24 septembre 2018 | Local, C4ISR, Sécurité
Catharine Tunney · CBC News
Organized crime is moving online and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is struggling to keep up, according to a briefing note prepared for RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki when she took over the top job earlier this year.
The memo, obtained by CBC News under access to information law, may launch a renewed battle between the national police service and privacy advocates.
"Increasingly, criminality is conducted on the internet and investigations are international in nature, yet investigative tools and RCMP capacity have not kept pace," says the memo tucked into Lucki's briefing book.
"Growing expectations of policing responsibilities and accountability, as well as complexities of the criminal justice system, continue to overwhelm the administrative demands within policing."
In 2016 nearly 24,000 cybercrime-related cases were reported to Canadian police, up 58 per cent over 2014. The report's authors note that cybercrime tends to be under-reported.
Encryption of online data has a been a persistent thorn in the RCMP's side.
Lucki's predecessor lobbied the government for new powers to bypass digital roadblocks, including tools to get around encryption and warrantless access to internet subscriber information.
"Approximately 70 per cent of all communications intercepted by CSIS and the RCMP are now encrypted ... 80 organized crime groups were identified as using encryption in 2016 alone," says the 274-page document.
Some critics have noted that non-criminals — journalists, protesters and academics, among others — also use encryption tools online and have warned any new encryption legislation could undermine the security of financial transactions and daily online communication.
Ann Cavoukian was Ontario's privacy commissioner for three terms; she now runs Ryerson University's Privacy by Design Centre of Excellence. She called the RCMP's push for more online policing power "appalling."
"I guess we should remind them that we still live in a free and democratic society where people have privacy rights, which means that they should be in control of their personal information," she said.
"If you're a law abiding citizen, you get to decide how your information is used and to whom it's disclosed. The police have no right to access your personal information online, unless of course they have a warrant."
Lucki was specifically warned about criminal suspects "going dark," a term used to describe the gap between the lawful ability of police forces to obtain online evidence and changing technology.
She also was advised the RCMP's court-authorized arsenal (things like court orders and "computer network exploitation techniques," which cover hacking) are "rapidly declining."
"Get more efficient," said Cavoukian.
A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said that "encryption is critical to safeguarding our cybersecurity, privacy and the digital economy."
"However, it has also created gaps for law enforcement and national security agencies," wrote Scott Bardsley in an email.
Earlier this year, the House of Commons' public safety and national security committee released a 76-page report that recommended "no changes to the lawful access regime for subscriber information and encrypted information be made."
But the committee didn't shelve the issue, promising instead to study the evolving challenges.
"The government will support the standing committee on national security and public safety in its continued work to study these and other emerging technological issues related to cybersecurity," wrote Bardsley.
"It will also continue to examine options to ensure agencies have the resources necessary to gain access to decrypted data required to address criminal activity."
Cavoukian predicts "a real fight" over the issue.
Bardsley says the government has pledged $116 million over five years, and $23.2 million per year after that, to help create the national cybercrime coordination unit, which would help "provide digital investigative advice and guidance to Canadian law enforcement."
The RCMP didn't meet CBC's deadline for a comment.
The briefing binder also flags the RCMP's persistent problem with replenishing its ranks when officers retire or otherwise leave the force.
"The RCMP has a growing vacancy rate that exceeds its present ability to produce regular members at a rate that keeps pace with projected future demands," it warns.
As of April 2018, there were 1,122 funded vacant regular member positions —a vacancy rate of 5.6 per cent. That's down slightly from the previous year, when the vacancy rate was 6.6 per cent.
The briefing note says that in the last five years, there has been a "dramatic" increase in the number of new recruits needed to fill operational vacancies and evolving program requirements.
About 1,280 cadets were expected to be enrolled in 2018-2019, up from 1,152 the previous year.
In 2016, CBC News reported that the RCMP was dropping its requirement that applicants be Canadian citizens, and that it would accept applications from permanent residents.
The RCMP also loosened entrance requirements to deal with a wave of retirements, low pay and the need to expand its pool of potential new officers.
Starting this month, the RCMP is dropping its requirement that applicants must be Canadian citizens. It will now accept permanent residents. Post-secondary graduates no longer will have to write an entrance exam that measures aptitude for police work and the force will no longer require a physical abilities evaluation before people submit an application.
