Course: Introduction to Information and Power

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Paper Objective: Choose a keyword, narrow the scope of the keyword exploration to a particular research area, and write a paper outlining the keyword related findings in your chosen research area.

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I chose the keyword “cybersecurity,” and elected to narrow the scope of my research area to Canada’s strategy for approaching national cybersecurity. To provide a comprehensive overview of this topic, I investigated Canada’s official cybersecurity strategies, reviewed statistics reports on cybersecurity in Canada, and examined Canada’s current initiatives to strengthen national cybersecurity and increase cybersecurity awareness. The three main areas I wrote about were Canada’s initial official strategy in 2010 and the latest official strategy from 2018; notable reports on cybercrime in industries as well as cybercrimes committed towards citizens; and current research initiatives, citizen education initiatives, and Canada’s official action plan for the next five years. Altogether my paper provides a good overview of Canada’s past, present, and future national cybersecurity approach.

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Brief Summary of Main Findings:

• The Canadian government spearheads a vast number of cybersecurity efforts to protect Canadian citizens, businesses, and government departments, and many of these efforts were developed out of Canada’s national cybersecurity strategies from 2010 and 2018.

• The national cybersecurity strategy from 2010, Canada’s first cybersecurity strategy, created the platform on which all future initiatives, plans, and strategies could be built upon. This is reflected in the 2018 national cybersecurity strategy, which expands on the existing cybersecurity strategy, but also extends into new areas, such as quantum computing for example.

• An aggressive, all-encompassing national cybersecurity approach is necessary for Canada, since Canadian government departments, businesses, and individual citizens are deeply impacted by cybercrime, and need the cybersecurity resources and tools that Canada currently provides, and is planning to provide.