Tashi Farmilo
LJI Reporter

At the Mayor’s Breakfast on the morning of September 12, Gatineau officials and regional
leaders gathered at the Ramada Plaza Manoir du Casino to chart a course toward economic
transformation through cybersecurity and national defence. With federal plans to raise defence
spending to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035, a potential 150 billion dollars annually, the message
was clear: Gatineau wants in.

Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette framed the city’s ambition in blunt terms. “The public service
is a strength, but it cannot be the only engine of our economy,” she said, warning of looming
federal job cuts and calling for a bold pivot toward high-value sectors. She stressed that
cybersecurity is one of Gatineau’s strongest cards, pointing to the region’s skilled workforce,
proximity to Ottawa, and concentration of specialists. “We’re not building in a desert. We’re
building on living strengths that already exist.”

Reda Bensouda, deputy director of Innovation at the Université du Québec en Outaouais and
former head of the national cybersecurity cluster In-Sec-M, highlighted education as central to
Gatineau’s role in the field. He noted that UQO is working to launch a bachelor’s degree in
cybersecurity. “It’s not official yet, but we’re in the process of getting it approved,” he said. “That
would be a game-changer for the region.”

Jean-Claude Des Rosiers, director of CyberQuébec and longtime entrepreneur, underscored
Gatineau’s existing expertise and infrastructure. His centre works directly with companies to
strengthen their cyber resilience. “There are over 2,400 cybersecurity specialists in the region
and more than 90 companies involved,” he said. “The federal government is a client that
understands cyber risk. That makes this region competitive.”

Michelle Robitaille, CEO of Digital Trust Canada, spoke about the importance of secure digital
infrastructure for national sovereignty. Her organization, founded in Gatineau in 2020, now leads
efforts to create a federated, secure system for Canada. “We’re developing infrastructure to
ensure Canadian data stays in Canadian hands,” she said. “Digital trust and sovereignty are no
longer abstract. They’re now central to innovation, security, and competitiveness.”

Throughout the morning, speakers stressed that cybersecurity must be part of a larger defence
strategy that includes space-based communications, artificial intelligence, and notably, drones.
They described Gatineau as well-positioned to support innovation in autonomous systems and
secure drone technologies, both for civil and defence applications.

As the session closed, Marquis-Bissonnette returned to the stakes at hand. “There’s already
money on the table, and if we want to build a future here, with satellites, secure infrastructure,
drones, and yes, cybersecurity, then Gatineau needs to move now,” she said. “If we don’t,
someone else will.”​

Photo: Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette was joined at the September 12 Mayor’s Breakfast
by Michelle Robitaille, Jean-Claude Des Rosiers, and Reda Bensouda to discuss Gatineau’s
future in cybersecurity and defence. (TF) Photo: Tashi Farmilo