With files from the CBC's Kathleen Harris.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/lucki-briefing-binde-cybercrime-1.4831340
6 septembre 2017 | Local, Aérospatial
For the six months ended June 30, 2017, Omni-Lite Industries Canada Inc. is pleased to report revenue of $3,479,191 US. https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/09/06/1108409/0/en/Omni-Lite-Industries-Reports-Strong-Six-Month-Financial-Results-and-Significant-New-Orders.html
4 juin 2020 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
As part of the Government of Canada's commitment to refocus existing innovation programs to support the fight against the spread of COVID-19, the Department of National Defence has announced the first of a series of calls for innovations aimed at addressing some key challenges Canada is facing. With an initial commitment of $15 million, the first three challenges focus on: Viable and effective processes and methods for safely and rapidly decontaminating enclosed work environments, such as buildings and modes of transportation, containing sensitive equipment; Innovative material and designs to aid in decontamination of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), operational clothing, and equipment for personnel responding to events involving biological hazards; and Data gathering solutions to support the early detection and community-based monitoring of outbreaks of contagious diseases. These challenges were determined by multi-departmental panels led by the National Research Council of Canada as part of the COVID-19 Challenges Procurement Program. In addition to the call for innovation, these panels are engaging Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises to refine their near-to-market products to meet a COVID-19 related need. Promising solutions in the areas of PPE, sanitization, diagnostics and testing, therapeutics, and disease-tracking technology may receive funding to further their solutions of interest. This effort is a collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, and Health Canada and sees an additional investment of up to $10 million. Innovators are encouraged to consult the IDEaS program website (https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/programs/defence-ideas.html) for more information on the challenges and how to apply to the program. “These are unprecedented times. We need to leverage all great minds and innovators in our efforts to combat COVID-19,” said Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan. “We will invest in Canadians as we look for innovative solutions to keep not only the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces, but all Canadians safe.” – Quick facts Call for innovation – Challenges to Canadian innovators This initiative is being led by DND's Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program, with collaboration from the Centre for Security Science Program. The call will be open until June 23, with contracts expected to be awarded this summer. COVID-19 Challenges Procurement Program DND has provided subject matter experts in the areas of public safety and security, medical response, and biology/chemistry for these panels. http://www.lookoutnewspaper.com/dnd-launches-call-innovative-thinkers-solutions-covid-19-challenges/
14 décembre 2018 | Local, Naval
Canadian Coast Guard adds to its icebreaker fleet for first time in twenty five years LÉVIS, QC, Dec. 14, 2018 /CNW/ - Our Canadian waterways play a crucial role in our culture, history, and economy. Keeping these waterways safe and open for business is a priority for the Government of Canada. This is why we are ensuring that the Canadian Coast Guard is properly equipped for the important work it carries out on a daily basis in keeping Canadians and our Canadian waters safe. Today, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, and the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert, Joël Lightbound, announced that the first of the three medium icebreakers recently built by Chantier Davie for the Canadian Coast Guard will be named CCGS CaptainMolly Kool. The expertise and the talent of Chantier Davie workers were in the limelight during that event, which highlighted the first floating of a Coast Guard icebreaker in twenty-five years. The Ministers and the Parliamentary Secretary have seized the opportunity to visit the shipyard and to meet the workers, in order to reiterate the importance of Chantier Davie for the Canadian shipbuilding industry. All three medium icebreakers, recently acquired by the Coast Guard, will undergo refit and conversion work at Chantier Davie in Lévis, Québec, to ensure they comply with Canadian regulatory and Coast Guard operational standards before entering the fleet. The first ship will allow the Coast Guard to provide essential services during the upcoming winter season, while the other two undergo refit projects. The namesake of the icebreaker, Captain Myrtle 'Molly' Kool, was the first woman in North America to become a master mariner. Myrtle Kool, known by everyone as Molly, was born in 1916 in Alma, New Brunswick. In 1937, she was the first woman in North America to become a licensed ship captain, and in 1939, was awarded her coastal master's certificate. CCGS Captain Molly Kool is part of the national Coast Guard fleet which carries out icebreaking duties in Atlantic Canada, the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes, and Arctic regions. This icebreaker is the latest Coast Guard asset deployed to help ensure the safety of Canadian waterways and those who rely on them, both for recreational and commercial purposes. Quotes "Today, we are pleased to welcome CCGS Captain Molly Kool into the Canadian Coast Guard fleet. This icebreaker will provide essential support to the shipping industry, while keeping Canadians safe along our waterways. Canadians can be proud of the men and women of our Coast Guard, and the important work they carry out from coast, to coast, to coast." The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard "CCGS Captain Molly Kool is a welcome and much needed addition into the Canadian Coast Guard fleet. Congratulations to the skilled workers of Chantier Davie for their excellent work in bringing this ship into service for the upcoming icebreaking season. This project is yet another example of how the National Shipbuilding Strategy is supporting jobs and prosperity in communities across Canada, including here in Quebec." The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility "I am proud to be here with my colleague the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, and my colleague the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert, in order to highlight the excellent work achieved by the Chantier Davie workers on CCGS Captain Molly Kool. The importance of the Chantier Davie for the Canadian shipbuilding industry and for our region's economy is undeniable. The high quality of the refit and conversion work conducted on CCGS Captain Molly Kool is another example of our workers' exceptional know-how. Together, we can consider the future with confidence.." The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Quick Facts CCGS Captain Molly Kool measures 93.7 metres in length, and has a beam of 18 metres. It is classified as a medium icebreaker, and can maintain a speed of 3 knots through ice up to 1 metre thick. In addition to icebreaking, the ship will support other Coast Guard programs, such as Search and Rescue and Environmental Response Icebreakers are crucial to Coast Guard services, the safety of mariners, protection of coastal waters, and efficient transport of people and goods through Canada's waterways. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-government-of-canada-reaffirms-its-commitment-to-davie-and-its-workers-702780082.html