In light of the tragic events in Ottawa and St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, the Harper government is looking to increase the powers of our national security agencies to combat terrorism. But the greatest challenge facing our security officials isn't a lack of powers. They already have plenty of them. The problem is a lack of funding. For years now, the Harper government has been cutting the national security budget and we're only now beginning to see the consequences in a striking way. With our vulnerability to terrorism just recently highlighted, the prime minister has placed our national security officials in a precarious situation.