Canada Needs a Biosecurity Strategy

COVID-19’s arrival revealed serious deficiencies in Canada’s public health apparatus. Adrian R. Levy writes that the country urgently needs a biosecurity strategy that focuses on the functioning and integration of the many systems making up this apparatus — everything from risk assessment to supplies and logistics to data quality to emergency plans — to ensure Canada is equipped to prevent, prepare for, detect and respond to future microbial risks.

In this report, the fifth in CIGI’s Reimagining a Canadian National Security Strategy series, Levy outlines the features such a strategy should incorporate.

Capital is mobile, and investment, left to its own devices, will naturally seek lower-cost tax regimes. Traditionally, public finances have been supported mainly by taxes on what is tangible and relatively hard to move. Dan Ciuriak and Akinyi J. Eurallyah discuss how the rise of the intangibles economy — in which value is based on data, brands, intellectual property and other “soft” assets — poses many problems of governance, including how we measure economic activity, classify products and book returns.

Propagandists have worked on behalf of democracies and autocracies alike, often pragmatically making use of the newest media tools, and can provide unique insights on how, for instance, strategies and technologies used in coordinated disinformation campaigns may be mitigated via “inoculation” and resilience programming efforts. Samuel Woolley and Inga Trauthig explore the question: Should digital propagandists have a seat at the table as we work to develop solutions and countermeasures?

Revelations from the “Facebook Papers” have been rocking the United States’ political establishment but, Charlie Angus asks, is anyone even a little bit surprised? In this opinion piece, Angus writes that “dealing with Facebook doesn’t require a doctorate in computer engineering; it takes common sense and political backbone….we need to move quickly to enact smart legislation that puts the rights of citizens at the heart of digital interactions.”

Nov. 10 – 11:00 a.m. EST (UTC–05:00): Please join CIGI, one of this webinar’s hosts and organizing partners, to learn more about the Digital Economy Report 2021. This report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development takes a deep dive into the development and policy implications of cross-border flows of digital data. A presentation of its findings will be followed by a moderated discussion with several speakers, including Robert Fay and Susan Aaronson.

Read more about the webinar and register to attend here.

Nov. 25 – 2:00 p.m. EST (UTC–05:00): Online abuse targeting marginalized groups has real-world consequences, including silencing voices and exacerbating existing inequalities in society. Moderator Suzie Dunn and Florencia Goldsman, contributors to CIGI’s research project Supporting a Safer Internet: Global Survey of Gender-Based Violence Online, will discuss the flawed policies of social networks that require more accountability and how women and LGBTQ+ groups have adopted strategies to protect themselves online.

Learn more and register to attend here.

Dec. 7 – 9:30 a.m. EST (UTC–05:00): CIGI is pleased to host His Excellency Cong Peiwu, China’s Ambassador to Canada, for a conversation with CIGI President Rohinton P. Medhora about China’s role in the global economy. In the wake of the G20 leaders’ summit and the WTO Ministerial Conference, this conversation will explore China’s role and influence in issues preoccupying governments worldwide, such as technology, trade, investment, climate change, and cyber and data governance. A Q&A period moderated by Medhora will follow.

To join us online on December 7, please register here.