QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Public Safety
Cybersecurity
March 30, 2022
Minister, I want to get back to the topic of cybersecurity. You said that the government has deployed a number of measures, and that was affirmed in the unanimous report that the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians issued in February. However, the committee also noted that such threats to democracy are intrusive and pervasive, and that the most sophisticated threats come from state actors. There is the potential that Russia could take retaliatory action in response to the sanctions that Canada implemented because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In light of that information, are you looking at taking further action to detect attacks and enhance security to better protect the sensitive information the Government of Canada has on Canadians, businesses, and energy and environmental development strategies?
Thank you for the question, senator.
The short answer is yes. We will continue to invest in national security to ensure that the government has all the tools it needs.
At the same time, I must point out that new national security threats have emerged. You’re right to say that one such risk is that Putin and Russia could respond to the sanctions we’ve imposed in support of the Ukrainian people. It is a real threat. We must remain vigilant and use all of the resources and investments at our disposal to protect Canada’s interests.
