Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, in Ottawa on Sunday, launches the government's Cyber Security Strategy, designed to enhance protection from cyber threats for Canadian governments, industries and the general public. (Public Safety Canada/Canadian Press)

The federal government will spend $3.5 million to set up a round-the-clock Information Protection Centre to protect its computer systems from hackers and cyber attacks, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said Sunday.

The money is part of this year's federal budget, which allocated $90 million over five years, and $18 million in ongoing funding, toward the Cyber Security Strategy, the government said.

Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a former senior intelligence officer with Canada's spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said the government's strategy is long overdue and that Canada is far behind other Western nations in terms of readiness.

But Toews disagreed.

"Our funding builds upon significant efforts that have already been underway for some period of time," he said.

Canada's efforts are consistent with what the United States is doing, Toews said.

Juneau-Katsuya argued that to be on par with the U.S., Canada's new plan has to be implemented with speed.

Liberal MP and Public Safety critic Mark Holland agreed.

"If something happens tomorrow, we're not ready," he said. "It's very clear we're way behind the rest of the world in an area that's constantly changing, and so when you're behind you have to sprint to catch up."

With files from the CBC's Karina Roman