The Canadian government last week released a new strategy to guide its approach to cyber security in the digital age, outlining the themes of security and resilience, cyber innovation, and leadership and collaboration, for the government and its partners to work together on.
“The federal government will lead the effort to achieve these goals in an era when cyber security is not just a necessity, but a competitive advantage for Canada,” says the 40-page strategy document.
The strategy says that spending on cyber security currently contributes $1.3 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product and supports more than 11,000 jobs. It further adds that the cyber security industry is projected to grow 66 percent by 2021, adding more jobs.
“Breakthroughs in cyber security research are not only beneficial for Canadian cyber security firms, but for the economy as a whole,” the National Cyber Security Strategy says. “Government has a role to play to support advanced research and to help innovative companies scale up to bring cyber security technologies and services to the global marketplace.”
Areas of excellence within Canada that are highlighted in the strategy for investment by the government and its partners include quantum computing and blockchain technologies.
The strategy will be followed with action plans that detail the Canadian government’s initiatives, including plans for working with government and external stakeholders. Earlier this year, the Canadian government introduced plans to spend $391 million over five years on cyber security initiatives.
Ralph Goodale, Canada’s Minister for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, says in a forward to the strategy that Canadians lead the world in spending time online, 43.5 hours per month per citizen.
“We are heavily interconnected and networked, a fact that enhances our quality of life, but also creates vulnerabilities,” Goodale says.