In the aftermath of the white nationalist terror attack in New Zealand Canada’s Public Safety minister says it is time to address the radicalization taking place in dark corners of the internet.

Ralph Goodale says the ultra-right wing, neo-Nazi, white supremacist ideology being peddled online is a behaviour that is unacceptable and dangerous.

Goodale says people who thinks online radicalization is not a serious problem need to think again.

“We have to be more assertive with the communication service providers, the internet companies, to bring them to be more proactive in taking down this offensive material that counsels hate and violence and leads to the kinds of mentality that produces the results that we see today.”

He says steps are being taken to address online radicalization.

“There is a private sector consortium of internet companies, a global forum to counter terrorism. They are developing the technology, the algorithms and so forth, to identify offensive material before it appears and to take the appropriate steps to take it down.”

Canada’s Public Safety minister was also asked if white nationalists need to be included among terrorist groups on watch lists.

Goodale says in Canada for a few years now there has been an increasing focus on white nationalists who preach violence and radicalization.

“That is dangerous behaviour. Any form of extremism that advises people to go kill people is equally abhorrent and we have to treat it all with that degree of concern and pro-activity.”

He says Canada has already experienced neo-Nazi terror attacks and is adapting to deal with this new threat.