Meeting the moment
in FY26
Once is a coincidence, twice is a pattern. Just as our previous strategic plan was rapidly overtaken by the “black swan” of the pandemic, we find ourselves facing another moment that was not fully anticipated when the FY26-28 Strategic Plan was under consideration. The rise of significant geopolitical and economic uncertainty, accelerated by the new U.S. administration, might be considered another “black swan” as it has the potential to force Canada to rethink its entire position in the community of nations. Combined with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms that are fundamentally changing how information is accessed, this new future has the potential to radically reshape how Canadians use the internet.
CIRA is well equipped to navigate Canada’s new reality by virtue of our mission: a trusted internet for Canadians. Our mission means that as Canadians look for answers to this new challenge, CIRA has the products, services, projects and values that can help them navigate this volatile time for the country.
As a result, FY26 is going to be a year focused on three key areas—scaling, speed and security—that will help CIRA solidify its position in the markets and communities in which we have influence. This plan will put us on solid footing to both withstand the external challenges to come and achieve our internal goals as set out in our new strategic plan.
Scaling means everything from new products (like CIRA XDR), to increasing our capacity to onboard new customers to the Hello Registry Platform, to ensuring we have the talent density we need to succeed. The progress that has been made, specifically around our diversified services, has the potential to pay off in a substantial way if we invest in people, infrastructure and processes.
Scale is also the focus of .CA efforts to retool and refactor its marketing, partner and go-to-market strategies. More growth is possible in the .CA world, despite a shrinking domain name market overall, and the foundation of that growth will require rethinking old assumptions about the industry, who our customers are and where we can find them.
The need to level up our activities is not restricted to revenue generation; the Policy & Advocacy team will also be looking to scale its efforts to shape decennial policy dialogues related to global internet governance at the United Nations. The conclusion of the World Summit on the Information Society +20 (WSIS+20) process in FY26 means that a new era of how the internet is governed is on the horizon with a series of consultations and meetings leading up to the final intergovernmental agreement that will require CIRA’s time, attention and expertise.
Keeping up with the pace of change in the internet policy space will also require speed. The increased focus from governments around the world on legislation surrounding the internet means that acting quickly to identify risks and opportunities is essential. Given the continuously changing political landscape, the Policy & Advocacy team will continue to forge strong relationships with the government and advocate for an open, accessible and interoperable internet.
Speed will also be critical to keep pace with the shifting political and economic environment. Already, friction with the U.S. government is creating a wave of buy Canadian, support Canada enthusiasm that is an opportunity for CIRA’s mission-driven products and services. Pivoting to capture this momentum will require agility and speed to both recognize opportunities and take action.
CIRA’s ability to act quickly will also be tested by the rise of AI and other disruptive technologies. AI has the potential to fundamentally shift how Canadians get information, work and play. Understanding this technology and deploying it within CIRA to increase productivity, create efficiencies or enhance our products will be critical to the organization’s future. Conversely, understanding AI’s impact externally, such as how new product categories may emerge to challenge the open internet model upon which .CA is built, will be essential.
AI is already impacting CIRA’s third focus in FY26: security. Bad actors are deploying AI to improve their targeting and create malware and phishing tactics that are more sophisticated than ever. The degree to which AI is accelerating the scale and impact of cyberattacks requires CIRA to consider how we can defend ourselves, and our customers, using the same technology.
Similarly, geopolitical instability is growing daily, and the world order we have come to depend on post-World War II is in question as norms and values are questioned. What does this mean for issues like data sovereignty? The reliance on non-Canadian vendors and services? Privacy reform? Many questions will be raised, and it will be essential that CIRA understand how these changes impact its operations, policy approach and security posture.
Security is also why the launch of CIRA XDR is critical for our product future. CIRA XDR is the linchpin of the new portfolio strategy that will position our products as central to our customers’ security posture. Security is also the reason CIRA is investing in owning more of its technology stack as opposed to relying on third-party partners.
Finally, investing in security is central to CIRA’s core mandate, our commitment to a safe, stable and secure .CA domain space. Ensuring our crown jewel is properly protected from rising threats will always be a priority.
The environment in which CIRA operates has never been more uncertain. The combination of geopolitical, economic, technological and market changes happening all at once is unprecedented in modern times. These headwinds have the potential to disrupt everything we do but they also come with potential opportunities.
The rise in Canadian pride is a significant opportunity for CIRA, and we are in a strong position to capture it while staying true to our mission. Technological advancements pose threats to core CIRA business but could also have significant benefits as the organization learns how to leverage them to enhance our products and operations.
Strategic priorities in FY26
CIRA has identified several strategic priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. These priorities have been chosen as building blocks to put the organization on a path to achieving its three-year vision outlined in the FY26-28 Strategic Plan.
