Friday, September 20, 2024

Today's news: Canada's intelligence priorities

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

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

3 comments:

lungta said...

Believers and the times of alternative facts dependant on your bias have hobbled debate and ensured that fevered emotionalism will prevail. Sad and very dangerous if you resist the mob.
I can hardly wait to see what the man whose only tool is the axe turns it on after JT and carbon. Be prepared to bleed.

Cathie from Canada said...

If Canada ever elects Poilievre as PM, our Buyer's Remorse will be epic!

Cap said...

Speaking of Rebel News, I see the Federal Court rejected Ezra Levant's claim that Rebel is a "qualified Canadian journalism organization," and thus entitled to the tax breaks the feds set up to further enrich the Canadian corporate news monopolies. The CRA analyzed Rebel's content and found that less than one per cent of it was original news. Poor Ezra, unable to avail himself of the socialism for the rich.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rebel-news-federal-court-1.7328047