Secrecy for life to be binding for thousands at DND and in Canadian Forces under new initiative
The changes affect both individuals as well as entire units under the Persons Permanently Bound to Secrecy (PPBS) provisions.
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Select defence department public servants and Canadian military personnel are to receive notices that they will now be bound to secrecy for life because of changes to government security regulations.
The changes affect both individuals as well as entire units under the Persons Permanently Bound to Secrecy (PPBS) provisions. The PPBS designation affects both current and former civilian staff and military personnel as well as designated private contractors, according to the Department of National Defence.
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No information was available from the DND on specifically how many individuals would be affected by the changes. But it is expected to be significant with notices sent out in the coming months.
“The process will take time as it impacts thousands of individuals across various levels with the military and defence agencies,” the department noted on its website.
The DND put out an internal message to military personnel on April 25 and an overall message online on July 15 about the changes. DND spokesperson Kened Sadiku noted in an email to the Ottawa Citizen that “the department takes its obligation to protect information seriously.”
The PPBS designation is for life.
“DND/CAF units, sections or elements, and individuals (both current and former) are now being designated as PPBS,” according to the military and DND notice.
Those individuals who work with special operational information (SOI) or whose work is deemed to be integral to national security will be nominated by their leadership for PPBS designations.
The deputy minister would approve the PPBS designations for public servants and contractors, while the chief of the defence staff would deal with military personnel.
The PPBS designation provides the government with additional means to punish individuals beyond existing security laws.
“Individuals that are designated as PPBS are subject to two additional offences that relate to the unauthorized disclosure of SOI,” a July 2024 briefing note for DND and military leadership pointed out. “As a result, greater enforcement measures can be taken against those designated PPBS if they commit an offence related to the unauthorized disclosure of SOI.”
The briefing was obtained by the Ottawa Citizen using the Access to Information law.
Convictions for the additional offences carry potential prison sentences ranging from five to 14 years.
The last several years has seen a number of retired Canadian special forces members on various podcasts openly discussing their previous missions and some of the techniques, training and weapons they used. In addition, photographs and video of some Canadian special forces operations, taken or obtained by retired military personnel, have appeared online.
The U.S. military has also had to deal with a number of high-profile information leaks by its military personnel.
Jack Teixeira of the Massachusetts Air National Guard plead guilty in March 2024 to releasing classified information to a group of gamers on the Discord messaging app. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Discord leaks of U.S. intelligence records painted a grim picture of the Ukraine war despite the rosy predictions from U.S. and Canadian politicians and senior defence staff.
A Canadian military analysis of the Discord leaks focused on concerns that the records contained details about the arrival of Canadian Army Leopard tanks in Ukraine and the donation to Ukraine of an air defence system. But the analysis also pointed out that, while the Discord leak documents contained information about NATO special forces operating in Ukraine, there was no mention of Canadian commandos, according to the analysis obtained by the Ottawa Citizen using the Access to Information law.
Details that members of Canadian special forces were operating in Ukraine had already been cited in a June 2022 New York Times article that relied on information from U.S. military officials.
When asked by the CBC in August 2022 about the New York Times report, then Chief of the Defence Staff Wayne Eyre claimed the news media was helping Russian disinformation efforts. Canadian special forces, however, did not deny the Times reporting.
Eyre was asked at the time by the Ottawa Citizen to produce evidence the journalists involved were working with the Russians, but he did not provide any.
David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe
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