Canada

Retired Col. Brett Boudreau, a former senior military public affairs officer, said the decision not to release speeches is just a symptom of the ongoing failure by the forces to connect with Canadians. “The episode is just the latest in a long series of painful examples showing how far the defence communications enterprise has fallen,” he added. “This is a telling snapshot of the current malign mindset toward public communication by Defence senior leadership.”

The Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence have faced intense criticism for its increasing secrecy. In 2023, the House of Commons Committee on National Defence launched hearings into the lack of openness and transparency. The committee heard that DND and the military routinely violates the law by failing to release records under the Access to Information Act.