Monthly Archives: June 2019

Profiles in Leadership: Patrick Cormier

In our most recent ‘Profiles in Identity Leadership’ video, Joni Brennan spoke with Patrick Cormier, Vice-President of Digital Transformation at Notarius, and Chair of DIACC’s Innovation Expert Committee (IEC). Established in April 2018, the IEC seeks to advance DIACC’s Innovation & Adoption Program, promoting digital identity innovation and adoption among DIACC members.

The clarity of the roles is what initially drew Patrick to become involved with the PCTF. The four roles in question include:

  • Authoritative parties (people and organizations who are authoritative in confirming digital ID credentials)
  • Relying parties
  • Trusted ID digital processor (the organization in the middle)
  • Subjects of identity

“Right from the start, the PCTF identified those four roles in a very clear manner. It then goes on to state something fundamental that underpins the PCTF, which is that those roles are not performed within a single organization.”  

“It set the stage for the PCTF to be all about an ecosystem,” he said.

Patrick also counts DIACC’s early efforts to secure the support of privacy commissioners throughout Canada, and the fact that the public and private sectors are working together, as defining features of the PCTF.   

Patrick spoke of the insights he has gained through working with other members, particularly during the committee’s process of one-on-one interviews with new members.

“I find that when people are new in a committee, they are often comfortable sharing in a one-on-one conversation,” he said. “What I discovered is that pretty much everyone had a deep commitment and desire to do something in digital ID, while at the same time being entirely not sure how.”

If you do not understand a concept related to the PCTF, you are not alone.

“Just the fact that we can openly share and expose what is not being understood, that feedback is useful to the TFEC [the Trust Framework Experts Committee] and DIACC, as it paints a picture of which areas need to be better understood about the PCTF,” he said.

“I would highly recommend joining DIACC because you will leverage years of efforts and come in with clear answers, such as ‘what are the processes for which you can establish a reliable identity?’”

– Patrick Cormier

Patrick encourages all interested parties to get involved.

“At this stage of the game, there are no assumptions that can hold. For any company that is interested in playing in the world of digital ID, pretty much anything that is within the scope of the PCTF, it’s a completely open playing field right now,” he said.

Patrick’s inquisitive nature drew him to run for Chair of the committee, and when his peers suggested that he take the position, he accepted the recommendation.

“I was asking a lot of questions,” he said. “I enjoyed that role because it is about defining a clear goal.”

Bringing clarity to the nature of the committee’s work is a large area of focus for the IEC. The committee supports innovation initiatives, which are defined as two members or more that want to collaborate to illustrate some part of the PCTF (such as Proofs of Concepts or Innovation Papers).

The committee also tackles innovation challenges. As they found that many people do not know how to ‘do digital ID’, “why wouldn’t the committee accept these challenges?” Patrick asked.  “Our committee could reflect back a proposed rough architecture of using components that are available out there in a PCTF-compliant manner.”

“I used to be in the military for 20 years, and I learned that if someone has done it before, do not reinvent the wheel,” he said.  

Moral of the story? There is safety, and power, in numbers.

“If you are an organization looking at digitally transforming in a manner that leverages digital identities efficiently and effectively, and you try to do it by yourself, you are looking at a massive investment,” he said. “You are also only at a partial solution, because identity is not owned centrally like in other countries, identity is dispersed in Canada.”  

“I would highly recommend joining DIACC because you will leverage years of efforts and come in with clear answers, such as ‘what are the processes for which you can establish a reliable identity?’ These answers have been worked by an experts committee [the TFEC] and have coalesced and matured into the current version of the PCTF.”  

A Year of Delivery: 2019 Annual General Meeting

Two weeks have passed since Identity Week in Canada, when leading identity and digital economy experts gathered in Toronto. On Monday June 3rd, DIACC members met at the 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM), ahead of the IdentityNORTH Annual Summit, which was held at MaRS Discovery District on June 4th and 5th.
While last year was a year of growth for DIACC, this was a year of continued growth topped by delivery.
In working towards the vision of being global leaders of the digital economy, and raising Canada’s digital ID innovation profile, the DIACC has seen tremendous progress this year.

  • The DIACC community has grown – welcoming 16 new members since July 2018.
  • DIACC members have shared their knowledge across multiple established groups, participating in events worldwide, including Money2020, RSA Conference, FWD50 and KNOW 2019.
  • Significant headway has been made in the development of the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework (PCTF). Building on global knowledge and experience gained over time and practice, this will enable Canada’s full and secure participation in the global digital economy. Various discussion drafts have been prepared by the DIACC Trust Framework Expert Committee (TFEC), and shared with the community to gather broad Canadian and international input.

