Tens of thousands of public servants and contractors file paperwork every year requesting security clearance to gain access to classified information but only a tiny fraction are ever rejected, according to records.
The Epoch Times analyzed figures from federal entities reported in an Inquiry of Ministry on May 15.
The data provided by departments, agencies, and crown corporations shows that since 2016, 256,332 applications for Secret and Top Secret clearances were submitted. Out of these only 25 were denied, a rejection rate of 0.0097 percent.
The federal government provided the information in response to an order paper filed by Conservative MP Alex Ruff, asking for the number of applications, the number of denials not as a result of retirement or resignation, and those refused because the individual was spying or acting on behalf of a foreign government….