Securing Canada’s Data Supply Chain Now-and for the Future

As Winston Churchill said, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” The pandemic shone a spotlight on our capacity, or lack thereof, to produce vaccines within our borders and maintain undisrupted supply chains for critical items. Light shone through the cracks, highlighting our vulnerabilities, like an over-reliance on trading partners and the out-sourcing of critical manufacturing. But we are now acting to repair those fractures, filling the gaps to become a stronger, more self-reliant nation. 

In the spring, the Government of Canada announced investments of more than $1.8 billion in biomanufacturing, vaccine, and therapeutics ecosystem projects. The investment was seen as necessary to strengthen domestic pandemic response capabilities and life science innovation, and to ensure that Canada has the talent, research, and development pipeline to care for its citizens. 

At the same time, in response to the global microchip shortage, the Government of Canada announced an investment of some $240 million to help the country expand its presence in photonics and the manufacturing of semiconductors. 

“Our government wants Canada to be a strategic global leader in the semiconductor industry,” said Francois-Phillippe Champagne, Canada’s Minster of Innovation, Science, and Industry.

“That’s why we’re investing $240 million today to strengthen our semiconductor ecosystem, which will allow us to build a more innovative and resilient economy. By investing in Canada’s semiconductor industry, we are making a firm commitment to businesses looking to invest in Canada.”

Historically, we don’t let foreign interests own or control Canadian hydroelectric systems, air carriers, or other critical infrastructure. Why? Because we can’t risk having a foreign power control the structures we need to function as a country, leaving Canadian citizens vulnerable.  

In our technology-driven world, data is part of our critical infrastructure and whoever governs the cloud where it’s stored ultimately controls the data. We need to ensure the inviolability of our data supply chain—especially when it comes to sensitive Canadian government and citizen data. We can’t let foreign interests control our data; it would leave us all too vulnerable. Canadian data requires a Canadian-controlled sovereign cloud. 

Read the full blog here.