Cyber. Right. Now.

Leading the Global Cybersecurity Future

In an increasingly interconnected and digital world, accelerated by the pandemic, cybersecurity is an ever more vital topic for Canadians, government, and businesses alike.

Investment in cybersecurity is essential to boosting the productivity and efficiency of the Canadian economy. With privacy and data protection critical in our modern economy where Canadians are frequently accessing digital services, the risks are meanwhile at an all-time high. Canadians deserve strong protections to ensure their personal data is safe.

Canadians should be proud that our country has a strong cybersecurity foundation in place, with a number of significant global companies calling Canada home. While the recently released 2021 federal budget did dedicate significant investments in cybersecurity to secure government IT infrastructure, it made no specific commitment to help Canadian businesses boost their cybersecurity measures.

At the same time our most direct competitors in the U.S., Israel, and UK are investing billions. The OECD has also raised a red flag: while the majority of the OECD is increasing R&D investment – being led by the United States, Japan, Germany and Korea – Canada is one of only a few countries where R&D investment is “stagnant”. With far less investment in Canadian cybersecurity, Canada now finds itself at risk of being left behind.

Small and mid-sized organizations in particular are in need of greater cybersecurity threat awareness, protection, and training to utilize the full suite of tools at their disposal to keep Canadians safe from bad actors. Cybersecurity expertise should be supported to provide the necessary protection and training.

Cybersecurity is part of a vast digital ecosystem that connects communities across Canada and around the world. In 2018, Canada’s 340 cybersecurity companies contributed $2.3 billion to Canada’s GDP and 22,000 high-skilled, well-paying jobs. Continuing to sustain innovation and build trust in this digital world demands continued growth of cybersecurity capacity. Digital expansion, hastened by COVID-19, has created significant opportunity right now to create high-skilled, well-paying jobs, increase exports, and contribute to Canada’s economic recovery. This moment might never come again.

Canada is well-positioned on cybersecurity, but our global competitors are moving fast. Increased investment in cybersecurity stands to benefit communities across Canada from both job creation and from improved Canadian cybersecurity accessibility and protection.

Here’s how Canada can lead the global cybersecurity future

There are three key areas Canada must improve upon:

Growing Canada’s economy by accelerating the competitiveness of Canada’s cybersecurity industry.
Securing Canadian critical infrastructure, supply chains, and businesses of all sizes from cyber threats by investing in cybersecurity at levels comparable to Canada’s G7 peers.
Boosting Canada’s cybersecurity skill-set and career opportunities by making cybersecurity education, talent development, and retention a national priority and by investing in programs that diversify and expand the cyber workforce pipeline.

Time is of the essence. Recent data from the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions shows that 1 in 5 Canadian organizations experienced cybersecurity incidents in 2020. This includes 6.6% that experienced more cybersecurity incidents in 2020 compared to 2019. Further, 1 in 4 organizations reported that adopting technologies was “somewhat” or “extremely” challenging.

Canadians are concerned too. According to the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer, 65% of Canadians are worried about falling victim to a cyber-attack. This is the second highest worry, behind only a fear of job loss (75%). Cyber-attack is an even bigger worry than COVID (60%) and climate change (63%). This concern extends to business leaders as well: PwC Canada reports that 80% of Canadian CEOs say they are concerned about cybersecurity as a threat to growth.

Canada’s digital expansion has been accelerated by COVID at a pace unimaginable before the pandemic. There is a very significant opportunity to seize the moment of soaring global demand and solidify Canada’s position as a global cybersecurity leader. Canada’s diminished fiscal health means we simply cannot afford to miss this economic opportunity.

Learn more on how we can do it:

Accelerate competitiveness
Invest in protection
Expand the workforce pipeline

To grow Canada’s economy by accelerating the competitiveness of Canada’s cybersecurity industry, the Government of Canada should:

Accelerate the commercialization of cybersecurity innovation in Canada by establishing and funding a Cybersecurity Commercialization Program that bridges the gap between cybersecurity research and cybersecurity product development and optimization in high-impact and high-reward areas.

Modernize Research and Development programs to reward companies undertaking high risk research where near-term returns on investment are absent. This should include providing wage and payroll tax subsidies, tax credits, focused R&D support, and other incentives to generate cybersecurity-related Intellectual Property in Canada.

