Young Canadians deserve better with the Digital Charter Implementation Act

Young Canadians are some of the most digitally connected youth in the world, living a seamlessly integrated “online/offline” existence in all aspects of their social, cultural, educational, and work lives. This integrated reality has only deepened in pandemic times, as engagement in even more aspects of young people’s lives has become dependent on connectivity. This […]
Privacy and security go hand in hand—we need to treat them that way

There is a false dichotomy that is set up in security debates; it is either privacy or security. It is a zero-sum game. With Bill C-11 proposing sweeping changes to Canada’s private sector privacy laws, it is time for a mature, strategic, and informed discussion. We have to move beyond simple conceptions because the cost of failing to get […]
Are Canadians prepared for cyberattacks in the second Cold War?

We have seen reliable evidence and reports showing that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is committing crimes against humanity targeting members of the Uyghur minority group. The CCP is also waging a crackdown on human rights in Hong Kong by arresting journalists, scholars, pro-democracy legislators, and advocates for freedom. Beyond its borders, China has adopted […]
Humans are not the weakest link of cybersecurity—they are its strongest asset

It is common to hear cybersecurity experts blame users when asked to reflect on why the situation is so dire in their field, often describing them as the “weakest link” in the digital ecosystem. Computer scientists and technical support professionals have crafted several sarcastic acronyms for users challenged by the technical complexity of computer systems. […]
Experts question role of data commissioner as feds finally earmark funds

Buried in the 2021 federal budget is little more than a paragraph on creating a new regulator aimed at balancing the interests of personal privacy and companies trying to operate in a big data economy in the next few years. The budget proposed establishing a “data commissioner” with $17.6-million over five years starting in 2021-22, […]
A pragmatic view on aviation’s restart in Canada

With the Canadian COVID-19 vaccination programs hitting full stride in recent days, a renewed optimism is being felt throughout the hospitality industry about better times ahead. And no better harbinger of such optimism is the action of Canada’s airlines as they announce significant increases in their services for the summer months. WestJet’s return to Atlantic […]
Canadian airlines: an industry in crisis

COVID-19 has tremendously affected the airline industry in Canada. As the COVID-19 crisis took shape airlines around the globe suffered and at one point were brought to a halt. For Air Canada this could not have come at a worse time, as it was experiencing at the same time a major crisis due to the […]
Time for Canada to up our innovation game

The good news is Canada moved up in the Bloomberg 2021 Innovation Index. The bad news is we moved from 22nd to 21st—barely overtaking Slovenia. Proof that complacency breeds mediocrity. The question is: what are we going to do to really up our innovation game? More of the same will not get Canada into the […]
Fight to save proposed Line 5 shutdown needs Team Canada approach, provinces say

Three provincial energy ministers are urging the federal government to intervene in a legal dispute between the state of Michigan and Enbridge Inc. and “keep all options on the table” to avoid the threatened shutdown of the Line 5 pipeline. The representatives for Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan told a parliamentary committee Tuesday there would be […]
Pre-budget pitches, virtual ‘Hill days’ push February lobbying

The promise of the first federal budget in more than two years, planned legislation to address online hate, and pandemic-related health concerns drove the lobbying efforts in February of some of the busiest groups as Parliament returned for its first sitting of 2021. Last month, lobbyists filed 3,223 communication reports in the federal registry, a […]