Research on pandemic lessons will get us out of COVID—and the next one
There is no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic has infiltrated every aspect of our lives. For post-secondary institutions across Canada, COVID-19 forced our teaching activities to move online, and at the onset of the pandemic, led to the suspension of research activities. Shuttered research labs and the cessation of community-based research in Canada and across the […]
Research & Innovation Policy Briefing
Digital currencies bring new options for financial privacy
Digital money is on the minds of many in Canada. News stories about Bitcoin and other blockchain-based financial technologies are hard to escape. Facebook’s proposed digital currency Libra (recently rebranded as Diem) captured the attention and scrutiny of regulators around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has left some lawmakers pondering the possibility of government-based digital […]
Committee jurisdiction unresolved as MPs await study on privacy bill
Nearly six months after it was first introduced, the federal government’s proposed legislation to reform Canada’s decades-old privacy regime is still waiting to pass second reading and be referred to committee after unanimous consent to do so was twice denied. MPs and experts said the bill is an important piece of legislation that is being […]
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. […]
