Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee, for inviting me to appear before you. I will be making my opening remarks in French, but I would be happy to answer questions in both official languages.
I am a professor at the Université de Montréal and Canada research chair in cybersecurity. I am also the scientific director of the Human-Centric Cybersecurity Partnership, a group of 30 or so cybersecurity researchers, and government and private sector partners, including Microsoft.
Like other witnesses who have appeared before the committee, I want to focus on the technological changes that are currently redefining the parameters of the military conflicts in which Canada is, or will be, involved. With the invasion of Ukraine, cyber-attacks and disinformation are, of course, top of mind. Looking further ahead into the future, I would point out that digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G networks, the Internet of things, quantum computing and the advent of neural interfaces are also challenges that have the potential to radically alter armed conflicts.
With these predictable changes on the horizon, we must think about the strategies that need to be put in place now to prepare. It is essential to consider the medium- and long-term policy implications of these technologies and anticipate their role in future conflicts, for instance, in 2025 or 2030. We must start preparing now, by acquiring new technical capability and by recruiting and training the people who will be called on to leverage that capability. This foresight work is crucial if our armed forces are to adapt proactively to a constantly changing environment.
These technological changes must go hand in hand with fundamental changes in the recruitment and training of cybersecurity experts, whose role will become increasingly important. The general labour shortage in this field—which I believe my colleague Christian Leuprecht talked about—is affecting the private sector, so the armed forces will have to be creative if they are going to attract skilled workers. Some countries have already introduced specific recruitment strategies for their armed forces, while others have opted to build reserve forces with specialized skills to quickly mobilize skilled personnel in times of crisis. To my knowledge, Canada's examination of the issue is still in its infancy.
Beyond human resources, it is crucial that Canada develop digital sovereignty in defence, specifically over key areas such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing where Canada leads the way in research but lags behind in industry. That involves the deliberate development of industrial innovation ecosystems that can contribute to Canada's defence and that of its allies. I want to draw your attention to the AUKUS security pact between the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, a pact that Canada was not invited to join. Announced in September 2021, the arrangement focuses on more than providing nuclear-powered submarines to Australia; it calls for a very high level of integration across the three countries' R and D and commercialization efforts in the strategic areas of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
In conclusion, the cyber threat landscape is becoming increasingly complex and adversaries are stepping up their cyber-attacks. These challenges cannot be dealt with effectively using traditional solutions, whose limitations have become painfully clear. The innovative solutions we need cannot simply be carbon copies of those our neighbour and allies have devised and implemented. We must genuinely engage in a process to thoroughly examine our interests, resources and strategies if we are to implement the bold measures needed to make up for lost ground.