The proposed Bill C-26 - An Act Respecting Cyber Security (ARCS) seeks to amend the Telecommunications Act (TA) to add security as a policy objective, bringing telecommunications in line with other critical sectors. This will provide the Government with the legal authority to mandate any necessary action to secure Canada’s telecommunications system. This includes prohibiting Canadian companies from using products and services from high-risk suppliers.

Furthermore, this legislation introduces the Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act (CCSPA) which lays a foundation for securing Canada’s critical infrastructure. It will help organizations better prepare, prevent, and respond to cyber incidents. This legislation could also serve as a model for provinces, territories, and municipalities to help secure their critical infrastructure in collaboration with the federal government.

In particular, the legislation addresses longstanding gaps in the Government’s ability to protect the vital services and systems Canadians depend on by enabling it to:

• designate services and systems that are vital to national security or public safety in Canada as well as the operators or classes of operators responsible for their protection;
• ensure that designated operators are protecting the cyber systems that underpin Canada’s critical infrastructure;
• ensure that cyber incidents that meet or exceed a specific threshold are reported;
• compel action by organizations in response to an identified cyber security threat or vulnerability; and
• ensure a consistent cross-sectoral approach to cyber security in response to the growing interdependency of cyber systems.