At this year’s AGM, a panel featuring Kathleen Fraser, Elizabeth Fanjoy, Allan Foster, Andrew Johnston and Mike Cook, moderated by Pierre Roberge, explored ‘Consent in Identity Networks.’ Kathleen provided an overview on Canada’s new Digital Charter, and the panel discussed how we can regain trust in today’s online world. Data breaches drive the urgent need for the development and adoption of the PCTF.  

Delivering an impactful meeting strategy is a large area of focus. With members spread across the country, having opportunities to discuss in person is not always feasible. We are now pleased to have three plenary meetings per year.

The structure of the 2018 AGM consisted primarily of demonstrations and presentations to the wider group. Yet this year, the three committees broke out in deep dive sessions for the majority of the day, giving members the chance to connect and collaborate.

At the meeting, one person from each of our Expert Committees was recognized and rewarded for their continued support and commitment. Once again, thank you to Rene McIver (TFEC), Pierre Roberge (IEC), and Kevin Morris (OEC) for all the hard work so far this year!

Trust Framework Expert Committee (TFEC)
The TFEC works collaboratively to develop components of the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework (PCTF). This past year, the committee released its PCTF Model Draft Recommendation V1.0, as well as Discussion Drafts of Notice and Consent and Verified Login, with more on the way including Privacy, Verified Person, and Verified Organization.

At the AGM, the TFEC saw a terrific turnout, with 23 organizations in attendance, from both the public and private sectors.

Thank you to those who submitted feedback on the PCTF Verified Login Discussion Drafts. The 30-day open review closed on June 17th. Next, the PCTF Community Editing Office and TFEC will review submitted comments and work towards the next iterations of these Discussion Drafts.

The TFEC’s Privacy Design Team is nearing completion of  the Privacy Conformance Profile and Component Overview Discussion Drafts, in preparation for their 30-day open review which is scheduled to begin in August.

Innovation Expert Committee (IEC)

Establishment of a committee framework, as well as the creation of a DIACC Member Directory and Innovation Guide, were among the recent accomplishments of the committee.

At the AGM, the committee met to discuss committee issues and forthcoming Innovation Initiatives, and saw a wonderful turnout, with 15 organizations in attendance from both the public and private sectors.

The IEC will begin to progress work on developing 12 Innovation Initiatives in the form of white papers, use cases, proof of concepts and Innovation Challenges. This will continue over the course of the next six months.

The committee continues to grow, welcoming new members from ISED, OneSpan, IDENTOS, and Manulife.

Outreach Expert Committee (OEC)

Ten organizations were in attendance at the OEC meeting, where discussions focused on the development of four Industry Insight Two-Pagers. The papers are to serve as content pieces to close the knowledge gap on the relevance of digital ID in each industry. The Committee discussed their thoughts and made significant progress on the three papers including the importance of digital ID in Financial Services, Healthcare and Government Services, with Commerce undertaken at a follow-up meeting. Scheduled to launch in July will be DIACC Industry Insights: Digital ID in Financial Services, the first in a set of blog series.

The committee continues to grow, welcoming new members from the Province of Saskatchewan.

At the end of the day, all members gathered for a final debrief.  “How can we take the PCTF and make it real?” asked Patrick Cormier, Chair of the IEC. Speaking on behalf of the Board, Andre Boysen, DIACC’s Board Treasurer, noted: “The board was pleased with the progress, but now we need action.”

Conversations at the AGM were continued the following two days at the IdentityNORTH Annual Summit. Thank you to all of those who were in attendance, and your support and participation as we continue to move forward in this ever-evolving digital identity landscape. We encourage members to get engaged by joining one of the committees, proposing an impactful project, such as a white paper, or writing a guest blog!

Spotlight on League Data

Meet League Data

1. What is the mission and vision of League Data?

League Data has a Purpose Statement which is: “Strengthening the Credit Union System through Leadership and Innovation.” Our purpose is supported by four key principles that guide our team: ‘Together We Are One’, ‘Leadership at Every Level’, ‘Clarity of Direction and Communications’, and ‘Infinity and Beyond’. The following is a graphic with our purpose and principles:

2. Why is trustworthy digital identity critical for existing and emerging markets?

The most valuable asset our credit unions and members own within financial services is their identity and the associated data. As stewards of the data for the Atlantic credit union system, we see digital identity as one of the most critical elements needed for movements such as open banking or payments modernization. Whether it’s access to services, or protection and security, establishing a digital ID is foundational for future innovation in financial services.

