National Security

The national security threat landscape is increasingly complex and diverse, and presents significant challenges to Canada’s security, economic prosperity, and social cohesion. In this evolving landscape, provinces and territories, private sector entities, academia, non-governmental organizations, and individuals, are important stakeholders. Outreach and engagement are key in building resilience to modern threats in the physical and digital world. Transparency and accountability mechanisms are also key to maintaining public trust. The preservation of national security is a multi-faceted endeavor that requires cooperation across a diverse range of initiatives and programs. Public Safety Canada (PS) functions as a centralized hub for coordinating work in counter-foreign interference, counter-terrorism, critical infrastructure, cyber security and transportation security. Advancing work in this area requires strong partnerships with a number of federal departments, including Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Canadian Heritage (PCH) and Finance Canada.  

Relevant Mandate Letter Commitments

Further Information

Foreign Interference

Foreign interference includes harmful activities undertaken by foreign states, or their proxies, that are clandestine, deceptive, or involve a threat to any person to advance their strategic objectives to the detriment of Canada’s national interests. Foreign interference has reached levels not seen since the Cold War, and currently poses one of the greatest strategic threats to Canada’s national security as it targets the integrity of our political system, democratic institutions, social cohesion, academic freedom, economy and long-term prosperity.

The Government of Canada (GoC) has been increasingly public about the threat posed by foreign interference. Most notably, threats to Parliamentarians, democratic institutions and elections have been at the centre of public attention for the past few months. In March 2023, the Prime Minister announced a series of new initiatives to take further action to combat foreign interference and uphold confidence in our democratic institutions. This includes establishing a new National Counter Foreign Interference Coordinator in PS to coordinate efforts to combat foreign interference and investing $5.5 million to strengthen the capacity of civil society partners to counter disinformation. The GoC is also considering following up on a series of recommendations by national security review bodies and experts to modernize Canada’s legal and organizational toolkit to better counter foreign interference. The GoC has completed a first round of public and stakeholder consultations to guide the creation of a Foreign Influence Transparency Registry (FITR), consisting of both online submissions from the general public (approximately 1,000) and in-person roundtable discussions with targeted stakeholders (80 individuals representing 40+ organizations). Analysis of the feedback received from consultations indicates broad support for FITR, however, many stakeholders emphasized that it is only one tool out of many that should to be added to Canada’s toolkit to counter foreign interference. [REDACTED].

Economic-Based Threats to National Security

Increased global trade along with rapid technological innovation have provided Canada with expanded opportunities for economic growth and increased prosperity. It has also given rise to new and potentially serious national security vulnerabilities. As a result, certain hostile actors have sought to exploit key segments of Canada’s economy to advance their own strategic military, intelligence, security and economic interests including but not limited to:

The GoC has tabled legislative amendments to the Investment Canada Act that are intended to better protect the Canadian economy from hostile state actors.

Research Security

Canada’s national security community continues to grapple with the threat posed by espionage and theft of cutting-edge research, trade secrets, and intellectual property that has national security and economic significance.  PS is involved in a number of initiatives to strengthen the security posture of Canada’s research institutions. Since 2016, PS has been raising awareness of research security threats through direct engagement with frontline researchers and the academic community through the Safeguarding Science initiative that offers workshops, tools, and resources.

Budget 2022 announced the creation of a Research Security Centre at Public Safety to provide detailed advice directly to university officials about securing their research. The Centre also leads the interdepartmental team that handles reviews of research funding applications under the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships. 

On February 14, 2023, the Ministers of Innovation, Science and Industry, Public Safety and  Health directed the tri-council funding agencies and the Canada Foundation for Innovation to establish new eligibility criteria that all grant applications in a sensitive research area will not be funded if any of the researchers working on the project are affiliated with a university, research institute or laboratory connected to military, national defence or state security entities of foreign state actors that pose a risk to national security. PS officials have been working with government partners to operationalize the new policy.

