Security Clearances in Canada: A Primer

And a Bit About Poilievre

For no particular reason, I found myself pondering security clearances over the weekend. Canada, of course, has a comprehensive security clearance regime designed to protect our own secrets as well as those of our allies. These clearances are required for many positions within government and in industries that do business with the government. It’s a fairly standard process that thousands of Canadians undergo, so it becomes puzzling when someone refuses to obtain one—especially if a clearance is a requirement for a senior position.

I thought it might be helpful to provide a quick overview of Canadian security clearances, the process to obtain one, and the benefits they provide. As usual, I’ll add a caveat: I held a very high-level clearance (my reason for mentioning this will become clear later), but I wasn’t involved in the actual mechanics of granting clearances. I was an end user of intelligence and operational products, but I wasn’t part of the security and intelligence community. So, I might miss some elements or terms. With that in mind, here we go.

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Security Clearances in Canada

The Canadian classification and security clearance system closely mirrors those of our major allies. While there are some differences, they are minor, and the similarities are necessary due to the high level of intelligence sharing within the Five Eyes community (i.e., Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).

Canada distinguishes between national security information (referred to as classified) and other types of sensitive information that require protection (protected information). All information is accessed on a need-to-know basis—if you don’t need the information, you won’t see it.

The clearance levels are as follows:

1. Reliability Status (Basic Clearance)

Access Level:

• Grants access to Protected A and Protected B information (not classified).

• No access to classified information.

Requirements:

• Criminal background check

• Credit check

• Loyalty and reliability assessment

• Renewed every 10 years

Common Use:

• Government employees in non-sensitive roles

• Contractors working on low-risk government projects

2. Enhanced Reliability Status (Higher Tier of Reliability Status)

Access Level:

• Same as Reliability Status but allows access to Confidential and Protected C information (but is not a Confidential clearance).

• May allow limited access to Secret material on a need-to-know basis.

Requirements:

• Everything in Reliability Status, plus:

• More in-depth background check (may include interviews with references)

• Greater scrutiny of financial and personal history

• Renewed every 10 years

Common Use:

• Law enforcement personnel

• IT specialists handling sensitive government networks

• Military recruits (the requirement to obtain an ERC has contributed to massive delays in processing applicant files)

3. Confidential Clearance (Lowest Level of Classified Clearance)

Access Level:

• Grants access to Confidential information, which, if disclosed, could cause damage to national security.

• A lower level than Secret but still restricted.

Requirements:

• Enhanced background check (more extensive than Reliability Status)

• Periodic reinvestigation every 10 years

Common Use:

• Administrative government employees handling classified but low-risk material

• Military personnel in non-sensitive roles

(Rare on its own—I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one. It’s more typical to jump this level right to Secret.)

4. Secret Clearance

Access Level:

• Grants access to Secret information, which, if disclosed, could seriously harm national security.

• Common for law enforcement, military, intelligence, and senior political staff.

Requirements:

• Everything in Confidential Clearance, plus:

• Security interview (if required)

• More extensive field background checks

• Renewed every 10 years

Common Use:

• Police officers

• Senior government staff

• Officials handling national security matters

5. Top Secret Clearance

Access Level:

• Grants access to Top Secret intelligence, which, if disclosed, could cause exceptionally grave harm to national security.

• Required for senior military, intelligence, and cabinet ministers.

Requirements:

• Everything in Secret Clearance, plus:

• Field investigations (interviews with colleagues, neighbours, and associates)

• Financial scrutiny (ensures no risk of blackmail)

• Polygraph (for certain intelligence roles)

• Renewed every 5 years

Common Use:

• Prime Ministers

• Intelligence officers

• CSIS/CSE employees

• Senior military officers

6. Special Compartmentalized Clearances (“Beyond Top Secret”)

• Enhanced Top Secret (ETS) / Canadian Top Secret (CTS): Access to highly sensitive foreign intelligence and cyber operations.

• SIGINT Clearance: Required for handling signals intelligence from the CSE; may include access to Five Eyes products.

• NATO Cosmic Top Secret: For working on NATO’s highest-level intelligence operations.

• Talent Keyhole: A U.S. clearance granted to Canadians who use satellite imagery.

Additionally, there are access caveats, such as Canadian Eyes Only, CAN/US/UK, or AUSCANUKUS, which limit the distribution of classified information within the Five Eyes system. Some caveats extend beyond the alliance. One infamous example of a caveat is the American NOFORN (No Foreign), which prevents information from being shared outside the U.S., regardless of classification level.

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So What?

Security Responsibilities of Clearance Holders

All of this information is handled using specialized computer systems and messaging tools. The fact that senior U.S. officials recently used an unclassified commercial messaging app (Signal) to discuss impending military operations against the Houthis in Yemen defies logic—especially when they have ample access to classified alternatives. Signal is encrypted but not secured to classified standards, making it vulnerable to foreign intelligence interception.

Everyone with a clearance is responsible for maintaining security. This means using the right systems and understanding how to share information without violating security protocols.

For instance, despite holding an extremely high clearance and accessing classified material, I frequently delivered briefings to audiences without similar credentials. This required careful judgment to ensure I communicated key points without disclosing raw data. This is a skill expected of everyone holding a clearance.

Poilievre and Security Clearances

This brings me to Pierre Poilievre and his refusal to obtain a Top Secret (TS) clearance.

I’ll admit to being totally mystified by this. A TS clearance is fairly standard for a senior politician. The Leader of the Opposition typically possesses one—indeed, the leaders of both the NDP and Green parties have TS clearances.

Poilievre claims that possessing a clearance will inhibit his ability to speak on sensitive subjects, but this makes little sense. Clearances don’t prevent someone from discussing classified topics in public; they only prevent them from disclosing classified information.

I don’t subscribe to conspiracy theories, and I doubt there’s anything nefarious behind Poilievre’s refusal. After all, he has been a Cabinet minister before and likely held some level of clearance. It’s likely just performative outrage aimed at discrediting the sitting government.

But his unexplained refusal raises questions about his judgment and invites speculation. With foreign interference a major issue in Ottawa, the questions practically write themselves.

I’ve already decided how I’m voting, and Poilievre’s handling of security matters only reinforces my decision not to support him. That being said, I hope that—for the good of the country—he eventually chooses to obtain a proper clearance.