Want to See What It Looks Like When a World Leader Makes a Strong Statement on Terrorism? Here's Canada's Stephen Harper...

Prime Minister Stephen Harper (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Hannah Yoon)

A day after terrorists killed a dozen people in Paris, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper held a press conference in the town of Delta (a suburb of Vancouver), in British Columbia.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the tragedy, Harper did not mince words, telling Canadians, "The fact of the matter is this, ladies and gentlemen, that the international jihadist movement has declared war." Adding, "They have declared war on anybody who does not think and act exactly as they wish would think and act."

A very calm Harper talked about the radical islamists waging war on "a whole range of countries with which they are in contact."

"And they have declared war on any country, like ourselves, that values freedom, openness and tolerance," Harper continued.

Speaking forcefully, Harper reflected the sentiments of many in his country, stating, "We may not like this and wish it would go away...But it is not going to go away."

"And the reality is, we are going to have to confront it," he added.

Harper's comments were a reminder to Canadians that they are not immune to terror attacks like the one in Paris.

Just last October, two separate terror incidents rocked the country. Following the second attack where a gunman alleged to have jihadist sympathies killed a guard at a national war memorial, Harper told his nation, "We will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated."

The prime minister wrapped up his assessment of the situation by stating, "This is going to be, unfortunately, the reality of the world that I think we're living in for some time to come. And we're just going to have to face that head on and deal with it."

Watch Harper's statement:

H/T: Sun News

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