Create opportunities for made-in-Canada cybersecurity products and services by establishing a Cybersecurity Technology Early Adoption Program that encourages public and private entities to become early adopters of cybersecurity products and services developed in Canada, with particular emphasis on high growth areas, such as IoT and smart cities cybersecurity, critical infrastructure security (including health care), software supply chain security, AI-driven cybersecurity, and post-quantum encryption.

Stimulate cybersecurity innovation in Canada through public sector procurement by making government technology procurement practices more agile, challenge-based and outcome-driven. Also, create more opportunities for cybersecurity start-ups, scale-ups, and underrepresented and/or unrepresented groups (such as Women, Indigenous peoples, Black persons, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+), who own or lead small businesses by leveraging existing policies, such as the Industrial and Technological Benefits policy and accelerating efforts by Public Services and Procurement Canada to increase the diversity of bidders on government contracts.

To secure Canadian critical infrastructure, supply chains, and businesses of all sizes from cyber threats, the Government of Canada should invest in cybersecurity at levels comparable to Canada’s G7 peers:

Encourage investment in enterprise security before attacks happen by helping critical infrastructure operators and businesses of all sizes develop enterprise cybersecurity strategies that help prevent cyber attacks. These plans should also encourage entities to develop robust cyber response plans, threat information sharing mechanisms, and promote the continuous updating of cybersecurity plans to align with cybersecurity best practices and global standards.

Create a National Cybersecurity Assistance Fund to support investments in effective cyber threat prevention by helping critical infrastructure operators and businesses of all sizes implement their prevention-first cybersecurity strategies and invest in solutions and services that increase the resilience of their enterprise to cyber attacks.

Fund public-private partnerships that facilitate better threat information sharing in a way that builds mutual trust and enables threat information to be shared between businesses and government in a timely, confidential, and actionable manner.

To boost Canada’s cybersecurity skill-set and career opportunities, make cybersecurity education, talent development, and retention a national priority and invest in programs that diversify and expand the cyber workforce pipeline. To achieve success, the Government of Canada should budget:

$50 million to provide grants for cyber education and awareness programs at all education levels (K to post-secondary) to support the development of cybersecurity curricula, educator training, standardized cybersecurity certification programs and the next generation of cybersecurity leaders in Canada.
$50 million to develop programs and provide grants to organizations that advance the training, recruitment, retraining and retention of women and under-represented groups in cybersecurity.
$100 million to support cyber talent recruitment and retention programs that help businesses in Canada attract and retain cybersecurity resources throughout the lifecycle of their careers and develop inclusive and diverse workplace cultures where all can thrive.
Align skilled workforce immigration programs to help Canadian companies recruit top cybersecurity talent globally through creative incentive programs such as fast track immigration.

Updates

As the Internet of Things (IoT) has become the Internet of Everything, IoT innovation is having a significant impact on the cybersecurity landscape for Canadian companies. As more and more devices are connected to the internet, the attack surface for cybercriminals expands, and the potential for security breaches increases. In March 2023, Cyber. Right. Now. lead, Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, discussed IoT innovations and their impact on Canadian businesses with Farshad Abasi, Chief Security Officer at Forward Security. Read more.

In December 2022 the Cyber. Right. Now. campaign, led by Senior Policy Director Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, had the opportunity to get together with officials from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Public Safety Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, and Minister Champagne’s Office. In a series of meetings throughout the day, we discussed several cybersecurity, national security, workforce, certification and privacy matters, while acknowledging that cybersecurity is an opportunity and economic driver. We highlighted the importance of ongoing collaboration and working in partnership to create a stronger cybersecurity infrastructure in Canada and for Canada to lead the global cybersecurity future. View photo.

In December 2022, Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, the Canadian Chamber’s Senior Director of Digital Economy, Technology and Innovation, contributed to the Cybersecure Policy Exchange Scaling Cyber – Advancing Canada’s Cybersecurity Startups report. Advancing policies that will help Canadian tech companies scale is an important element of Cyber. Right. Now.’s work. Read more.

In November 2022, Canadian Chamber Cyber. Right. Now. policy lead, Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, moderated the Public Sector Network’s Cyber Security and Risk Management Fall Edition Virtual Event. The discussion highlighted the most prominent threats, challenges, and strategies to better protect organizations, data, and citizens. Read more.

In October 2022, Cyber. Right. Now. member F12.net, along with Canadian Chamber policy lead Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, host a conversation that dives into the opportunities surrounding cybersecurity and how it can be a key differentiator for businesses moving forward. Watch now.

