(Quebec) Éric Caire will head the new Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital, whose creation was unanimously adopted in the National Assembly earlier this month.
He is currently Minister for Digital Transformation, reporting to the Conseil du trésor. Bill 6 creates a new full-fledged ministry, which will begin its activities on 1er January.
The Government of Quebec is therefore seeking to bring together, within a single ministry, cutting-edge expertise in the fields of digital, cybersecurity and technological services.
By announcing the appointment of Mr. Caire, Wednesday, in a press release, the Prime Minister, François Legault, stressed that he would be responsible for “protecting the state from cyber attacks and protecting the data of Quebecers and the government”.
“Nowadays, it is essential for the state to be at the forefront of cybersecurity and digital technology. We need to improve our data systems to have more efficient, better managed, more agile organizations and to simplify the lives of Quebecers, ”said Mr. Legault.
Mr. Caire argued that Quebec became the very first government in Canada to institute a ministry entirely dedicated to cybersecurity and digital technology.
“We will be able to count on expertise and a commitment already recognized on the part of our teams who will make up the new ministry,” the minister said in a press release.
When the bill was announced at the end of October, the Legault government also said it wanted to simplify access to government services for the population.
This would involve, among other things, the establishment of a digital identity, which would allow Quebecers to eventually abandon their paper documents, such as the health insurance card.