Security questions at home and abroad

While it's not yet clear where on the African continentDefence Minister Harjit Sajjan will deploy Canadian peacekeepers, CBC News revealed this week that a Canadian company has sold armoured vehicles to conflict hot spots in the regiondespite warnings from the United Nations they were skirting international law.

The Streit Group, through its factory in the United Arab Emirates, exported 173 Cougar and Typhoon armoured troop carriers to South Sudan in 2014, which photos leaked to the CBC show had been militarised and used against civilians.

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• Liberals eye revamped West Africa special forces mission

Reporting by the CBC also revealed that the Canadian-owned company continued to ship dozens of armoured personnel carriers into Libya, despite being confronted in 2014 by United Nations investigators who say the sales violated the arms embargo against the war-torn country.

Revelations about the Streit Group's sales have re-ignited thedebate as to whether Canada should tighten regulations that allow Canadian companies to get around arms export restrictions by setting up foreign entities before dispatching peacekeepers to the continent.

"When it comes to what we are trying to achieve here, as I stated, we will be looking at how we will be a responsible partner," Minister Sajjan told CBC's The House over the phone from Kenya.

Minister Sajjanis in East Africa as part of afact-findning mission aheadof a potential future Canadian peacekeeping mission on the continent.

"This is one of the reasons that our government will be bringing in regulations to look at these things. (Global Affairs)Minister Dion has made it very clear that this is a priority, so regulations will be brought into place so that human rights are respected and making sure that we do not increase conflict."

The House8:27Harjit Sajjan on peacekeepers to Africa

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan joins us from Africa where he's been on a peacekeeping fact-finding mission.

What the Aaron Driver case reveals about Canada's anti-terrorism approach

The use of peace bonds as a tool to deal with suspected terrorist sympathizers is being questioned, after the RCMP revealed that Aaron Driver had been poised to launch anattack, despite being subject to a courtorder placing him under restrictions.

"We have to think about national security as a system and I think the police responded in an emergency way very effectively, but long term this raises a lot of questions about peace bonds and just how effective they actually are," University of Toronto professor and anti-terrorism law expert Kent Roach told The House.

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Peace bonds are issued by a court in cases where authorities fear an individual is likely to commit an offence but there is no evidence that an offence has already been committed. Ifindividuals obeythe conditions of the peace bond, they stay out of jail. If they breach them, they can be putbehind bars.

Roach said Driver clearly was in violation of some of his conditions and could have been prosecuted."If you're in breach of your peace order you're subject to a criminal offence," he said.

"But laws that are not enforced are not that good to really anyone."

• Foiled attack raises questions about value of peace bonds

During a news conference Thursday in Ottawa,RCMP Deputy Commissioner Mike Cabana acknowledged there are limits to how far a peace bond can go if someone has bad intentions.

"As it's clearly demonstrated by this case here, when individuals have these kinds of intentions, intentions such as Mr. Driver had, there are no conditions that can be put in place that will prevent them from taking action."

The House13:41Kent Roach on the remaining questions following the foiled terrorist attack

Kent Roach, a professor in law at the University of Toronto and leading scholar on Canada's anti terrorism laws discusses this week's events.

We also talked toour In House panelists SusanDelacourtandJol-DenisBellavance about the potential impact of this week's events on the federal government's approach to fighting and preventing terrorism.

The House8:31In House panel - Ottawa's approach to counter-terrorism

In House panelists Susan Delacourt and Jol-Denis Bellavance talk about the potential impact of this week's events on the federal government's approach to fighting and preventing terrorism.

Elizabeth May could quit as Green Party leader this month

Elizabeth May says she could step down as Green Party leader later this month if her party doesn't reconsider its decision to endorse a movement that callsfor the boycott of Israel.

At its policy convention last weekend, Green Party members voted in favour of a resolution which, in part, said the party"supports the use of divestment, boycott and sanctions ("BDS") that are targeted to those sectors of Israel's economy and society which profit from the ongoing occupation of the OPT[Occupied Palestinian Territories.]"

"I would say as of this minute I think I'd have real difficulties going not just to an election but through the next month," May told The House.

• Elizabeth May ponders future after Green Party's support for Israeli boycott policy

• Jewish groups condemn Green Party for supporting Israeli boycott policy

"There are a lot of issues I want to be talking about with Canadians, and this isn't one of them," she said.

May is headed to Nova Scotia for a family vacation, where she will seek their advice on her future as leader.

"I need to talk to my family and ask them what they think I should do," Maysaid. "You're talking to a broken-hearted person who is trying to figure out the best way forward."

The House12:55Elizabeth May to decide quickly if she'll stay on as Green Party leader

Elizabeth May talks about the controversy that emerged from the Green Party's convention and whether she will stay on as party leader.

Is the Canadian economy sick?

What could the struggling economy means for the federal government?

To get a clearer picture, The House spoke toAveryShenfeld, chiefeconomist at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.

"There's this phrase 'serial disappointment' that's floating aroundthe economic world. It doesn't just apply to Canada, it's being felt by other countries as well," Shenfeld told The House.

• Canada sheds 31,200 jobs in July, unemployment rate rises to 6.9%

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"The trend has been disappointing and we're starting to wonder whether the structure of the Canadian economy is such that we just have to get used to somewhat slower GDP growth. We might be, for example, living in a world where 1.5 percent growth is now a decent year for Canada, as opposed to if you go back a decade ago that number used to be 2.5 percent growth."

The House9:43Avery Shenfeld on the state of the Canadian economy

CIBC chief economist Avery Shenfeld gives us his assessment of the state of the Canadian economy.