Security of Information Act
Encyclopedia
In Canada
, the Security of Information Act is part of the Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act
(Bill C-36) which received Royal Assent
on December 18, 2001 and came into effect on December 24, 2001. This Act renamed and replaced Official Secrets Act 1981. The Act was amended to address national security
concerns, including threats of espionage
by foreign powers and terrorist groups, and the intimidation or coercion of ethnocultural communities in Canada.
Various actions are prohibited under the Act, including, but not necessarily limited to:
Certain departments ('Scheduled department') and classes of people (past and current employees) are 'permanently bound to secrecy' under the Act. These are individuals who should be held to a higher level of accountability for unauthorized disclosures of information obtained in relation to their work. For example, Military Intelligence, employees of Canadian Security Intelligence Service
(CSIS), Communications Security Establishment and certain members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP).
This act applies to anyone who has been granted security clearance
by the Federal Government, including those who have been granted Enhanced Reliability Status for accessing designated information. Previously, only 'classified' information was protected under the Official Secrets Act 1981.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the Security of Information Act is part of the Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act
Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act
The Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act was passed by the Liberal government of Canada in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. It received Royal Assent on December 18, 2001, as Bill C-36. The "omnibus" bill extends the powers of government and institutions within the Canadian...
(Bill C-36) which received Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
on December 18, 2001 and came into effect on December 24, 2001. This Act renamed and replaced Official Secrets Act 1981. The Act was amended to address national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
concerns, including threats of espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
by foreign powers and terrorist groups, and the intimidation or coercion of ethnocultural communities in Canada.
Various actions are prohibited under the Act, including, but not necessarily limited to:
- ForgeryForgeryForgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
- Economic Espionage
- ImpersonationImpersonatorAn impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for someone to be an impersonator, some common ones being as follows:...
- Leakage of special operational information
- Leakage of information that the Government of Canada or of a province is taking measures to safeguard
- Communications with Foreign Entities or Terrorist Groups
- Preparatory Acts
- Foreign-influenced (Or Terrorist-influenced) Threats and Violence
- Harbouring and Concealing
- ConspiracyConspiracy (political)In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....
, Coup d'étatCoup d'étatA coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, and Attempts etc.
Certain departments ('Scheduled department') and classes of people (past and current employees) are 'permanently bound to secrecy' under the Act. These are individuals who should be held to a higher level of accountability for unauthorized disclosures of information obtained in relation to their work. For example, Military Intelligence, employees of Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is Canada's national intelligence service. It is responsible for collecting, analyzing, reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad.Its...
(CSIS), Communications Security Establishment and certain members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP).
This act applies to anyone who has been granted security clearance
Security clearance
A security clearance is a status granted to individuals allowing them access to classified information, i.e., state secrets, or to restricted areas after completion of a thorough background check. The term "security clearance" is also sometimes used in private organizations that have a formal...
by the Federal Government, including those who have been granted Enhanced Reliability Status for accessing designated information. Previously, only 'classified' information was protected under the Official Secrets Act 1981.