A network failure shut down the computer network of Canada’s top government offices on January 31, leaving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s staff unable to send emails, print documents, or coordinate ahead of Trump’s 25% tariff threat, according to Bloomberg.
The outage lasted nearly 24 hours, affecting both the Prime Minister’s Office and the Privy Council Office, which advises the government. While officials could still use their mobile phones, government work was heavily disrupted just as they were preparing to respond to Trump’s trade move.
Nick Wells, a spokesperson for Shared Services Canada, said the issue was caused by a “failed fibre link connection”, not a cyberattack or sabotage. The government is investigating the failure with the vendor responsible for the fibre network (was the office using Rogers internet? kidding).
Some staffers expressed frustration that a single fibre-optic failure could take down such a critical system for an entire day, according to Bloomberg. Others were relieved there was no sign of hacking or foreign interference. If the internet goes down, just tether the data on your phones, right?
The outage came at a tense moment, as Trump signed an executive order on February 1 imposing 25% tariffs on Canadian exports, excluding energy, which would face a 10% tariff. However, on Monday, Trump delayed the tariffs by 30 days after Trudeau pledged to strengthen border security measures.
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Wow, I am surprised they don't have a backup in place. Our small office has Telus and Rogers in place in case of failure from the primary vendor.
Yeah lol. This also smells like a lie. Our business has had a fibre link for over 10 years and it’s never once gone out. It’s a hardwired cable. Very likely this was an IT issue or something else.
Yeah lol. This also smells like a lie. Our business has had a fibre link for over 10 years and it’s never once gone out. It’s a hardwired cable. Very likely this was an IT issue or something else.
https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/ntnl-cbr-scrt-strtg-2025/index-en.aspx
Interesting that this came out not long after…
was the office using Rogers internet? kidding
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Why are you kidding, the odds are you are quite right.
Either way, its looks good on him and his government for backing the CRTC.
If the fibre network is down, but you have a cellular connection, you can turn any laptop, tablet or phone into a hot spot and get your internet back.
So to complain that loss of the fibre connection meant they were "…unable to send emails, print documents, or coordinate ahead of Trump’s 25% tariff threat" is ludicrous. In fact, you don't need the internet to print to a local printer.
This whole story leaves a lot of questions unanswered.
This are government bureaucrats that no squat when it comes to technology. I worked in the industry all my life and can tell you our telecom industry is more susceptible to failure than ever. Check out the threat of an EMP and we suddenly are back in the stoneage. Get a ham radio license. I've had one for over 50 years.
Did GC Strategies set up their fibre connection? 🙂
Maybe they shouldn't have dug a giant hole in front of the Parliament, ruining the building and our budget with the billions they wasted. Find the backhoe that cut the fiber, these things don't "just die ".
For all of you asking "how come they don't have a backup " give your head a shake: does this government look like they can run anything, even a Tim Hortons?
I was involved in setting up POS payments for Lowe's and there are 2 terrestrial links (different providers) and a cellular on-demand backup for EVERY STORE. But they hired competent people to design the internal network, firewall, etc – not DEI hires from every possible gender, province and skin color.
It’s pathetic how some brilliant minds cannot come up with their own original derisions and instead just regurgitate the phrases and slogans from down South