Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First, I thank the witnesses for being here. Their expertise is more than welcome, given what is happening in Ukraine. We have good reason to be concerned.
Ms. Kitchen, I'm going to start with you.
You mentioned direct threats, but also indirect threats, including disinformation, the use of social media, phishing campaigns and the use of ransomware.
Aluminerie Alouette in Sept-Îles, one of the largest aluminum smelters in America, fell victim to a Russian ransomware attack in late February. The Russian group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had harvested up to 20% of the smelter's data. It said it was directly related to the west's economic sanctions against Russia. We are not immune to these kinds of attacks, which put our businesses, our citizens, our critical infrastructure and our democratic institutions at risk.
How do we protect ourselves from this? Do you think Canada is prepared to deal with these kinds of threats?