Ottawa, CANADA – The Government of Canada is progressing in developing and implementing a Canadian program for cyber security certification that will result in mandatory certification requirements in select federal defence contracts as early as winter 2024.
The primary objective of the Canadian Program for Cyber Security Certification (CPCSC) is to safeguard the Government of Canada’s unclassified contractual information held on defence suppliers’ networks, systems, and applications against cyber threats and to reinforce the goals of Canada’s National Cyber Security Action Plan and National Cyber Security Strategy.
The new Canadian cyber security program is also designed to reduce industry burden by seeking mutual recognition with the United States under the U.S. Cyber Security Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program. The goal is to streamline and facilitate certification under a single regime, enabling Canadian suppliers to do business in Canada and the U.S.
Budget 2023 commits $25 million over three years to establish a Canadian cyber security certification and Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), in partnership with National Defence and the Standards Council of Canada, are leading the Government of Canada’s efforts. Engagement with the defence industry and other key stakeholders will continue throughout the development and implementation of the Program.
For any specific questions related to CPCSC, contact PSPC at [email protected].
Quick Facts
- The new Canadian Program for Cyber Security Certification will help to maintain Canadian companies’ access to international procurement opportunities with Canada’s close allies and partners, including the U.S. DoD, where cyber security certification is required.
- The Canadian Cyber Security Standard will be modelled after well-established standards developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to ensure it is closely aligned with the standards incorporated in the anticipated future U.S. cyber security certification program.
- The Canadian Program for Cyber Security Certification will be part of a continuum of Government of Canada cybersecurity certification offerings available to Canadian businesses. In addition to the new Program, the Standards Council of Canada will continue to accredit certification bodies who offer cyber security certifications for small and medium-sized suppliers (SMEs) that can be assessed and certified under the existing CyberSecure Canada standard.
About CCC
The Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) is Canada’s government to government (G2G) contracting agency. We help build successful commercial relationships between Canadian businesses and governments around the world through our government to government contracting approach. We are also the Government of Canada’s designated contracting authority for U.S. DoD procurement from Canada. To learn more about how we have facilitated billions in trade between Canadian businesses and governments around the world, visit www.ccc.ca/en/.
