Why develop a National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure? As the risks to critical infrastructure cut across jurisdictions and sectors, the Strategy will provide a comprehensive and collaborative federal, provincial and territorial approach to enhancing the resiliency of critical infrastructure. This common approach will enable partners to respond collectively to risks and target resources to the most vulnerable areas of critical infrastructure. How will the Strategy address international issues relating to critical infrastructure? Canada will work with the United States and other international governments and organizations to promote a collaborative approach to strengthening the resiliency of critical infrastructure. The Strategy also recognizes that at the regional level, provinces, territories and neighbouring American states have cooperative emergency management arrangements in place. Together, federal, provincial and territorial governments and critical infrastructure sectors will identify and address international dependencies and risks. 4. The Strategy The Strategy proposes that federal, provincial and territorial governments and critical infrastructure sectors collaborate to strengthen the resiliency of critical infrastructure in Canada. This collaboration will require the development of partnerships that respect jurisdictions and build upon existing mandates and responsibilities. To foster these partnerships, the Strategy outlines mechanisms for enhanced information sharing and information protection and it identifies the importance of a risk management approach to strengthen the resiliency of critical infrastructure in Canada. The Strategy recognizes that primary responsibility for strengthening the resiliency of critical infrastructure rests with the owners and operators. Federal, provincial and territorial levels of government are also working to protect their own critical infrastructure and to support owners and operators in addressing this challenge. Enhancing the resiliency of critical infrastructure can be achieved through the appropriate combination of security measures to address intentional and accidental incidents, business continuity practices to deal with disruptions and ensure the continuation of essential services, and emergency management planning to ensure adequate response procedures are in place to deal with unforeseen disruptions and natural disasters. As the approach to strengthening critical infrastructure resiliency varies across jurisdictions, so too does the classification of critical infrastructure by sector. While recognizing that each province and territory structures its critical infrastructure program as it deems appropriate, at the national level, the Strategy classifies critical infrastructure within the 10 sectors listed below: • • • • • Energy and utilities Finance Food Transportation Government • • • • • Information and communication technology Health Water Safety Manufacturing 5