A Resilient Canada: Governance for National Security and Public Safety

In recent years Canadians have witnessed the devastating impact of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, pandemics and other threats. As the national security and public safety threats we face evolve, so too does the need for a wide range of private and public organizations—governments, police, corporations and many others—to respond simultaneously to these incidents.

This growing complexity has made it harder for organizations to work together effectively. When Signal49 Research asked public and private sector leaders to identify the greatest threat to national security and public safety in Canada, they replied that it is a lack of clarity around governance.

For this report, members of Signal49 Research’s Centre for National Security analyzed multiple incidents to pinpoint lessons Canada can learn. For each incident, we interviewed key responders, studied post-incident documents and consulted relevant literature. The resulting report recommends six governance principles for Canadian organizations.