The Government of Canada has unveiled a new National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS) to strengthen the country’s defenses against rapidly growing cyber threats, ensuring the safety of Canadians and critical infrastructure in the digital world.
The initiative aims to improve Canada’s national security, protect the economy, prevent cyber threat activities, and promote rule-based behaviors in cyberspace.
The new NCSS builds upon the achievements of the 2018 strategy, which established the Canadian Center for Cyber Security and the National Cybercrime Coordination Center; both institutions play critical roles in addressing Canada’s cyber threats.
The updated strategy emerges as Canada faces persistent threats from cyber actors to its economy and national security. According to the National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026, cybercriminals are expected to accelerate fraud, scams, and ransomware attacks on Canadians.
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NCCS’s Key Highlights
The new NCSS, titled ‘Securing Canada’s Digital Future,’ adopts a whole-of-society approach, emphasizing long-term plan for collaboration across all government levels, law enforcement, industry, indigenous communities, academia, and international allies.
Collaborating closely with the United States and other international partners to strengthen cross-border cyber resilience, the strategy will focus on sharing information, establishing proactive measures, and reducing disruptions to critical services such as healthcare, energy, and telecommunications.
The initial CAD 37.8 million investment will fund cyber initiatives in the next six years to support the strategy’s implementation, including public awareness, campaigns, and educational youth programs in preparation for a more secure digital future.
This announcement comes after the Canadian government’s establishment of the Cyber Attribution Data Center at the University of New Brunswick in December 2024, a key step in strengthening relationships with academia.
Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, Honorable David McGuinty, highlighted, “Canada must continue to be a leader in cybersecurity, especially in the face of persistent and ongoing cyber threats. The new National Cyber Security Strategy demonstrates the Government of Canada’s commitment to a whole-of-society and agile approach to protecting our nation’s cybersecurity for citizens across our great country, for Canadian businesses, and for essential cross-border services and digital infrastructure.”
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