Thank you.
We thank the vice-chair and the members of the committee for inviting us to appear before you once again. My name is George Platsis. I am a program director with the Centre of Excellence in Security, Resilience, and Intelligence at the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto.
With me today is one of our centre's senior distinguished faculty members, retired Rear Admiral Don Loren of the U.S. Navy.
Please note that our comments are our own today and do not reflect the views of any of the organizations we may be associated with.
The realities of the 21st century have shown us that technology has given access and ability to a larger number of actors, including small groups and individuals, all with differing intents and interests. The net result, even for a single actor, can have an asymmetric effect upon society.
Discussions focused on Canada's immigration policy, which are vast and broad, will define our ever-evolving Canadian identity, economic success, and security landscape. But for the purposes of this conversation and this session we will focus on a very narrow range of issues specifically related to intelligence-gathering capabilities and information handling, both domestically between departments and internationally with our partners and our allies.
Technology should be used as a tool, not as a crutch, and the foundation for any technology to protect our borders is intelligence. From information gathering to analysis to intelligence that is actionable, we need to ensure that the information we collect and analyze is kept confidential, maintains its integrity, and is made available only to those who have a legitimate use for it.
This issue is daunting in an inter-agency and international context, especially as organizations use differing levels of internal security protocols. Consider that on the issue of admissibility, upwards of 10 or more Canadian departments and various statutes could apply. Depending on the case, you have IRPA, the Security Offences Act, the National Defence Act, the CSIS Act, and the Aeronautics Act, just to name a few that could apply. In the example I just gave, CIC, the RCMP, CSIS, CSEC, and CATSA would all have some jurisdictional responsibility. And we have yet to consider our international possibilities.
In addition, the creation of Shared Services Canada has tasked it with streamlining more than 100 e-mail systems, 300 data centres, and more than 3,000 overlapping and uncoordinated electronic networks.
While this decision should reduce inefficiencies, there are other inherent risks associated with a fully integrated system. As we become more reliant on these systems to store personal information and make critical decisions, we also have a responsibility to harden these same systems, both from a technological perspective but also from a human-use perspective.
These same principles must also apply to more sensitive areas that fall outside the mandate and domain of Shared Services Canada; these relate to our national security. There's a very simple concept that we must never forget: you are only as strong as your weakest link.
Going forward, we must be able to assure the information we acquire and use. In an information-sharing context, this requires both human and technological safeguards. Furthermore, our own Canadian ability to gather, validate, and protect information from our uniquely Canadian vantage point benefits Canadian interests and intents as we go forward, so that we can make our own assessments that meet our own needs.
Ultimately, it should be sound information that acts as the basis for admission into Canada. We must be cognizant that, given that our systems and networks are interconnected, an information breach in one department may have an effect in many others, including upon the decision-making process for admissibility.
It is at this point that I would like to invite a very great friend of Canada, Admiral Don Loren, to share and give you the benefit of his experiences in these matters from an American and international perspective.
Thank you.