House Of Commons Introduces Bill C-26: Proposed Federal Cybersecurity Legislation

On June 14, 2022, the House of Commons of Canada introduced Bill C-26, which would impose a series of cybersecurity-related obligations on designated organizations in four key federally regulated sectors: telecommunications, finance, energy and transportation. At a high level, the bill would enact the Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act (CCSPA), which aims to protect critical cyber systems considered integral to Canadian infrastructure and public safety.

APPLICABILITY TO DESIGNATED OPERATORS

If passed as currently drafted, the CCSPA would require "designated operators" (the classes of organizations who would be subject to this legislation have not yet been identified) to protect their "critical cyber systems" – those systems that, if their confidentiality, integrity or availability were compromised, could affect the continuity or security of one of the vital services or systems identified below. The CCSPA would be overseen by the Communications Security