plicated federal organizations and a number of different components of national organisation.’ And so - laudingly reflective of the Australian Ministerial sentiment above, but without meaningful leadership and governance. The emergence of a new Minister for Citizens’ Services suggests a sharpened emphasis on digitization, but there is little mention of cyber-security within the mandate, at least initially. Meanwhile, the newly appointed Minister of Public Safety continues to grapple with a myriad of pressing priorities - likely to extend the cyber drift and diffusion exposed by the Government’s own review. Upon formalizing and resourcing leadership, the Government of Canada must also double down on workforce development in the cyber-realm. Senior leaders of Canada’s security agencies, along with former Minister Mendicino deserve credit for drawing more attention to the urgency of this issue. The federal CIO Branch has also established a new office devoted to Digital Talent and Leadership. More must be done, particularly with a security-minded focus. In the UK, a Cyber Security Council (multi-sector in formation and funding) is centred on a three-fold mission: i) ‘to enhance and expand the nation’s cyber skills, knowledge and profession at every level; ii) to be the self-regulatory body for, and voice of, the cyber security profession; and iii) to develop, promote and provide stewardship of the highest possible standards of expertise, excellence, professional conduct and practice in the profession, for the benefit of the public.’ In addition to nurturing a cyber-security profession nationally (an especially urgent notion for a country with A.I. aspirations), a Canadian equivalent could begin to address the dearth of skills across subnational government levels, thereby laying some of the groundwork needed for more collaborative defences and shared solutions. Finally, political literacy across all branches and levels of government levels must be strengthened. Even as the work of relatively new oversight bodies (including a Parliamentary Committee devoted to national security) matters greatly, their focus is mainly on past and existing operations with limited anticipatory capacities - especially in the digital realm. Beyond the federal purview, moreover, and in keeping with the federal government’s own stated aims, a new and overtly political equivalent of the Joint Councils can begin to enjoin elected officials and the public in an open dialogue, and collectively forge the makings of a holistic cyber-security framework for the entire public sector. In sum, only through a combination of formalized and resourced leadership, agile and outward governance mechanisms, and wider political and societal engagement, can a much higher level of cyber readiness and resilience be achieved. As CCCS has demonstrated, bolder actions and reforms are urgently required. Jeffrey Roy is professor in the School of Public Administration at Dalhousie University and member of NS-TAG (roy@dal.ca). 26 / Canadian Government Executive // Winter 2023 In addition to nurturing a cyber-security profession nationally (an especially urgent notion for a country with A.I. aspirations), a Canadian equivalent could begin to address the dearth of skills across subnational government levels, thereby laying some of the groundwork needed for more collaborative defences and shared solutions. GOVERNING DIGITALLY
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