Canada to spend almost $38 million on huge cybersecurity overhaul

The Government of Canada is introducing a new National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS), which will provide a new approach to how the federal government will keep people in Canada and Canadian businesses and services safe from digital threats. Canada hopes that the new NCSS will protect the country's national security and economy, as well as deter cyber threat actors.

The new NCSS, Securing Canada's Digital Future, will improve partnerships with all levels of government, law enforcement, industry, Indigenous communities, academia, and internal allies.  Improving these partnerships will allow for fewer critical disruptions to services and facilitate faster information sharing, which, in turn, will help these partners take necessary measures to prevent cyber incidents. 

The NCSS will also allow the government to fund initiatives to improve the country's cybersecurity. Initiatives will include building awareness and education programs for children and youth to prepare them to participate in the digital age.

Further, Securing Canada's Digital Future supports Canada-U.S. cross-border critical infrastructure and cyber resilience. It will also align the Government of Canada's approach to cybersecurity with that of the U.S. and other international allies. 

The Government of Canada says it will ensure that its cyberspace is safe, open, secure, stable, and accessible to all Canadians so that the nation can fully benefit from a secure digital world.

The new NCSS is coupled with an initial investment of $37.8 million over six years.

In 2023, Sami Khoury, the head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, said that cyber threats were growing and urged the government to address the issue. In that report, it was noted that these attacks focused on hacking into systems and stealing data and sensitive information that could be sold. 

Since Khoury's report, organizations and companies like the Canada Post, Toronto District School Board, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Toronto Public Library have all faced ransomware attacks.