Require leaders' top-secret clearance

AI summary

Petitioners ask that all federal party leaders be required to hold top-secret clearance to receive classified national-security briefings. The government responds that CSIS provides briefings and has offered leaders the chance to apply for clearance.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons Canada faces increasing national security risks in a complex and shifting geopolitical landscape, and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) warns that political parties, elected officials, and candidates are potential targets for foreign interference; In this context, it is in Canada’s national interest for every federal party leader to hold top-secret security clearance: This ensures that all leaders are properly briefed on potential national security threats within their respective parties and take timely, informed action to protect Canada’s interests; and The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada refuses to seek top-secret security clearance, and this is a failure of leadership and exposes Canada to avoidable national security risks. We, the undersigned, citizens, call upon the House of Commons to require all federal party leaders to obtain and maintain top-secret security clearance to ensure they are fully informed of threats to Canada’s national security and able to act decisively to protect Canadians and our democracy.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Public Safety Signed by Jacques Ramsay, Parliamentary Secretary The Canadian Security Intelligence Service continues to share information with elected officials across all orders of government, and others across Canada, and it continues to regularly provide briefings to elected officials about the threat landscape at appropriate classifications. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service provides security assessments to requesting federal departments that are sponsoring the clearance of an employee or an individual with a need to receive classified information. For members of provincial governments, the Privy Council Office is generally the sponsoring department, and the one that ultimately grants the clearance. The Government of Canada has previously offered all federal party leaders the opportunity to apply for security clearance and continues to stand ready to assist anyone that chooses to take the Government up on its offer. The Government of Canada remains committed to building resilience in the face of national security threats, including the threat of foreign interference.