Ms. Clark said she was relieved to hear from the RCMP that the accused did not have ties to foreign terrorists.

“These individuals were inspired by al-Qaeda ideology. Our investigation demonstrated that this was a domestic threat, without international linkages,” assistant RCMP commissioner James Malizia said.

“It is very important that Canadians remain vigilant. We encourage the active engagement of all of our citizens in protecting Canada’s national security as this is a shared responsibility.”

Federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said the July 1 arrests demonstrate that “terrorism continues to be a real threat to Canada.”

He lauded the RCMP-led national security investigation, Project Souvenir, as another example of productive information sharing between Canadian security and law-enforcement agencies.

Mr. Toews reminded Canadians that the federal government recently passed legislation that grants police extra powers in the fight against terrorism – but come at a controversial cost to civil liberties in Canada.

S-7, the Combatting Terrorism Act, resurrected two anti-terrorism powers that Parliament granted to Canadian authorities after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks but expired in 2007. Neither measure had ever been used.

The law allows police to detain people pre-emptively and hold them for as long as three days without charges and would give authorities power to compel testimony through so-called investigative hearings at which people are brought before judges to answer questions.

“Our government will … will ensure that law enforcement and security agencies have the tools they need to protect Canadians and their families.,” Mr. Toews said.

The arrests were made under the Project Souvenir investigation, which was co-ordinated by the Mountie-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSETs) in B.C.

The INSETs are a multi-agency team made up of officials from the RCMP, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA), and other law enforcement and national security partners who investigate all national security criminal threats.

A tip from CSIS spurred the investigation, police said.

Asked if she felt she had to restrict public access to the grounds of B.C. Legislature, Ms. Clark appeared to reject the idea. “We cannot let this event change us … we will not be ruled by fear” she said.