Canada’s strategic deficit cannot be neglected

How can Canada strengthen its intelligence culture and break the habit of operating in silos? What has been the impact of a decades-long strategic deficit in policy coherence and what are the steps to overcome it?In this episode, Vincent Rigby discusses the hesitation between departments and agencies in the security and intelligence community to more proactively share and coordinate on intelligence, and how the new National Security Council could potentially alleviate issues that arise from siloed intelligence to strengthen Canada’s ability to respond to crises. Rigby also discusses hard-hitting reports from the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency on the Global Security Reporting Program and the Senate Standing Committee on Canada’s foreign service. Rigby outlines the chronic disconnect between Canada’s national security, defence, and foreign policy and the need to develop them in close coordination with each other in order to determine and deliver on Canada’s national security needs.Vincent Rigby is a professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University, senior fellow with the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs at Carlton University, and senior advisor with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. From January 2020 until his retirement from an extensive career in Canada’s Public Service in September 2021, Rigby was National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister. Rigby’s previous roles include assistant deputy minister of strategic policy (2013-2017) at  Global Affairs Canada, and later associate deputy minister of foreign affairs (2019-2020); associate deputy minister of Public Safety Canada (2017-2019); executive director of the International Assessment Secretariat and Afghanistan intelligence lead official at the Privy Council Office (2008-2010); and several roles at the Department of National Defence over the course of 14 years.Note: This interview was conducted on Wednesday, December 20, 2023.The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.Learn more: CDA Institute