The House of Commons Defence committee calls on the Trudeau government to impose sanctions on individuals and organizations that engage in “disinformation” campaigns targeting Canadians.. Closed laptop computer .The committee has released a new report urging the implementation of stronger cybersecurity measures because of the growing threat of disinformation and foreign influence campaigns conducted by China, Russia, and other hostile entities..Canada has made significant progress in the area of cybersecurity. They have done this by creating plans that focus on protecting the country from cyber threats, starting and supporting projects related to cybersecurity, passing laws to address these issues, and working with other countries to improve cybersecurity worldwide..In general, the committee suggests Canada should take further steps to enhance its cybersecurity and cyberwarfare capabilities, while improving its ability to withstand threats both domestically and internationally..According to witnesses at the committee hearings, it was proposed that Canada should actively develop international norms and frameworks to address these threats effectively..The committee advised the government to use the existing sanction regimes to specifically target individuals and entities that manipulate Canadians by spreading disinformation..The MPs also recommended that Canada apply punitive measures to countries that support or use cybercriminals to carry out acts such as money or intellectual property theft and cyberattacks..The report, submitted to the House before the summer break, states that Russia's offensive cyberattacks on Ukraine show how cyberwarfare and cyberspace weaponization are now part of modern warfare..“Also of note in recent years are the increasingly sophisticated disinformation and foreign influence campaigns conducted by China, Russia and other aggressive authoritarian states against democratic countries, including Canada,” said the report..“These types of activities underscore the critical importance of ensuring the existence of cybersecurity and of combating cyberwarfare.”.Sami Khoury, head of the federal Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, said cybercrime is the biggest digital threat to Canadians, while state-sponsored cyber threats are Canada's most serious strategic challenge..Witnesses told MPs about an increasing amount of ransomware and other forms of malicious software that target computer systems and data..The report urges the government to establish a collaborative forum for industry and officials to exchange cybersecurity information and best practices. It also recommends investing in government network infrastructure cybersecurity and conducting a comprehensive assessment to strengthen data storage systems. .Additionally, it emphasizes the need to expedite the renewal of Canada's national cybersecurity strategy and establish an ongoing review process. .The report suggests appointing a cybersecurity ambassador and reviewing the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act to keep pace with evolving threats..According to Tim McSorley, national coordinator of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, the report does not explain the rationale or the urgency for the CSIS recommendation..“Once again, we're seeing national security creep — recommendations that national security agencies be granted new powers despite the lack of public evidence that they are necessary,” said McSorley. Canada has a “severe transparency deficit. This kind of recommendation won't do anything to resolve that.”.According to McSorley, it is concerning that the resulting report did not give greater importance to human rights issues..“Even more stark is that there is not a single recommendation around ensuring that rights protections are explicitly taken into account in the government's response to cyber threats, whether in regards to Charter rights or to Canada's international human rights and civil liberty obligations,” said McSorley.
