Canada's Digital Ambition 2022:  Public Consultation coming soon...

The government launched its Digital Ambition 2022 on 5 August this year:

• “a clear, long-term strategic vision for the Government of Canada to advance digital service delivery, cyber security, talent recruitment, and privacy”. The new strategy replaces the government’s Digital Operations Strategic Plan: 2021-2024.
• One key pillar of the ‘Ambition’ is digital identity, with emphasis on the need for government to create fast, straightforward ways to prove ID claims.
• “The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for government services to be accessible and flexible in the digital age. The next step in making services more convenient to access is a federal Digital Identity Program, integrated with pre-existing provincial platforms.”

• The document reiterates a Treasury Board mandate set in late-2021 to work towards a common digital identity platform for public services.

See: 

The Evolving Digital Identity Landscape

Liquid Avatar Releases Update to It’s Feature Rich Self-Sovereign Identity Mobile App

Mona Fortier, president of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat:

the Ambition would lay a solid foundation for the ever-evolving digital transformation of government” and would serve as “an important tool to support the focus shared across ministers and departments to identify and implement better ways to ensure Canadians receive high quality, accessible, and efficient government services. Having ownership of a digital credential would protect Canadians from identity theft and fraud.

Headwinds

One Global Government Forum reader wrote:

Digital ID is an often controversial topic, splitting public opinion around the issue of privacy. Canada risk[s] becoming “full out ‘Chinadian’. Goodbye to all freedoms and welcome to dictatorship.

See:  Digital Identity Isn’t Only For People

Forier said:

Government had yet to instil trust in digital systems among the public. She suggested this could be improved through open collaboration between industry and government, as well as building diverse teams whose work reflects the concerns of Canadian citizens. We have a collective responsibility to break down organisational silos, address technical debt to promote quality over speed, and promote open data to foster transparency and trust.

The Canadian government has yet to provide details on when the its public consultation on digital ID might run.

Countries that have either implemented digital ID systems or are working on doing so include Estonia, Germany, the UK, and Australia, as well as the EU.

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