In the past year, cyber attacks have increased by over “15.1 per cent.”[1] Just last October, a ransomware attack crippled Newfoundland’s health care systems.[2] More recently, the Colonial Pipeline was described as a “threat as on par with terrorism.”[3] These examples are only the beginning.

“If a hacker is willing to harm children for ransom, we should define them as terrorists”[4] – First Nations Chief, BC.

I learned that only 30 per cent of Indigenous youth on reserve are confident with their digital skills.[5] Youth must be better educated and provided the tools to fight cyber crime. This is particularly important as Internet access becomes available to remote communities.

Establishing a universal, coordinated approach to digital literacy education is fundamental for the youth of tomorrow. It is estimated that Indigenous youth are the fastest growing population in Canada.[6] Unfortunately, Indigenous populations are typically graduating high school at 60% compared to that of urban, multicultural communities.[7] “When educational programs are developed with Indigenous people, for Indigenous people, graduation rates are substantially higher.”[8]

However, with the current disjointed literacy approach, Indigenous youth are being left behind. Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) estimates that only “2.2 per cent of the Canadian tech workforce is Indigenous.”[9] Many private sector experts estimate the number is closer to “0.5%.”[10]

In order to facilitate equal opportunity, the Government of Canada (GoC) must take action by educating and providing tools to protect against criminal organizations related to hacking, malware, and ransomware. Bridging the digital divide will require the federal government to work alongside other GoC departments including Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), Canada Post Corporation, and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) as well as private sector organizations including IndigenousTech.ai, Amazon Web Services (AWS), IBM, BlackBerry and Indigenous institutions. Indigenous communities will also take part in this national strategy by participating in the design, implementation, and measurement of program efficacy. A national curriculum will ensure youth learn digital literacy skills for them and their communities to stay safe when using and working with technology and the Internet.

Current Policies and Initiatives

In 2021, the GoC funded an innovation and solutions Canada grant in conjunction with ISC and IndigenousTech.ai Corporation. 50 communities were surveyed in Yukon and North West Territory about risks to supply chains including fuel, food, and medicine. A constant deficiency appeared in the lack of computer resources and capacity relating to cyber security.[11]

By 2026, the Government of Canada hopes to “connect 98 per cent of the country to high-speed Internet.”[12] However, increased “access means increased exposure to online harms.”[13] Just last year, Newfoundland’s health system was locked down by a ransomware attack where “more than 200,000 files were taken.”[14] Similarly, Sault Ste. Marie’s police service computers were compromised and staff were subsequently locked out of email servers in August 2021. Going back as far as October 2018, the Territorial Government of Nunavut became susceptible to a ransomware attack. If the GoC rolls out Internet connectivity to remote communities without education and tools to protect the community, cyber attacks will become common occurrences.

Canada does not measure or independently report on key metrics that are necessary to assess digital literacy skills and cyber security. While funding may occur from Federal, Provincial and Territorial governments, it is a patchwork without transparency, publicly available dashboards or accountability. While some programs strive to make a difference, there are no comprehensive or independent audits/reporting taking place.

Some of the existing programs being funded include: Digital Literacy Exchange Program (DLEP), CANARIE funding, ThinkON, ISET, etc. However, to the best of our knowledge, none of these programs provide multi-year sustainable tools and training to educate and proactively reduce the risk of hacking to individuals, businesses, and communities.

Developing a National Digital Literacy Strategy (NDLS) to bridge the digital divide for Indigenous communities with an emphasis on youth training and capacity development.

Similar to how the United Kingdom spearheaded its digital literacy program,[15] ISC would lead the new national strategy. In order to ensure equal access to education and tools to prevent cyber attacks, the ISC will work with other federal departments such as the CCCS, RCMP, Canada Post Corporation, and ESDC as well as organizations including IndigenousTech.ai, AWS, IBM, BlackBerry and Indigenous institutions. Indigenous communities need to take a leading role in the design, implementation, and measurement of program efficacy. Indigenous youth deserve equal education opportunities to those living off reserve in urban settings.

The NDLS will accomplish three pillars of best practice: 1) education, 2) prevention, and 3) tools for emergency management.

1) Education
On August 26, 2022, IndigenousTech.ai completed its second annual eight-week summer program for 22 high school students from six BC First Nations communities where students took courses such IBM Skills Build, AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials, and financial literacy. In addition, thought leaders and IT executives had one-hour fireside webinars with individuals such as Charles Eagan, Global Chief Technology Officer at BlackBerry.

