(Ottawa) The federal government plans to put in place new measures to ensure that sensitive technological products are not exported to foreign adversary countries.
Posted at 12:28 p.m.
Other projects being explored, according to a consultation paper, include making it easier to fine companies that refuse to comply with investment verification rules or identifying vulnerabilities in supply chains.
This document, obtained through the Access to Information Act, was circulated last spring within the private sector, academia and civil society. Authorities wanted recommendations on how to prevent hostile adversaries from exploiting the country’s technologically advanced sectors.
The Ministry of Public Security will soon publish a summary of the opinions obtained.
The document states that Canada benefits from foreign investment, international trade and research partnerships between foreign organizations, Canadian universities and research institutes.
However, he warns that foreign states and non-state actors are trying to acquire technological means or form commercial partnerships that can endanger national security and long-term economic prosperity.
“Canadian businesses, in all sectors of our economy, are in the crosshairs,” the document reads.
The scale and sophistication of threatening state activity has grown, the document adds.
Threats take the form of espionage, theft and cyberattacks.
According to the government, it is also necessary to monitor foreign investments in sectors vital to the security of the country or the purchases and transfers of sensitive and technological products not subject to export controls.
Other threats relate to the purchase of products or patents by nominees, clerks or other entities who conceal their real aims. There are also partnerships between Canadian researchers and entities linked to adversaries.
The document does not specify the names of the countries likely to be adversaries. The country’s security services have often reported that Russia and China are trying to obtain secret intelligence and advanced technological means.
This exercise aims to ensure that Canada’s strategy to counter these threats is effective.
The government launched national security guidelines for research partnerships last year, developed in conjunction with the Government of Canada’s Joint Task Force.
In its last budget, it provided 159.6 million, starting in 2022-2023, and 33.4 million thereafter to implement them.
The consultation document also says that different levels of government could work together better to protect emerging technologies, critical infrastructure and personal data.
Cybersecurity is an important issue that affects all businesses. Breaches, large or small, can affect customer privacy while creating productivity losses, said the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Senior Vice-President, Policy and Government Relations, Mark Agnew.
“That’s what strikes me as an important part of the debate surrounding national security threats,” he says.