OTTAWA – The federal government refused Monday to be specific about its efforts to neutralize the growing threat of Islamic extremism both at home and abroad — even in the face of an ominous new threat levelled directly at Canada.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is calling for supporters to kill westerners, be they military or civilian, from countries involved in the battle against ISIL in northern Iraq — including Canadians.

Canada’s decision to send special forces “advisers” to join the fight against ISIL is likely what prompted its inclusion on the global hit list, observers said, though the prime minister noted that such threats have been on the radar of security agencies for a long time.

But there were calls Monday for far more disclosure about what exactly the government plans to do about it.

Though the government has readily said they believe more than 130…