Poilievre’s reluctance to get his security clearance has become central to the Liberal Party’s campaign strategy for criticizing the Conservatives, and for good reason.
Since Prime Minister Mark Carney discussed the lack of security clearance obtained by Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre during the Liberal leadership debate in February, the issue has resurged as a major point of discussion as campaigning for the federal election begins.
Although Carney originally framed Poilievre’s reluctance to fill out his security clearance papers as an act of ignorance, saying that Poilievre “never bothered” to approach the subject, Poilievre’s reaction to the topic suggests that there are other reasons behind the decision.
What is the purpose of security clearances?
According to the Government of Canada website, security clearances are screening processes done by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) to ensure that those close to classified information are adequately vetted beforehand as a safety measure for national security.
As there are four different types of security clearances, the process ranges based on factors like one’s level of authority, how much sensitive information one could be exposed to as well as the damages that could occur from leaking the protected information.
CBC News released a video where Parliament Hill reporter Catherine Tunney fully details the importance of security clearances in the political sphere.
Tunney explains that to be involved in classified conversations about national security, as one example, participating individuals would need to undergo a “robust,” months-long clearance process; however, security clearances are only valid for five years once you have successfully undergone the process.
Although security clearances are not mandatory for opposition leaders as they do not directly make parliamentary decisions, Tunney cited the concerns of foreign interreference within parties which were prevalent last year, leading to officials suggesting all party leaders undergo security clearances.
In being subject to this process, party leaders gain access to sensitive information outlining if there are any suspicions of interference within their own parties, but under the Security of Information Act, this information must remain classified.
Poilievre is the only party leader at the federal level who has been reluctant to complete this process.
Poilievre’s position on security clearances
In a news conference in Vaughan, Ontario, Poilievre said he refuses to undergo the security clearance process because he views it as an “oath of secrecy” put forth by the Liberal Party.
Since security clearances provide individuals access to sensitive information, but do not allow them to share this information, Poilievre implied that undergoing the security clearance process would silence him from speaking on potentially devious relations between his politic rivals and other nations. A few seconds after saying this, Poilievre contradicted this sentiment by saying that obtaining a security clearance would only provide him with “breadcrumbs of intel.”
Poilievre also noted that he was already cleared as a cabinet minister, but because that clearance was certified over five years ago it is no longer valid.
Later in the news conference, Poilievre said that he refuses to be “silenced” on issues like interference through a security clearance, though as Tunney notes, he would not have access to this information without a clearance.
Poilievre’s foreign interference controversy
On March 25, The Globe and Mail published a piece covering CSIS’s allegations that India was involved in Poilievre’s bid for Conservative leadership back in 2022.
In the piece, Globe and Mail writers Robert Fife and Stephen Chase explain that a source with top-secret clearance said that CSIS suspects “agents of India and their proxies allegedly meddled” in Poilievre’s leadership race, claiming that they raised money and organized “within the South Asian community” for Poilievre’s campaign.
However, both authors outline that CSIS was unable to share this information with Poilievre because of his lack of security clearance, nor did they have evidence that he knew about the alleged interference at all.
Poilievre’s refusal to get a security clearance, then, allows him to both be ignorant to potential interference that helps his campaign, giving him plausible deniability if it’s ever revealed, while he gestures as if he’s refusing to be cleared out of some populist pledge to not be silenced.
Although Poilievre seems to be firm in his stance against participating in the security clearance process, it is unclear whether he will change his mind ahead of April’s federal election.