抖阴APP导航

As digital threats continue to evolve around the world, University of Calgary students are shaping the conversation on cybersecurity policy here in Canada. 

Earlier this year, Faculty of Law student Davinder More, BA鈥�24, and Military, Security and Strategic Studies master鈥檚 student Tulika Bali, BA鈥�21, presented their research at the RCMP鈥檚 (NC3), offering academic insight into the legal and national security implications of Bills C-2 and C-8.

More and Bali鈥檚 research into  (Strong Borders Act) and  (Cybersecurity Act) began this summer while working as research assistants in the  thanks to a grant of more than $900,000 from the National Cybersecurity Consortium (NCC).

Focusing on cybersecurity and national security law, they were supervised by, and worked closely with Dr. Michael Nesbitt, SJD, associate dean (research), as they took a deep dive into how Canada will approach cyber policy in the coming years.

Their research findings were later formally presented to faculty, graduate students and police officers over a one-hour lunch and learn. The presentation was so polished, professional and informative, says Nesbitt, that More and Bali were asked to turn it into two blog posts on , a platform used by 抖阴APP导航 Law researchers to comment on current legislative and policy developments.

Examining the impact

Their first article, 鈥�,鈥� examines how Bill C-2 aims to tighten border security, immigration and criminal law. 

The bill introduces new surveillance powers, including warrantless access to subscriber data by police and intelligence agencies. 

The research from More and Bali warns that reintroduction of the 鈥渓awful access鈥� agenda is a threat to fundamental privacy rights and undermines constitutional protections.

In their second article, 鈥�,鈥� More and Bali dive deeper into the flaws and oversights that exist in Bill C-8. 

That bill focuses on improving cybersecurity infrastructure in response to an increase in cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. While it represents a major advance in cybersecurity regulation, the researchers argue it lacks transparency, accountability and constitutional safeguards.

鈥淥ur goal wasn鈥檛 just to summarize the legislation; it was to critically examine the government鈥檚 first real attempts at building a legal framework for cybersecurity,鈥� says More. 

鈥淲e scrutinized the bills in depth, identifying areas that lacked clarity, that raised constitutional questions or that risked falling short of international best practices.

鈥淲e wanted to produce research that challenged assumptions, invited discussion and pushed the policy conversation forward at a time when it truly matters.鈥�  

Real-world application 

Nesbitt says the articles were so well written and researched that More and Bali were asked to present their work at the NC3.

鈥淭his was both a real honour for them and an amazing opportunity to showcase the hard work of these students,鈥� Nesbitt says. 

鈥淚t also showcased the talent and quality of work happening in the cyber and security space at the University of Calgary鈥檚 Faculty of Law.

鈥淭here鈥檚 an ecosystem that seeks excellence in these areas, and, thanks to funding from our NCC grant, Dav and Tulika were able to show their excellence throughout the summer.鈥�

From Bali鈥檚 point of view, that this research was presented to the NC3, is significant.

鈥淭he legislation is moving in a direction that aims to create greater efficiency and co-ordination within agencies like the RCMP, CSIS, CSE and more,鈥� she says. 

鈥淓nhancing the country鈥檚 ability to respond to cybersecurity and foreign interference threats is essential in this growing cyber landscape.鈥�

Having the work of More and Bali recognized by the NC3 shows the importance of research positions within 抖阴APP导航 and how they can play a critical role within the legal system at large.

The grant from the NCC, held by a number of professors within 抖阴APP导航 Law and aimed at supporting teaching and learning in this area, was one of the first awards made under the program. It recognizes and supports the expertise and leadership of the faculty in national cybersecurity law in Canada.