Senior civil servants at provincial, territorial level invited to seek top secret clearance

Canada's senior public servant has invited his provincial and territorial counterparts to apply for top secret-level security clearance as a way of fostering «healthy, transparent dialogue» on foreign interference and other threats.

In a July 11 letter to the heads of public services across the country, John Hannaford, clerk of the Privy Council, said that obtaining the clearance would allow the Privy Council Office and other federal security agencies to offer regular, intelligence-informed briefings.

The briefings would support the public service leaders' efforts to advise provincial and territorial governments on policy development as well as their responses to «acute security events,» Hannaford wrote.

Daniel Savoie, a PCO spokesman, said that as a result of the offer, «some security clearances have been granted and other screenings are in progress.»

Similar offers have been made to premiers on an ad hoc basis to address the needs of specific security briefings, Savoie said. «Premiers are welcome to request security clearances.»

The Privy Council Office provided the letter to The Canadian Press upon request.

In the letter, Hannaford said it has been clear over the last year that Canada remains a target for foreign interference, terrorism and cyberthreat activity.

«Addressing the growing threats posed by a rapidly evolving global security environment will require a whole of society response, hence it is now even more important that our governments begin to build a healthy, transparent dialogue informed by intelligence,» he wrote.

Meetings such as the annual gathering of clerks and cabinet secretaries could become forums for «candid, classified conversations and two-way information sharing» on topics including foreign