Seminar: The Challenges of Cyberspace in Canada and the UK: Living and Working in a Digital Society

Philip Peacock and Nicolas Maclean CMG (both Canada UK Council) - Cybercrime, cybersecurity and cyberwarfare are growing issues for all advanced states, including Canada and the UK. ‘In many areas the vast global information and communications system is improving lives, driving productivity and efficiency, accelerating research and creating new opportunities. The democratisation of education, with Massive Open Online Courses, is another example of the potential for good. But the rush to cyberspace can also be something of a leap in the dark. Systems become more powerful as they interconnect. We are grappling, as individuals and as governments, with myriad questions of governance, privacy, security and criminality.’ This extract is taken from David Cameron’s letter endorsing the work of the annual Canada-UK Colloquium that took place in Montebello, Canada, in November 2014.

In this seminar Philip Peacock and Nicolas Maclean, members of the UK delegation at the Colloquium, present the findings of the Colloquium and discuss their implications.

Philip Peacock is the Chair of the Canada-UK Council which holds its monthly meetings at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He has an LLM degree from the University of London and works as a business consultant for Radcliffes Le Brasseur in London.

Nicolas Maclean CMG is a member of the Canada-UK Council and a Senior Fellow in International Affairs at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He has a long-standing interest in Japan and was a founder member of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group and Chairman of the Japan Festival Education Trust (now Japan 21 Education). He has worked in financial services for over 30 years, as Executive Director of Prudential Corporation Asia Ltd amongst other roles.