As online scams continue to grow more prevalent, the MP for Windsor West is calling for a First Ministers' Conference on protecting Canadians from cybercrime.
On Tuesday, NDP Critic for Science, Industry, and Innovation Brian Masse sponsored a petition calling for an emergency First Ministers' Conference to tackle the rising threats of cyberattacks and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI).
The petition was written in partnership with Engineers for the Profession Inc. and urges the prime minister to convene a high-level meeting to develop a unified strategy for cybersecurity and AI.
It also emphasized the need for federal and provincial collaboration to protect Canadians and ensure effective governance in this critical area.
In a recent report, the Auditor General has highlighted Canada's poor defence capabilities-Canada ranks second in the world for ransomware attacks per capita.
These threats endanger personal data, critical infrastructure, and public services.
Masse says cyberattacks are increasingly severe, with Canada being notably vulnerable, so the call is for a meeting that would involve the minister of industry and minister of public service.
"To actually work out a plan. There's been universities, hospitals including in Windsor, and others that have been attacked by cybercrime. And there isn't much of a plan for it, in fact, many of the things that take place the operators that are attacked end up paying a ransom," he said.
Without a robust strategy, Masse says that Canadians' privacy, ability to travel and communicate with one another is under threat.
He says not only do they need to get the issue of cybercrime taken more seriously, there also has to be greater responsibility and culpability on all of the telecom companies for these types of crimes.
"You shouldn't be victimized by paying for your service, your phone or your computer and then you're susceptible. It's slick, it's organized crime, but the problem that we have is that it's not being taken seriously enough."
Masse says there's a need to update the privacy legislation in the House of Commons, which is a process that's currently ongoing, and then to create the organized response to the issue of cybercrime.
"That's why the petition calls for the first ministers to get involved. So there's expectations placed on the federal government for that. The European Union and other places will get tough on some of these things that we won't do, so I think that's what's leaving us as a target out there and it has to change," he stated.
Masse believes a First Ministers' Conference will help to create a well-rounded strategy to safeguard the nation's security and integrity related to this ongoing issue.
- with files from AM800's The Shift