Canada’s Role in Meeting Global Threats

The maintenance of international security is now threatened by great power competition, the decline of liberal democracy worldwide, the challenges of maintaining alliances and the rise of non-traditional global threats — all of which can only be addressed through improved global cooperation. In this fourth report from the Reimagining a Canadian National Security Strategy series, Bessma Momani considers steps that Canada should take to effectively navigate in a world of rising international insecurity.

In early 2020, Canadian defence intelligence reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak in China suggested that the virus caused less severe illness than SARS, cited misleading statistics regarding low mortality rates and concluded that “significant transmission of the disease outside of China is unlikely.” Wesley Wark paints a portrait, based on newly released documents, of an intelligence apparatus that was unable to answer this critical question: Would COVID-19 threaten Canadians?

The first quarterly transparency report from the Facebook Oversight Board contains some shockingly unshocking news: Facebook is not being sufficiently transparent even with its own Oversight Board. If the board cannot satisfy Facebook users’ appetite for appeals, Heidi Tworek writes, perhaps some of these content moderation cases could be taken out of its realm. E-courts could provide judicial space for resolving disputes about content, such as takedowns for legal reasons.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, cyberthreats — including mis- and disinformation campaigns, phishing, online gender-based violence, hate speech and extremist propaganda — have grown in tandem with screen time. Concerns about online surveillance, data breaches and other cyberthreats have eroded users’ trust in the internet and underscored the need for better protections in the digital space. This briefing provides a roundup of CIGI experts’ analysis of cybersecurity issues and potential solutions.

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.

Learn more about the event 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.

Note: The date of this event has recently changed. To join us online on December 7, please register here.