ARCHIVED - Government of Canada Launches Cyber Security Awareness Month with New Public Awareness Campaign Partnership

TORONTO, September 27, 2012 — Canada's Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Vic Toews, today launched Cyber Security Awareness Month and kicked off this year's efforts for Get Cyber Safe, Canada's national public awareness campaign on cyber security.

“Our Government is committed to keeping Canada's cyber systems secure and to protecting Canadians online,” said Minister Toews. “October's National Cyber Security Awareness Month encourages each and every one of us to do our part to make sure that our online lives are kept safe and secure. The Get Cyber Safe campaign provides Canadians with the information they need to protect themselves and their families against online threats. This is a shared responsibility, and we all have a role to play in cyber security.”

Minister Toews was accompanied by Michael Kaiser, Executive Director of the U.S. National Cyber Security Alliance, and Michael Eisen, Chief Legal Officer of Microsoft Canada, to announce a new partnership between Public Safety Canada and STOP.THINK.CONNECT.™, a coalition of private sector companies, non-profit and government organizations, including the Department of Homeland Security, committed to informing the public about how to stay safer online.

“We applaud Public Safety Canada's comprehensive program to educate Canadian citizens to stay safer and more secure online,” said Michael Kaiser, Executive Director of the National Cyber Security Alliance. “STOP.THINK.CONNECT.™ is a global message and we know our partnership with Canada will be a tremendous success.”

"While products, processes and policy are important considerations in building a secure digital world, people are the most important contributors to safe computing," said Michael Eisen, Chief Legal Officer of Microsoft Canada. "At Microsoft, we are committed to working closely with government, industry and individuals to ensure threshold issues continue to be addressed and people truly appreciate how cyber security impacts our safety, privacy and economic prosperity."

Public Safety Canada and STOP.THINK.CONNECT.™ signed a Memorandum of Cooperation which underscores the joint collaborative efforts and commitment to cyber security. Shared threats require shared solutions. This partnership will facilitate the alignment of both public awareness campaigns and provide citizens with consistent, reliable and important advice and tools to help increase personal online security.

Get Cyber Safe is the national public awareness campaign created to educate Canadians about Internet security and the simple steps individuals can take to protect themselves online. The campaign's goal is to bring together all levels of government, the public and private sectors, and the international community, to help Canadians be safer online.

STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ is a national public awareness campaign aimed at increasing the understanding of cyber threats and empowering the American public to be safer and more secure online. The Anti-Phishing Working Group and National Cyber Security Alliance led the effort to find a unified online safety message that could be adopted across public and private sectors.

Government and business leaders promote Cyber Security Awareness Month each October to remind individuals about how to become aware of cyber risks and how to protect themselves online.

Follow Public Safety Canada (@Safety_Canada) and Get Cyber Safe (@getcybersafe) on Twitter.

Information:
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657

Julie Carmichael
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Public Safety
613-991-2865

Date modified:

2015-11-26