"The Government of Canada welcomes innovation that will help to create Canada’s transportation system of tomorrow. That is why Transport Canada’s program to Advance Connectivity and Automation in the Transportation System (ACATS) is helping Canadian jurisdictions prepare for connected and automated vehicles.

In support of the program’s objectives, the Hon. Bardish Chagger, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, on behalf of the Hon. Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, announced Thursday the award of a contract valued at up to $1.3 million to Waterloo-based ESCRYPT to advance the development of a Canadian Security Credential Management System (SCMS) for connected vehicles.

Connected vehicles will improve the safety and efficiency of road transportation by enabling vehicles to communicate with smart infrastructure (e.g. traffic signals, rail crossings, traffic signs etc.) and other road users (e.g. pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists). Potential applications include:

    • Traffic signal priority for emergency response vehicles, like ambulances, police and fire trucks

    • Real-time road condition advisories to warn drivers about potential hazards, like slippery surfaces, accidents or construction

    • Warnings to advise commercial truck drivers about bicyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists



The SCMS will help ensure that connected vehicle communications are secure and can be trusted. The SCMS incorporates privacy-by-design principles, and enables communication without revealing personal information about the vehicle or the driver.

As part of the contract, ESCRYPT will be responsible for developing Canadian requirements for the system, and recommending an operational model for how the technology may be deployed in Canada.

Outcomes of this work will be an important element of the department’s forthcoming cyber-security guidance – a signature initiative under Canada’s Safety Framework for Automated and Connected Vehicles – and ultimately a key feature of Canada’s regulatory regime moving forward.

“With this contract, we are creating new possibilities to enhance the capacity and competitiveness of Canada’s transportation system and preparing Canada for the technical, regulatory and policy issues that are associated with these technologies,"" Chagger said. ""Connected and automated vehicles have the potential to greatly improve safety, foster innovation, and to reduce commute times and environmental impacts.”

“Connected and automated vehicle technologies have immense potential, and will have a tremendous impact on our transportation system,"" Garneau added. ""Connectivity between vehicles and their surroundings is a core element of these future innovations. We have to ensure that Canada has a system in place to enable these vehicles to communicate securely, while protecting the privacy of Canadians, so that Canadians can have confidence in the transportation system of tomorrow.”

David MacFarlane, General Manager of ESCRYPT Waterloo, said “ESCRYPT is trusted by automakers, tier 1 suppliers and government organizations to provide security technology and expertise for connected vehicles. We are proud to be selected by the Government of Canada to help set the direction for secure vehicle-to-anything communications in Canada. Together we will solidify Canada’s position as a leader in the development and deployment of secure connected vehicle technology.”

ESCRYPT is a leading system provider for IoT security in the domains of smart mobility, smart city and smart industry. With locations in Germany, the UK, Sweden, the USA, Canada, China, Korea and Japan, we have security specialists available to help with current security topics such as secure M2M-communication, IT-security in the Internet of Things, protection of e-business models and automotive, enterprise and operational IT security. ESCRYPT develops highly secure, worldwide valued products and solutions which are tailored to the specific requirements of embedded systems and the relevant IT-infrastructure and are tested and proven a million times in automotive series production.

ESCRYPT is a subsidiary of ETAS GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bosch Group. For more information, visit www.escrypt.com."