The federal government has quietly launched pilot projects testing digital identification apps, while insisting the technology will remain voluntary and does not represent the creation of a national digital ID system.Blacklock's Reporter says according to a Jan. 14 briefing note prepared by the Department of Employment, the government is testing three digital credential tools — GC Issue and Verify, GC Wallet Beta and GC Verify Beta — with a limited group of participants before any broader rollout.The document says the applications are designed to provide secure electronic versions of government-issued documents, such as work permits, through a digital wallet that would allow users to access government services electronically."Digital credentials are secure electronic versions of physical documents like work permits, stored in a digital wallet," the briefing note states. "They make accessing government services faster, safer and more convenient."Federal officials stressed the apps are still experimental and function only for invited participants involved in two pilot programs."Testing in stages, first in controlled environments, then in real-world pilots, is standard practice," the document says.The two pilot projects began last fall. One is testing digital licensing for air traffic controllers, while the other is evaluating digital temporary resident visas for visitors from Morocco. The briefing note does not explain why those groups were selected..Although the applications can be downloaded by the public, the department says they remain unusable for anyone outside the pilot projects.The government also repeated assurances that it has no plans to establish a mandatory national digital identification system."The Government of Canada is not establishing a national digital ID program," the briefing note says.Officials added that the use of digital credentials will remain optional and Canadians will continue to be able to access federal services through traditional methods.The federal government has faced political resistance to national identification systems for decades.In 2003, the House of Commons immigration committee examined the possibility of introducing a national identity card and ultimately rejected the concept after hearing concerns about privacy and civil liberties.Its report warned that witnesses repeatedly raised the prospect of police demanding identification from Canadians in public places.More recently, Privy Council Office research commissioned in 2023 found many Canadians remained skeptical about centralized digital credentials.According to the report Continuous Qualitative Data Collection Of Canadians' Views, participants who were distrustful of public institutions worried that widespread use of digital credentials could make everyday life more restrictive.The research also found many respondents questioned whether a single government department or agency should be entrusted with managing such an extensive digital identity system.