In October 2022, Canadian Chamber Cyber. Right. Now. policy lead, Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, moderated a timely webinar hosted by GRIT Technologies. Taking place during Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Small Business Week, the conversation included information on the evolving cybersecurity landscape and how organizations and individuals can protect themselves. Watch now.

In October 2022, Cyber. Right. Now. lead and Senior Director of Digital Economy, Technology & Innovation at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, writes in The Hill Times that Canada’s ability to attract and retain international talent is crucial to creating business success. Read more.

In September 2022, Cyber. Right. Now. lead Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia and member Marjorie Dickman, Chief Government Affairs & Public Policy Officer at BlackBerry, make clear in a conversation that protecting Canada from cyber threats must include protecting small and mid-sized businesses. Read more.

In September 2022, Cyber. Right. Now. lead Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia and member Kathryn Cameron, Chief Operating Officer of Beauceron Security, discuss balancing the pros and cons of ‘all things digital’. Read more.

Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, Canadian Chamber Senior Director for Digital Economy, Technology & Innovation, and Sumit Bhatia, Director of Innovation and Policy at Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, discuss how future-forward talent strategies can help address the cybersecurity challenge. Read more.

In March 2022, Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, the Canadian Chamber’s Senior Director of Digital Economy, Technology and Innovation, sat down with Kyra Jones, Head of Talent and Academy of CRN member Communitech, to discuss why fostering an inclusive, future-forward organizational culture is a key ingredient of any successful talent attraction and retention strategy. Boosting Canada’s cybersecurity skill-set and career opportunities is a key pillar of the CRN initiative. Read more.

In March 2022, Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, the Canadian Chamber’s Senior Director of Digital Economy, Technology, & Innovation, and Cheryl McGrath, Optiv Canada’s Area VP & Country General Manager, discuss transitioning from the Internet of Things to the Interconnectedness of Everything. Read more.

In February 2022 the Canadian Chamber of Commerce released its Federal Budget recommendations, including $1.5 billion for cybersecurity improvements focused on securing critical infrastructure and supply chains, commercialization programs, and workforce development. Read more.

In February 2022, Canadian Chamber Senior Director of Digital Economy, Technology & Innovation at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, comments on cybersecurity and supply chain resiliency, in light of new data from the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions. Read more.

In February 2022, the Canadian Chamber published an open letter calling on the federal government to become more engaged and serious about Canadian cybersecurity, now. Read more.

In February 2022 at the Canadian Chamber’s Canada 360° Economic Summit, the Future of the Digital Economy panel includes Cyber. Right. Now. members CYDEF, Field Effect, Forward Security, and Beauceron Security. Watch now.

In December 2021, the Canadian Chamber commented on the 151% increase in cyberattacks in the first six months of the year and calculated the financial impact of at least $540 million. Read more.

In October 2021, the Canadian Chamber’s Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, Senior Director, Digital Economy, Technology and Innovation, participates in The Globe and Mail event ‘Before the Breach’, discussing cybersecurity essentials for Canadian business. Read more and watch the recording.

At the Canadian Chamber of Commerce 2021 Annual General Meeting in October, Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, Senior Director, Digital Economy, Technology and Innovation, hosts the panel discussion, The Digitalization of Small Business, including Cyber. Right. Now. campaign members Communitech and Beauceron Security. Watch now.

In October 2021, the Canadian Chamber’s Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, Senior Director, Digital Economy, Technology and Innovation, writes in The Hill Times that “we’re only as secure as our weakest links,” and explains how Canada can lead the global cybersecurity future. Read more.

During Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October 2021, the Cyber. Right. Now. campaign released a detailed set of recommendations for how Canada can lead the global cybersecurity future. See above on this page.

In September 2021, the Canadian Chamber’s Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, Senior Director, Digital Economy, Technology and Innovation, was featured in an interview with Blackberry’s Marjorie Dickman, Chief Government Affairs and Public Policy Officer, highlighting the importance of cybersecurity for the Canadian economy and labour market. Read more.

In August 2021, the Canadian Chamber released its election platform, What It Takes to Grow, including several key priorities for cybersecurity and digital infrastructure. Read more.

In July 2021, The Hill Times covered the Canadian Chamber’s calls for the federal government to provide funding to assist SMEs with cybersecurity measures. Read more.