In this episode of Secure Line, Steph, Leah, and Jess are joined by Chris Nardi, parliamentary reporter at the National Post, to unpack what it’s like to cover Canada’s national security world from the press gallery. Nardi explains how his beat grew “organically” through major transparency moments like the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC)and the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference (PIFI), plus national security trials.

The conversation focuses on why Canadians’ interest in national security has increased—especially around questions of who the government watches, how, and why—and why journalists end up acting as translators in a space where direct public communication is limited. Nardi describes the challenge of explaining technical issues like lawful access to readers who haven’t been given the “basics,” critiques the frequent reliance on secrecy language like the “mosaic effect,” and argues agencies could share far more about intent and effects (even if they can’t reveal methods) to build public understanding and trust.

They compare POEC and PIFI as rare moments that “cracked open the oyster” of Canadian national security, while noting frustrations when commissions operate like courtrooms and stonewall basic process questions. Nardi highlights standout inquiry moments, reflects on his reporting into dysfunction at Global Affairs and CSIS (including morale and leadership trust issues), and flags what he’s watching next: renewed debate on lawful access reform and the long-awaited National Security Strategy. The episode closes with advice for student journalists: pick up the phone, build sources, triangulate government claims with outside experts, and read deeply—because in national security, the homework is often the story.