Canada Bets on Cyber and Space
A new generation of secure space satellites will both serve Canada and contribute to NATO innovation, said a government official. Corinne Charette, senior assistant deputy minister, Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications Sector, Canada, told the audience at NITEC 2017 in Ottawa that the country will benefit both socially and economically from the new orbiters looming just over the horizon.
Charette emphasized that these satellites, which will represent cutting-edge space technologies, will have effective cybersecurity. That cybersecurity may originate in Canada, as she noted the country has a burgeoning high-technology industry.
She declared that Canada is home to the largest information technology cluster outside of Silicon Valley, citing centers in urban areas ranging from Vancouver to Montreal and the maritime provinces. The country also is focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) pursuant to becoming an “AI jurisdiction of choice,” Charette added. And, important work is being done in Canada on quantum key distribution.
Charette did warn that the Internet of Things (IoT) will pose a threat to life in some cases, adding that countries must focus on the best ways of instituting security in an IoT domain. Noting that the line between military and civilian cyber capabilities is blurring all the time, she said this creates important opportunities. She suggested allies and industry work together to implement security early in product development.
