QUESTION PERIOD — Public Safety
Cybersecurity
April 3, 2019
This is a question for the Government Representative in the Senate.
The other week, the Toronto Star reported two anonymous government intelligence officials as saying that the rate of cyberattacks against federal institutions, political parties and private companies has been steadily increasing. Moreover, the CBC recently reported that the websites for some members of Parliament do not use a secure encrypted protocol when members of the public send personal contact information.
The new federal budget contemplates the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in the area of cybersecurity particular to the Communications Security Establishment, CSE, but also for partnerships with post-secondary institutions and certain federal departments.
Senator Harder, could you explain how these new monies will translate into improved cybersecurity for Canadian infrastructure, including political parties, with an election imminent, and whether and how these investments are consistent with the legislative provisions in Bill C-59, the proposed national security act?
I thank the honourable senator for his question. This is a subject that the honourable senator has spent some time becoming an expert on, both as sponsor of Bill C-59 but also with the broader interest that the senator has expressed on cybersecurity.
As the Senate will know, Budget 2019 provides a further $144.9 million over five years to help with the protection of critical cyber-systems in Canada. The government is particularly focused on the underpinning of vital services and systems in the finance, telecommunications, energy and transport sectors. Details are expected to be announced later this spring with regard to those program investments.
The National Cybersecurity Strategy included a commitment to support and partner with the private sector to strengthen cyber-resilience in Canada. That is part of the plan, and those discussions with the private sector are actively under way.
The government is now investing more than $869 million to fund a new National Cybersecurity Strategy to ensure a secure and resilient cybersecurity system and innovation in this area.
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, launched in October of last year, establishes a single unified Government of Canada source of expertise, advice and services, providing Canadian citizens and businesses with a clear and trusted place to turn to for cybersecurity. Funding from Budget 2019 will help the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security to deliver on this mandate, to provide advice, and to better prevent and address cyberattacks.
It is the government’s intention to introduce legislation in the coming months to create a common framework for cybersecurity across sectors. This proposed framework will ensure that cybersecurity efforts in priority sectors align with a set of shared goals. It will also increase the government’s capacity to take actions to protect national security and the safety of Canadians by reacting to threats to our cybersecurity systems, and it will complement the efforts contained in Bill C-59, which is an important component of this overall strategy.
