Setting a path for the new data commissioner
In the April 2021 federal budget, the Canadian government announced the creation of a data commissioner who will “inform government and business approaches to data-driven issues to help protect people’s personal data and to encourage innovation in the digital marketplace.” The budget allocates $17.6-million over five years and $3.4-million annually afterwards to create the entity. […]
Misplaced priorities: why has the government lost interest in privacy?
Last November, then-innovation, science, and industry minister Navdeep Bains introduced Bill C-11, long overdue privacy reform. The bill appeared to be a top government priority, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasizing that the new law would give Canadians more control over how companies handle their personal information. While the bill is far from perfect, there was no debating that […]
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 […]
