' against radicalization: Goodale

Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale makes a funding announcement during a visit to an immigrant holding centre in Laval, Que. on Monday, August 15, 2016. (Graham Hughes / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

MONTREAL - Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says Canada must strive to become a global leader in understanding and countering radicalization.

He says the death last week of a man in Strathroy, Ont., who was suspected of planning a terrorist attack demonstrates the need for "continued vigilance" in responding to threats posed by those who have radicalized to the point of violence.

He says the federal government is working to create a new national office for community outreach and engagement that will help combat radicalization.

Goodale made his comments after visiting a centre in Montreal on Monday that works to prevent radicalization leading to violence.

Last week, the RCMP revealed that it was the FBI and not the Mounties who discovered a video that led them to Aaron Driver in Strathroy, who police said had threatened to detonate an explosive in an urban centre.

Driver died Wednesday night after a confrontation with police that saw a bomb detonated in a taxi cab. It's not known whether he died from the blast or from a police bullet.