Thank you.

Madam Chair and distinguished members of this committee. I am pleased to accept your invitation and am here today as a member of the E-Crimes committee of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, speaking on behalf of the president, Mario Harel, and CACP members.

The mandate of the CACP is “safety & security for all Canadians through innovative police leadership”. This mandate is accomplished through the activities and special projects of a number of committees and through active liaison with various levels of government and departmental ministries having legislative and executive responsibility in law and policing.

My role with the CACP, as stated, is co-chair of the E-Crimes committee. I oversee the work done by three subcommittees: digital forensics, lawful access and electronic surveillance, and the brand new cyber council. It is in respect to this cyber council that I am appearing here today and, in particular, on the topic of cybercrime.

The growth of social media and the evolving digital environment has changed both how people interact and with whom they interact. This change has happened very quickly, and Canadians are still figuring out this new environment. This digital environment has none of the sensory input that people have evolved to pay attention to. There are none of the usual threat cues that one can see, hear, smell, or feel when entering a dangerous neighbourhood or area.

People check their social media from the comfort of their own homes, feeling safe and comfortable in a physical sense. They may not perceive web pages, marketing sites, or email messages as dangerous based on the their current physical environment as the reader, that is, where they are located, and given the absence of the usual threat cues.

Offenders can have the same mindset, operating from the privacy and relative security of their homes anywhere in the world to commit crimes anywhere in the world. In the offender's mind, where is the risk?

The model of policing that Sir Robert Peel started back in 1829 has less relevance in today's digital world. The historical triangle of offender, police, and victim all being in the same geographic location is no longer true, yet neither police nor the public have discussed what this means to public safety and law enforcement in this new environment.

Canadians also need to have a discussion about the differences between privacy and anonymity. The former is encouraged and is a right to be free from unreasonable intrusion; the latter, in an absolute application, breeds anarchy and impunity from accountability.

Cybercrime has evolved, fuelled by several elements, such as the low risk of apprehension; anonymization through technology; the decreasing expense and increasing power of technology; marketization of cybercrime, which is a business model that has 24-hour support, help desks, sales services, and customization; and the lack of security focus by both businesses and our citizens. The combination of these factors above mean that Canadians are increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks and criminal victimization.

The 2016 CACP annual general meeting focused on cybercrime, with a theme of “Real Victims, Real Crimes”, and it provided the memberships with the groundwork to develop a Canadian law enforcement strategy on cybercrime, which is currently in development.

The strategy is based on five main steps, or themes: first, to mainstream cyber-investigative capabilities among law enforcement; second, to deter victimization through education and awareness; third, to increase collaboration between law enforcement, industry, other government agencies, and non-government organizations; fourth, to enhance skills and specialized investigative support and to push evidence gathering to the first responder as much as possible; and fifth, to advocate for the resources, tools, and legislation to keep pace with technological changes.

Thank you and I look forward to answering any questions you may have.

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