Canadian Intelligence Priorities (Year Month)

Key Chapter Title List

1. Ministerial Foreword
2. Transparency, Diversity, and Inclusion in National Security and Intelligence
3. Overview
4. Definition and Practice of Intelligence
5. Core Canadian Intelligence Agencies
6. Intelligence Oversight and Review Mechanisms
7. Development and Management of Intelligence Priorities
8. Counter Intelligence Priorities (Foreign Interference, Espionage, etc.)
9. Advance Intelligence Priorities (Technological Environment, Climate Change, etc.)
10. Defense Intelligence Priorities (Arctic Sovereignty, Defense Operations, etc.)
11. Protect Intelligence Priorities (Violent Extremism, Organized Crime, etc.)
12. Conclusion

Document Introduction

In recent years, the global landscape has undergone dramatic shifts, with national security threats becoming increasingly diverse and complex. The Canadian Intelligence Community has consistently worked to provide security for the government, its allies, and its citizens. Against this backdrop, the Government of Canada is releasing the "Canadian Intelligence Priorities" for the first time. This aims to bridge the trust gap between the public and intelligence agencies by enhancing transparency, while also defining the core focus areas for the intelligence community's work leading up to 2025.

The report systematically outlines the foundational framework of Canadian intelligence work, including the definition of intelligence, its generation process, product types, and key users. It details the roles and functions of core intelligence agencies such as the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and the Communications Security Establishment. It also covers oversight and review mechanisms like the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians and the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, constructing a tripartite picture of the intelligence system encompassing institutions, functions, and oversight.

As the core of the report, the intelligence priorities are structured around four strategic objectives: Counter, Advance, Defense, and Protect. Counter priorities focus on direct risks posed by state actors, such as foreign interference, espionage, sabotage, and cyber threats. Advance priorities address issues affecting national prosperity and sustainable development, including the technological environment, global governance, health and food security, and climate change. Defense priorities center on defensive issues like Arctic sovereignty, defense operations, and global security and stability. Protect priorities target risks that directly threaten citizen safety and social order, such as violent extremism, transnational organized crime, and illicit financing.

The report clarifies the process for establishing intelligence priorities: approval by Cabinet, directives issued by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, National Defence, and Public Safety, with implementation management and coordination carried out through the Deputy Minister-level National Security Committee and the Assistant Deputy Minister Intelligence Committee. Simultaneously, it emphasizes that intelligence work must adhere to the principles of legality and privacy protection, strictly comply with laws and regulations such as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and ensure intelligence activities are free from discriminatory factors through the Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) mechanism.

The release of this report is a key step in Canada's fulfillment of its 2017 National Security Transparency Commitment. It provides top-level guidance for resource allocation within the intelligence community and serves as a crucial basis for public participation in national security dialogue and oversight of government work. Faced with continuously evolving global security challenges, the Canadian Intelligence Community will continue to collaborate with domestic and international partners to strengthen the nation's resilience against various threats.