National Security Transparency Commitment
Table of Contents
- About the National Security Transparency Commitment
- The Six Principles of National Security Transparency
- Transparency at Departments and Agencies
- The National Security Transparency Advisory Group (NS-TAG)
About the National Security Transparency Commitment
This Commitment is about integrating Canada's democratic values into our national security activities. Canadians have a responsibility to hold their Government to account for its decisions. This is essential to our democracy. To do so, citizens must know what the Government does to protect national security, how the Government does it, and why such work is important.
The field of national security presents a unique challenge to this imperative. There are adversaries who would use information about how the Government protects national security to harm us. The Government of Canada is committed to enabling democratic accountability without providing information that could compromise Canada's security or the safety of Canadians.
The Six Principles of National Security Transparency
This initiative outlines how the Government is fulfilling its commitment to transparency through the application of six principles, which have been categorized into three different action areas. To read more about the six principles, click on one of the three action areas below.
- Information transparency: to show what departments and agencies are doing to protect national security.
- Executive transparency: to explain the legal structure for protecting national security, and how choices are made within that structure.
- Policy transparency: to engage Canadians in a dialogue about the strategic issues impacting national security.
Transparency at Departments and Agencies
The national security and intelligence community is made up of federal departments and agencies whose mandates include protecting the safety and security of Canada’s territory, government, economy and people. Here you will find links to more information on what is being done within various Government of Canada departments and agencies to support transparency.
- Canada Border Services Agency
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency
- Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
- Canada Revenue Agency
- Communications Security Establishment
- Canadian Security Intelligence Service
- Correctional Services Canada
- Department of National Defence
- Department of Justice
- Finance Canada
- Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis of Canada
- Global Affairs Canada
- Health Canada
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
- Parole Board of Canada
- Public Health Agency of Canada
- Public Safety Canada
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Transport Canada
- Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
National Security Act, 2017
In 2016, the Government completed public consultations on a range of national security issues including accountability, information sharing, and a review of national security organizations. The results of the Government’s consultation demonstrated a demand from the public for more transparency on national security. The responses to these consultations led to the announcement of the National Security Transparency Commitment alongside a number of legislative changes made within the National Security Act, 2017, which will strengthen security and protect rights.
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