As always, the fundamental priority for CIRA is the safe, stable and secure operation of our core function—the management of the .CA domain name system, and CIRA will make investments in FY26 to ensure the safety and efficient operation of that foundational element.
Given the volatility we are seeing in the world around us, ensuring our core technology, infrastructure, data and platforms are safe, stable and secure is more important than ever. Just as important will be our ability to react and pivot as changing circumstances impact our business.
Acceleration of .CA growth
Despite slowing growth in the domain industry, CIRA fundamentally believes that there is still room for .CA to grow by tapping into new markets, refactoring marketing efforts, reengaging with both existing and new partners, and better understanding the use cases for domains in the current market.
- Continue to lean into the wave of pro-Canadian sentiment by promoting .CA businesses and educating non-.CA Canadian businesses on how to make the switch.
- Broaden CIRA’s registrant base by targeting new Canadians, the fastest growing segment of Canada’s population.
- Produce middle and bottom of funnel conversions-based marketing activities while relying on a new mixed media model to monitor, adjust and track goals.
- Roll out revitalized partnership strategy to reengage with existing registrants, find new ones and evaluate new go-to-market opportunities.
Increase diversity of revenues
CIRA’s diversified services journey is ready to take the next step as major investments placed on registry services and cybersecurity have begun to pay off. To seize this opportunity, new investments are being made in both areas to ensure the momentum of these products and services can be captured.
- Launch CIRA’s latest product, XDR (or Extended Detection and Response) as the nerve centre for CIRA’s cybersecurity portfolio. XDR will collect data from multiple endpoints, data centres and cloud services to detect malicious activity and respond to it.
- Migrate SIDN-powered TLDs to the Hello Registry platform (the new brand for the joint CIRA-SIDN partnership) and launch Hello in the cloud to introduce a variety of new business opportunities.
- Broaden the Hello community to support existing customers while generating new revenue opportunities and optimizing existing opportunities like Round 2 of the new gTLD program.
Increase talent density and organizational effectiveness
Talent density is the quality and density of skills, capabilities and performance in an organization. It ensures that, as much as possible, every team member is a high performer with the skills, versatility and drive necessitated to maximize value to CIRA.
- Update CIRA’s talent philosophy, a set of principles for how CIRA manages talent.
- Define a roadmap for increasing talent density; inform the design of aligned talent programs; guide consistent talent decisions and actions and clearly communicate standards for success.
- Focus on developing strong people leadership skills to help achieve organizational goals.
- Create a new leadership team (executives and senior leaders) empowered to provide direction and support throughout the organization.
- Implement organizational efficiencies via the standardization of certain tools and a move to a new CIRA office space.
- Reinforce CIRA’s diversity and inclusion initiatives and continue to focus efforts on creating an environment where talented people come, stay and do their best work.
Integrate and streamline internal and external technology
As CIRA scales up, ensuring the organization has the right technology to support our growth will be critical.
- Develop a roadmap to eliminate sub-optimal or redundant systems to reduce costs and drive efficiency.
- Build services, such as Canadian Shield, on internal technology and infrastructure, rather than relying on third-party providers.
- Contribute open-source code via XDR and DNS Firewall to help support the projects it has leveraged.
- Continue to expand cloud technology with a focus on financial analysis and management of contract transitions specific to on-premise solutions and support.
- Investigate AI enhancements with a focus on key processes and data efficiencies.
Expand the number of Canadians protected by cybersecurity suite
A big goal CIRA set in its new strategic plan is to reach two million users on the protected and family tiers of CIRA Canadian Shield. This is an ambitious goal but one that reflects our mission.
- Leverage partners and relationships in the Canadian cybersecurity ecosystem to create awareness and drive new users to Canadian Shield.
- Grow the customer base for paid cybersecurity services within and beyond the MUSH (municipalities, universities, schools and hospitals) sector.
- Continue to build relationships with like-minded Canadian cybersecurity organizations with a focus on leadership and bringing organizations together with common goals and challenges.
Influence internet governance policy
A major priority in FY26 will be CIRA’s engagement in global internet governance with the coming conclusion of the WSIS+20 Review in early 2026.
- Further work via A Technical Community Coalition for Multistakeholderism (TCCM), a community of like-minded technical operators from across the globe advocating for multistakeholderism in internet governance.
- Continue to act as the Secretariat and sponsor for the Canadian Internet Governance Forum (CIGF) with a focus on engaging senior policy makers.
- Remain committed to giving back to Canada’s internet through the Net Good Grants program or the Canadian Shield free public DNS resolver.
- Leverage data and insights gleaned from products like CIRA’s Internet Performance Test and Canadian Shield to show the impact of CIRA’s community investment across the country to help drive opportunities for the organization.