Critical Infrastructure

Canada’s critical infrastructure (CI) faces many national security threats, including hostile activities by state actors, terrorism, violent extremism, cyber incidents, climate change and health threats such as infectious diseases.  Foreign actors, with the support of state-level resources, are developing advanced capabilities to target CI, increasingly leveraging cyber systems to conduct espionage, steal IP, and disrupt operations. Given the interconnectedness and interdependency of Canadian CI, efforts are required to strengthen its security and resilience, in order to minimize cascading impacts and disruption to Canadian society. A process is underway to renew Canada’s approach to critical infrastructure security and resilience. PS has been engaging stakeholders on renewing Canada’s approach to CI in recognition that it is no longer adequate for addressing a more dangerous landscape of new and rapidly evolving threats that pose a greater risk of disruption.

Terrorism and Violent Extremism

The terrorism landscape has evolved significantly, and has become more crowded and complex than ever before. While “traditional” Violent Extremist (VE) groups whose credo, membership, command structure and tactics are known and relatively stable are still active, the last 10 years have seen an increase in VEs that are driven by a range of influences, often combined with personal grievances, rather than a singular belief system. The result is a personalized worldview that often centres on the willingness to incite, enable or mobilize to violence. These individuals and cells are: active online, making transnational linkages, and leveraging chat forums, social media and other networks to spread violent extremist propaganda and hate speech; weaponize conspiracy theories; exacerbate social tensions; encourage criminal or violent actions; and undermine trust in public institutions and government. VEs have also adapted to circumvent traditional systems and tools (e.g., through the use of crypto or virtual currencies, and encrypted messaging apps) to further their objectives in ways that directly or indirectly undermine Canada’s economic, institutional, and national security. IMVE actors fueled on disinformation, cut at our social fabric, destabilize and undermine our cohesion and confidence in our democratic institutions and processes.  At the same time, Religiously Motivated Violent Extremism (RMVE) and Politically Motivated Violent Extremism (PMVE) remain persistent threats and a priority for investigative agencies.

Terrorist Listings

An important tool used to combat the threat of terrorism is the Criminal Code list of terrorist entities. Listing terrorist entities, be it groups or individuals, helps to ensure that Canada’s financial system cannot be used to facilitate terrorist activities by freezing an entity’s property. Being listed establishes an entity as a “terrorist group” as defined under the Criminal Code. Certain offences related to terrorist financing, terrorist-related travel and terrorist recruitment may apply. This strengthens law enforcement’s ability to take action against domestic members and supporters of terrorist entities. A listing can further support the removal of the entity’s presence on social media and online platforms, and can support the decision to render an entity’s members inadmissible to Canada.  There are currently 75 groups and 2 individuals on the Criminal Code list.

Canadian Extremist Travellers (CETs)

CETs are individuals who are suspected of travelling abroad to engage in extremist activity. This includes, but is not limited to the participation in armed combat, financing, radicalizing, recruiting and media production. Offences specifically related to leaving or attempting to leave Canada for the purpose of committing certain terrorism offences may be enacted in the Criminal Code. PS continues to work with the security and intelligence community to ensure that the government can respond to the evolving threat of terrorism and violent extremism, including CETs. Responding to the threat posed by CETs engages the mandates of multiple departments and agencies, including PS, Global Affairs Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS).

In the event of a return of a CET, the first objective is arrest and prosecution, should there be sufficient evidence. If there is insufficient evidence for a charge, the RCMP and its law enforcement and security and intelligence partners will continue their investigation, while other tools are leveraged to manage and mitigate the threat. These tools include the use of terrorism peace bonds, using the Secure Air Travel Act (SATA) to prevent travel and, in certain circumstances, the use of CSIS threat reduction to manage and mitigate any potential threats.

