Today's news: Canada's intelligence priorities

Yes, as a matter of fact, Canada does have priorities for intelligence - why did you ask?

Or if you want to save yourself 20 pages of reading, this sums it up: pic.twitter.com/XoTkCqvvwN

— @stephaniecarvin.bsky.social (@StephanieCarvin) September 19, 2024

Tonight's newsletter from Wesley Wark flags the recent announcement: Intelligence Priorites, secret no more!(after 60 years) He writes a fascinating article, well worth reading in full, but here's an excerpt:

...if we are asking—why now?—and looking for the exact prompt for publication of the intelligence priorities, it was undoubtedly the foreign interference inquiry (PIFI) and related attention to questions about how effectively the government has responded to national security threats. The Government already stole some thunder from PIFI by introducing legislation, Bill C-70, to counter foreign interference in May 2024, immediately following the publication of the Inquiry’s Initial report. The legislation progressed at lightspeed through Parliament and received royal assent on June 20. Publishing intelligence priorities and pushing foreign interference to the top of the list, is another instance of trying to get ahead of the Inquiry.

But if there are some political games being played around timing, the longer-term implications are significant. It will be difficult for any future government to backtrack from this initiative...

Wark lists the priorities -- foreign Interference and malign influence, espionage, cyber threats, technological change, health security, climate change, arctic security, defence operations, violent extremism, global security, serious crime, financial threats, immigration and border security -- but Wark also discusses what has been left off the list -- space security, economic security, and disinformation.

Wark also notes:

Its good to have our Intelligence priorities list public, but the list, to be made real, needs two things, a governance framework and a process of translating lists into action.

Some additional reading:

Another good resource is Chapter 5 of the Foreign Interference Commission’s initial report which explains the Canadian IC (albeit in a specific context): https://t.co/1QPx2tNE35

— @stephaniecarvin.bsky.social (@StephanieCarvin) September 19, 2024

And I must say, "intelligence" may be a misnomer if our next government is Conservative -- because they apparently promote disinformation themselves. 

Did everyone already know this?

#BREAKING:

CPC spokesperson Sarah Fischer says she has never heard anyone talk about the party encouraging the convoy groups - in fact she couldn’t hear anything at all over all that honking. Coffee and Donuts anyone?#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/jBVFrIZXL5

— Dean from Winnipeg (@Dean_Winnipeg) September 19, 2024

And this?

I will mention again: After the 2021 election @JustinTrudeau dressed down Rebel media for not being journalists.
The PM was correct.#cdnpoli https://t.co/yhytRaBba6

— G Godwin (@gill_godwin) September 19, 2024

And this? 

I cannot imagine how furious Poilievre must be that the CBC is calling him out:

Conservatives are targeting Singh over his pension — but Poilievre's is three times larger. @katemckenna8 and @AshleyBurkeCBC report on the estimated $230,000 annually, Poilievre is set to receive. https://t.co/4JqKiQRkOI

— Marieke Walsh (@MariekeWalsh) September 18, 2024