OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 6, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable David McGuinty, announced the release of Canada's Sensitive Technology List (STL), an important tool to inform policies and initiatives, and to bolster our national security by safeguarding Canadian innovation and development of sensitive technologies.
The STL lists technologies that are emerging or have novel uses, and that Canada seeks to protect from unwanted transfer to foreign threat actors to the detriment of its own national security and defence. The STL will be used by the Government of Canada to inform work on foreign investment reviews and export controls among other activities. The list could also provide guidance to Canadians on technology areas the government considers sensitive to national security and defence.
Public Safety led the development of the STL, drawing on the scientific expertise of 22 federal departments and agencies including the Office of the Chief Science Advisor, Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), and the security, intelligence and national defence community. The STL is intended to be iterative and evergreen, with regular updates based on input from experts.
Canada's STL is a useful resource as we continue to engage allies and partners to ensure alignment that yields tangible benefits for society and adherence to our democratic values. Similar to the U.S.'s Critical and Emerging Technologies List, this tool will contribute to advancing technological competitiveness while bolstering our national security. Several of Canada's and the US's allies, including Australia and the United Kingdom, have issued their own lists of sensitive sectors or critical and emerging technologies that need to be protected and/or promoted. The Government of Canada continues to collaborate with key allies to ensure continued cooperation and information sharing.
Quote
"As economic-based threats to our national security become more sophisticated, we need to ensure that our ability to address them continues to evolve. The creation of Canada's Sensitive Technology List is an important tool in our efforts to protect Canada's sensitive technology sectors from foreign actors to ensure research and innovation continue to support Canada's long-term economic prosperity."
- The Honourable David J. McGuinty, Minister of Public Safety
Quick Facts
- The creation of Canada's Sensitive Technology List is the result of commitments and investments made in Budget 2019 to safeguard Canada against economic-based threats to our national security and defence.
- Canada's STL identifies eleven broad technology areas that the Government of Canada considers to be sensitive from a security, intelligence and national defence perspective.
- The STL will not replace existing lists such as the Sensitive Technology Research Areas (STRA), which was published in January 2024 by the Government of Canada as part of the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC). The STL provides greater detail and will inform future updates of the STRA. The research community seeking federal funding should continue to use STRA in their consideration of the STRAC Policy.
Associated Links
- Canada's Sensitive Technology List
- Safeguarding Your Research portal
- Statement from Minister Champagne, Minister Holland and Minister LeBlanc on new measures to protect Canadian research
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Contacts: Alice Hansen, Director of Communications, Office of the Honourable David J. McGuinty, Minister of Public Safety, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657, [email protected]
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