Passenger Protect Office

PS is responsible for a number of statutory obligations under the Secure Air Travel Act (SATA), the Canadian Passport Order (CPO), and the Prevention of Terrorist Travel Act (PTTA). SATA provides the legislative framework for the Passenger Protect Program (PPP) which aims to enhance transportation security by preventing individuals who may pose a threat to the airplane or who may travel by air to commit a terrorist act from boarding the plane or go through additional security screening. Pursuant to the CPO, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness may refuse, revoke or cancel an individual’s passport if the decision is necessary to prevent the commission of a terrorism offence or for the national security of Canada or a foreign country or state.

National Security Reviews

The enactment of the National Security Act, 2017 marked the launch of a new national security review framework. The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA), and Intelligence Commissioner provide independent, fact-based, external review and oversight of Canada’s security and intelligence activities. PS’ role in supporting review is twofold: it coordinates work with the review bodies for any issues in which PS is under review, as well as advising the Minister on decisions and interactions with review bodies regarding portfolio agency programs. PS’ role is complementary to the Privy Council Office, which is responsible for ensuring central coordination of the security and intelligence community’s support to review. 

National Security Act, 2017 (Bill C-59) Review

The National Security Act, 2017 enhanced Canada’s national security framework by modernizing various laws and equipping its national security agencies with the tools they need to address new and emerging threats. The Act mandates that Parliament conduct a comprehensive review of the legislation in the fourth year after the Bill’s coming into force. As a result, PS and the broader national security community reviewed how its various provisions have been implemented since it received Royal Assent in June 2019. Parliament's review is to include an assessment of how the legislation has affected the operations of CSIS, the RCMP and the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) that relate to national security, information sharing, and the interaction of those organizations with NSIRA, the Intelligence Commissioner and NSICOP. Relatedly, the NSICOP Act includes a similar requirement for parliamentary review which could commence any time.

Investigative Authorities in a Digital Era

Canadian law enforcement and national security agencies operate in an increasingly complex digital cyber environment. With an ever-growing share of investigations now having an online or cyber dimension, timely access to online communications, including electronic information and data in the possession and control of communications service providers, is vital to advancing modern investigations into national security threats and serious crimes. Ensuring this ability remains effective—with appropriate oversight and subject to a clear set of rules and safeguards—requires PS to continually evaluate Canada's lawful access legislative framework. Since electronic information or data required by investigators may also be stored abroad, international cooperation is vital to Canadian investigative authorities’ ability to obtain expected access to such information and data in the course of investigations. On this front, Canada and the US are negotiating a bilateral data access agreement in relation to the US Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act (CLOUD Act), enacted in 2018. Data access agreements in relation to the CLOUD Act permit trusted partners of the US to gain more direct access to the electronic information held by US communication service providers, as part of lawful investigations, subject to a range of safeguards.

Intelligence and Evidence

Intelligence and evidence (I&E) refers to the operational and legal challenges encountered when sensitive information is used to inform criminal investigations and legal proceedings, or other government action to address national security threats (including threat disruption/mitigation). A dilemma arises from the need to protect how information is obtained, assessed, and shared for national security purposes, and the legal obligation to disclose relevant evidence to a person accused of a crime or otherwise subject to legal proceedings. PS, in cooperation with Justice Canada, continues to engage internal stakeholders to examine current I&E issues in the criminal, civil, and administrative contexts and assess potential options to address them.

Stakeholder Perspectives

In today’s threat environment, stakeholders are strong partners with the federal government and play a key role in supporting Canada’s national security interests. Examples include: companies from small start-ups working on innovative new technologies and large corporations that own and operate critical infrastructure; universities that house cutting-edge research and data; financial institutions that freeze the assets of organizations and individuals on Canada’s terrorist entities list; and, air carriers that work with the GoC to prevent individuals deemed a threat to air travel from boarding a plane. Provinces and territories are also important partners with respect to information sharing. Furthermore, PS regularly cooperates and shares information with international partners, and particularly Five Eyes allies, on a number of national security files, including hostile activities by state actors, terrorist listings, and economic-based threats to national security. Overall, PS continues to work closely with stakeholders, both inside and outside the security and intelligence community, to look for new and innovative ways to enhance the measures in place to address the range of today’s threats.

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