Home Programs Emergency management Critical infrastructure protection NCIAP Creation of the NCIAP

Creation of the NCIAP

The Government of Canada, through Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) initiated the National Critical Infrastructure Assurance Program(NCIAP). The goals are to provide a national framework for cooperative action and to build a resilient national critical infrastructure for all Canadians.

• Introduction
• Building the program
• Benefits of participation

Introduction

Creating a partnership and forum for cooperation

The NCIAP creates a partnership among governments and private sector owners and operators, and others with a stake in the National Critical Infrastructure. The partners exchange timely information about risks, vulnerabilities and threats and create a better understanding of interdependencies.

Focus on systems and networks

The traditional approach to protecting the national infrastructure has been to identify specific physical assets of national importance and develop plans for their protection. PSEPC’s consultations have shown a need to focus instead on the overall systems and networks that make up the National Critical Infrastructure and, more importantly, on the associated interdependencies. The NCIAP emphasizes the need for the resilience of interrelated systems and their combined ability to continue to provide essential services.

Better risk management for all partners

The responsibility and accountability of owners and operators to make their own decisions and plans for protecting their own assets will not change. However, through partnership arrangements a wide array of tools and expertise can be shared and the level of awareness about potential problems raised. The initial focus of the NCIAP encouraged information sharing and protection relationships to enable all partners to do better risk management.

Building the program

Government and private sector partnership

The initial goals were to:

•  bring the partners together to jointly develop objectives and approaches
• agree on the roles of the participants
• design the details of the partnership.

To stimulate discussion, the draft NCIAP Discussion Paper was distributed to the industry groups, provinces/territories, non-governmental organizations and Government of Canada departments and agencies that would form the national partnership to solicit their feedback. On 1 November 2002, PSEPC began distributing the NCIAP Discussion Paper and bringing key stakeholders together to determine how the Paper could change our approach to CIP.

The Government of Canada contribution

Through PSEPC, law enforcement and national security organizations and lead sector departments such as Industry Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Finance Canada and Transport Canada, the Government of Canada will contribute to the NCIAP by:

• providing overall national leadership and coordination
• assuring the Government of Canada's critical infrastructure 
• working in collaboration with the Canadian security and intelligence community on ways to enhance the sharing of threat and vulnerability information
• increasing national critical infrastructure protection cooperation between the United States and Canada
• examining the feasibility of a national alert system for critical infrastructure
• issuing alerts, advisories and information notes on threats, vulnerabilities, incidents and other matters related to assurance of national critical infrastructure (both physical and cyber)
• developing awareness and training programs
• developing a research and development program
• developing a national exercise program.

NCIAP complements activities of partners

The work on critical infrastructure assurance is underway in many parts of Canada -- led by individual provinces and/or industry sectors. In addition, regional groups (for example, in the Pacific North West area) are focusing attention on critical infrastructure issues through exercises and conferences. The NCIAP will complement these activities and provide an overarching national framework in which local, regional and sector-specific programs can succeed.

NCIAP enhances international relationships

While the focus for the NCIAP is within Canada, the Government of Canada, provinces, territories and sectoral associations are currently involved in a range of Canada-United States and international activities. These efforts serve to enhance the NCIAP.

Benefits of participation

The program is making our National Critical Infrastructure less vulnerable to disruptions. It helps partners deal more effectively with disruptions and incidents, or specific threat situations.The program benefits Canadians, Canadian industry and governments at all levels in Canada:

• Canadians benefit from a more secure critical infrastructure.
• All partners benefit from organized support and better information to carry out their own assurance programs efficiently.
• Governments benefit from the ability to better meet the expectations of Canadians and to promote Canada's interests internationally; including with the United States.