Cabinet says Canadians will not be forced to use a national digital ID system despite Ottawa spending billions of dollars modernizing online government services and testing digital identification technology.Blacklock's Reporter said the government made the assurance in response to Petition E-6961, sponsored by Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis.“The government is not developing a mandatory national digital identification system or a centralized database of Canadians’ personal or biometric information,” cabinet wrote.“Rather, the government is modernizing how Canadians securely access government services online through digital infrastructure.”Cabinet said Canadians will remain free to deal with federal agencies through traditional methods and will not be required to enroll in a digital identification program.“People will continue to be able to access Government of Canada services through the channel of their choice,” it wrote.The petition raised concerns about the money and resources Ottawa has devoted to digital identification and warned such technology could be used to collect and link large amounts of personal information.“The Government of Canada has expressed interest in developing or implementing a national digital identification system for Canadians,” petitioners wrote. “Such a system could allow for extensive collection, storage and linking of personal and biometric data.”Petitioners also warned of potential privacy and Charter implications.“Canadians are concerned a digital ID system could infringe upon the right to privacy guaranteed under the Charter Of Rights And Freedoms,” they wrote.“A national digital ID could enable government or agency overreach in accessing, monitoring or controlling personal information.”.The Department of Employment told the Commons public accounts committee in a Feb. 6 submission that Ottawa had spent $6.64 billion digitizing benefit programs including Old Age Security and Employment Insurance.Managers described the project as “the largest IT transformation ever undertaken by the government.”Canadians filing income taxes electronically or applying for federal benefits currently use more than 60 different federal systems requiring separate usernames and passwords.Departmental briefing notes said those systems would eventually be replaced by “a single sign-in portal.”Cabinet previously maintained that digital credentials would remain optional.“Digital credentials are in use as an additional way to authenticate users, but they are a voluntary method for accessing Government of Canada services,” cabinet wrote in a Jan. 29 Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons.“There are no plans or progress to report on the implementation of a national digital identification system as one is not being implemented.”The federal government has nevertheless conducted real-world pilot projects involving digital identification technology.Testing was expanded last fall to services including licensing air traffic controllers and issuing temporary resident permits to visitors from Morocco.“They are only functional for pilot participants,” said a Jan. 14 briefing note titled GC Issue And Verify, GC Wallet, Beta And GC Verify: Beta Pilot Testing Activities.“Testing in stages, first in controlled environments, then in real world pilots, is standard practice.”
