Significant investments to advance Canada’s Cyber Security Strategy were announced today by Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Steven Blaney, who was joined by the President and Chief Executive of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives John Manley.
“The threat of cybercrime is one with serious implications for the security of Canadians and our economy,” the announcement stated, noting that, “This new funding will be used to better protect essential cyber systems outside of the federal government by enhancing collaboration with the private and critical infrastructure sectors. This includes a greater capacity for the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC) to respond to, and mitigate, cyber incidents in the private sector.”
This investment will also be used to develop policing expertise to detect and disrupt cybercrime activities through dedicated resources and training, the Canadian officials stated.
In 2013, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) received over 16,000 complaints of cyber-related fraud (email and website scams), accounting for more than Can$29 million in reported losses.
The funding of Can$142.6 million is in addition to the Can$94.4 million for cybersecurity identified in Economic Action Plan 2015, making the total investment for cybersecurity over the next five years Can$237 million.
Launched in 2010, Canada’s Cyber Security Strategy,
“As long as our digital infrastructure continues to evolve, there will always be those who try to exploit vulnerabilities to undermine Canada’s national security, public safety and economic prosperity,” Blaney said. “Collaboration and information-sharing with critical infrastructure sectors and private sector partners is our best defense to protect our essential cyber systems.”
Manley added, “Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, so I am pleased about this important step forward to enhance our collaboration with the federal government on this important issue. These advancements to the Strategy will ensure our essential systems have the latest threat information, as well as help us to continue to build on each other’s strengths.”
