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Backgrounder

Office of Critical infrastructure Protection

BG-01.004 - February 6, 2001

Canada's critical infrastructure is found in the energy and utilities, communications, services, transportation, safety and government sectors. This critical infrastructure constitutes the backbone of our national economy and fabric, and is essential to the health, security, safety and economic well-being of Canadians and to the effective functioning of governments.

In this "Information Age", critical infrastructure is a key enabler to the modern economy. It is complex, interconnected and interdependent and relies heavily on information technology. Disruptions in one infrastructure could produce cascading disruptions across a number of other infrastructures, with significant economic and social consequences to Canada and Canadians.

The changing nature of our critical infrastructure dependency has brought us a more complex risk environment, with the possibility of failure or disruption based on accidents, natural disasters or deliberate acts. Governments and the private sector must assure themselves that our critical infrastructure is appropriately protected against the full range of risks.

In April 2000, drawing on lessons from the Y2K roll-over period, the federal government created an interdepartmental Task Force housed in the Department of National Defence with the mandate to develop proposals for a national critical infrastructure protection policy framework. The Task Force held extensive consultations with the private sector, other levels of government, and with international partners, including the United States.

The Prime Minister has announced the creation of the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness. The Minister of National Defence will be the Minister responsible for the organization, which will also encompass the existing functions of Emergency Preparedness Canada.

This Office will develop and implement a comprehensive approach to protecting Canada's critical infrastructure. It will provide national leadership to help ensure the protection of this infrastructure, in both its physical and cyber dimensions, and regardless of the source of threats and vulnerabilities.


The Office will also be the government's primary agency for ensuring national civil emergency preparedness. Emergency Preparedness Canada and its predecessors have been in the National Defence portfolio for many years. Its mandate under the Emergency Preparedness Act is to safeguard lives and reduce damage to property by fostering better preparedness for emergencies in Canada. Its skilled resources and existing partnerships will be a valuable contribution to the new Office.


The Office will:

• build partnerships with the private sector, the provinces, territories and municipalities, and key international partners, the US in particular;
  
• promote dialogue among Canada's critical infrastructure owners and operators and foster information sharing on threats and vulnerabilities;
  
• provide a focal point for the federal government's own cyber incident analysis and coordination efforts and support federal departments and agencies in meeting their responsibilities for protecting their IT systems and networks;
  
• promote other areas of cooperation such as raising awareness, enhancing education and training, and promoting information technology security research and development; and achieve an appropriate level of national civil emergency preparedness.
  

The creation of this Office accords closely with government priorities in three areas: Connecting Canadians, Government on Line, and Strong and Safe Communities. The success of E-commerce and Government on Line will depend on establishing consumer and client trust in the security and privacy of information networks and their information exchanges. Strong and safe communities will benefit from assured emergency and government services and from the ability of law enforcement to deal with serious crime, including cyber-crime. The Office will support the efforts of those engaged in implementing these priorities.

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