By creating a universal education curriculum, Indigenous youth will be better prepared to support their communities, use technology, and enter the workforce with rudimentary technology skills. Existing educational programs such as IndigenousTech.ai should be integrated into a comprehensive curriculum for the NDLS.

2) Prevention
Canada needs to invest in implementing AI cyber security prevention tools. It is not sufficient enough to simply educate Indigenous communities on the potential dangers and security threats they will be facing in the near future. BlackBerry Cylance, now BlackBerry Cybersecurity, is a Canadian global leader in the detection and prevention of malware (software that disrupts or gains unauthorized access) and ransomware (malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid) such as:
– Wannacry virus 2017 (ransomware attack)
– Colonial Pipeline 2021 (darkside ransomware attack)
– TrickBot 2022 (malware targeting banking credentials)

With the GoC’s goal of increasing Internet connectivity across the country by 2030, funds must also be allocated to provide detection and prevention solutions.

3) Tools for Emergency Management (TEM)
On October 22, 2014, Officer Cirillo was assassinated by a lone gunman at the National War Memorial in front of the House of Commons. After shooting Officer Cirillo, the lone gunman proceeded to Parliament Hill and began to wreak havoc in the Centre Block. Communication chaos quickly followed on and around Parliament Hill. Ottawa police had difficulty communicating with the RCMP and House of Commons parliamentary protective service. Accurate updates were difficult to find, multiple fictitious shooters were reported throughout the capital, and thousands of federal public servants were instructed to remain in lockdown. Cyber attacks can produce similar results with vulnerable patients dying in hospitals or fuel supply chains being interrupted. A comprehensive plan and tool set needs to be in place so that when a cyber attack occurs, a coordinated response will happen from a well prepared team.

Currently, BlackBerry AtHoc is implemented in the House of Commons as well as in Indigenous communities to manage crisis such as active shooters, forest fires, and floods. This crisis management tool is used by many private sector technology companies for malware attacks and meets current GoC security standards. I suggest this same tool should be made available for cyber attacks with direct connectivity to the CCCS.

This paper discusses the reasons why the Federal Government of Canada (GoC) needs to implement a National Digital Literacy Strategy (NDLS) for Indigenous communities. It argues that existing programs and initiatives by the GoC are not effectively supporting Indigenous youth and their communities. Investigating the United Kingdom’s digital literacy strategy will provide a clearer picture into how a national digital literacy skills program works. [17] While this paper will review existing GoC policies and initiatives, it will primarily focus on three pillars of best practice including education, prevention and tool management for emergency situations. It will also highlight the importance of Indigenous communities leading in the development of the national strategy through design, implementation, and measurement of program efficacy. By taking this approach, the GoC can begin to bridge the digital divide and better prepare vulnerable, remote communities against digital threats.

17 Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Gov UK, 2022.

Establishing a National Digital Literacy Strategy (NDLS) will facilitate equal opportunity for Indigenous youth across the country. The GoC must take action by partnering with private and public sector organizations and Indigenous institutions in order to protect against criminal organizations and state sponsored terrorism related to hacking, malware, ransomware, etc.

Indigenous organizations as well as ISC will spearhead this unique solution. Education must be combined with providing the tools to mitigate risk. To this end, the CCCS must play a pivotal role throughout the solution.

Over the last two years, the GoC has done an effective job of managing the pandemic by educating the population to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Similarly, effective data and Internet hygiene can allow Canada to take a leading role in protecting vulnerable populations.

Cyber attacks have increased with a tax on Newfoundland, Nunavut, and police services. In order to better prepare and recover from cyber attacks, funds must be allocated to provide detection and prevention solutions.

As Canada rolls out Internet connectivity to all Canadians by 2030,[15] it also has an obligation to protect vulnerable populations unfamiliar with the dangers of the Internet.[16] Without education or tools to protect the community, cyber attacks will become common occurrences.

The NDLS will reduce harm by implementing three pillars of best practice. By creating a universal education curriculum, establishing detection and prevention solutions, and providing tools for emergency management situations, Indigenous youth will be better prepared to support their communities, use technology, and enter the workforce with rudimentary technology skills. By adopting a universal, coordinated and measured approach, Canada will be better equipped to bridge the digital divide.