Public-sector expert recommends government technological overhauls be done in smaller increments
Governments should not waver from pushing ahead with technological changes to improve the way they operate despite several examples—such as the Phoenix pay system for federal employees—turning into disasters, says a U.S. public-sector expert who was in Ottawa last week. The Phoenix pay system, turned on last year, was supposed to bring efficiencies to the […]
Defence-policy review results will become irrelevant
VANCOUVER—Months after the government released its long-awaited defence-policy review (DPR) statement, questions swirl on a number of key areas—from whether an interim fleet of aircraft will be acquired to challenges facing its frigate replacements. Even the ongoing crisis with North Korea has generated concern about the ballistic missile threat facing Canada. With this in mind, […]
Is technological change a huge, dark cloud threatening to create a jobless society?
TORONTO—Is technological change—the digital world of robots, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things—a huge dark cloud threatening to create a jobless society? Or at least an uneven world where a small percentage of highly paid, high-skilled workers and a similar percentage of low-paid, low-skill servant workers co-exist, with no need for a middle-skills world? Or […]
Defence policy review to acknowledge need for ‘proper’ funding and investments in personnel: Sajjan
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan started in his position in the fall of 2015 with some pretty hefty instructions. The former soldier was told that was one of his first tasks as minister would be to embark on a sweeping review of the country’s defence policy—a review that would lead to the creation of a new strategy that […]
Preparing Canada’s military for 21st century goes beyond battlefield
The job of defending Canada must evolve to respond to the changing nature of conflict in the 21st century. Since April 2016, the federal government has been conducting consultations aimed at renewing Canada’s defence policy. As deputy chair of the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence, I had the opportunity to hear from experts […]
Jobs, skills, and learning in the age of self-driving cars
In January, I visited the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. What struck me was how much this large technology trade show had transformed into an auto show. This trend was most obvious in the self-driving cars that I saw. These concept models reflect how quickly the lines separating cars and computers are dissolving. I’m […]
Cold War redux in cyberspace
Some readers will fondly recall Mad magazine and the regular Spy vs. Spy cartoons that pitted black hat and white hat agents in a perpetual struggle for supremacy. Throughout the Cold War, publics became familiar with periodic bouts of spy-versus-spy scandals and associated expulsions. It was therefore with a real sense of déjà vu that […]
Canada a ‘huge laggard’ in cyber security at a time when threats growing: expert
Cyber security needs to be a greater priority for the federal government in a time when state actors are increasingly taking clear risks to meddle in other countries’ affairs, say several analysts. The federal government conducted consultations on concerns and possible solutions for cyber threats and espionage from Aug. 16 to Oct. 15, 2016. A […]
Cyber security in Canada overdue for an update, experts tell Senate open caucus
Cyber security in Canada needs a major overhaul, one that looks at the problem beyond just the virtual scope; that was the message that panelists delivered at a public open caucus meeting hosted by Senate Liberals this past Wednesday during Cyber Security Awareness Month. “The rate and nature of change requires an evergreen cyber strategy,” […]
To prosper in China, innovate at home
Canada wants a deeper relationship with China. This was the core message that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took with him on his recent trip where he met with the top Chinese leadership. But if Canada is to succeed, then it has become a much more innovative nation, because that is where China is headed. A […]
