The challenge: enabling fast, easy, and secure digital transactions

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically accelerated the shift to digital services, which are faster, cheaper, more efficient, and more convenient than traditional service delivery. Unfortunately, many services rely upon costly and time-consuming processes and are also vulnerable to fraud. While some provinces have launched or are working on digital identities, there is a risk that each will operate independently of the others and not be interoperable.
 

In response, the Government of Canada is working to enable the use of digital credentials and digital trust services to make it quicker and easier to conduct digital transactions across the economy and society, by enabling the use of digital credentials and digital trust services to facilitate travel, trade, and security.
 

SCC is supporting the Government of Canada to establish an accreditation program for digital credentials and digital trust services, which will align with international standards to enable digital credentials issued in Canada to be supported in other countries, and vice-versa. An early version of the requirements is currently being piloted with technology developers and conformity assessment experts. After the pilot, technical experts will develop a National Standard of Canada with mature requirements for the program.
 

The impact: Increased standardization will support adoption of these digital trust tools and help to ensure mutual support for digital credentials issued in Canada and other jurisdictions.