3. How will digital identity transform the Canadian and global economy? How does League Data address challenges associated with this transformation?

League Data is working with Canadian partners and credit unions through digital transformation – not only of systems and networks, but the overall customer experience. The modernization of the ecosystem is also transforming the opportunities and risks available to credit unions. As a cooperator, League Data engages many entities such as vendors, governments and credit unions to help build a sustainable and secure ecosystem for Atlantic credit unions and members to shift into the digital world.

4. What role does Canada have to play as a leader in the space?

Canada has a history of building infrastructure across our nation to benefit our people, from railroads to health to banking networks. Our collective DNA has been one of collaboration and partnership which transcends pure profit, for the greater good of our people. Canada can be a leader by continuing this legacy of working partnerships to build a powerful foundation for the digital era.

5. Why did League Data join the DIACC?

We see a great opportunity to contribute our experience, technology and strategic thinking to DIACC. We are also a cooperative, and our business is built on partnerships and collaboration. DIACC is a natural fit for us in the financial services space, particularly as we look to ensure our members and credit unions can participate, compete and innovate in the digital economy.

6. What else should we know about League Data?

League Data is a non-profit, cooperative IT organization of 32 people that is the CIO for the 46 credit unions in Atlantic Canada. Since 1975, League Data has been providing solutions and expertise in financial technology through collaborative partnerships and relationships across Canada. Through our aggregated model, we provide solutions to credit unions such as core banking systems, mobile apps, network services, cybersecurity and data management.

Spotlight on Manulife

Meet Manulife

  1. What is the mission and vision of Manulife?

Manulife is a leading international financial services group that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better in Canada, the United States and in 12 countries in Asia. We operate primarily as John Hancock in the United States and Manulife elsewhere. We are a trusted market leader in insurance providing life and health solutions and among the top 30 fund managers in the world with financial advice, wealth and asset management solutions.

We believe our greatest contribution to society is the products we provide, which help people make their decisions easier and lives better. We also strive to make meaningful impacts in other ways: through environmental responsibility, philanthropy, employee volunteerism, promoting health and wellness, and much more.

2. Why is trustworthy digital identity critical for existing and emerging markets?

The need for verifiable identity is important to many industries. In financial services, as a trusted custodian of our client’s information and property, secure solutions are critical from the first introduction to a client, throughout our relationship with them and to be there during their most important life events. Manulife is focused on making these points of contact as simple as possible. Through joining DIACC, we are working to support Canada’s digital economy and supporting digital identity solutions that are trustworthy, convenient and secure methods of protecting the private information of our customers.

3. How will digital identity transform the Canadian and global economy? How does Manulife address challenges associated with this transformation?

A trusted and secure digital identity improves the security and information exchange for every connection with our customers. It enables financial services to move from static paper forms entered on legacy systems over to customer-centric services.

For Manulife’s advisor community, the simplification and security provided by digital identity will enable them to provide better services for our customers. We strongly believe in improving how customers interact with us every day, using digitization and innovation to exceed expectations. We were the first Canadian insurer to accept any type of group benefit claim online or through mobile. And, by the end of 2018, we exceeded two million robotic transactions in Canada. We also launched online claims capability for health and dental customers, which is being met with fantastic early feedback through survey results.

This fits with our goal to make decisions easier and lives better at every point of contact with our customers.

4. What role does Canada have to play as a leader in the space?

Canada has an opportunity with the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework to prove that information custodians can deliver an identity model that puts the customer in control of their information securely and efficiently to drive the next generation of commerce.  

5. Why did Manulife join the DIACC?

Manulife is moving to be a digital, customer-obsessed, market leader. Our priority is to improve customer experiences, using digitization and innovation to put customers first.  By joining DIACC, Manulife will be the first insurer joining other leaders – in technology, government and business – to develop Canada’s digital identification and authentication framework to enable Canada’s full and secure participation in the global digital economy. With Manulife’s global footprint, we also have the opportunity to bring insights from its other markets and share DIACC’s outreach objectives internationally.

6. What else should we know about Manulife?

One-third of adult Canadians are Manulife customers with products ranging from health and dental plans to group pensions, travel insurance, life insurance, investments and banking. We know customers are looking for more digitization and innovation at every touchpoint. This is why it is important to be at the forefront of developing Canadian digital identity.

Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) Announces the Appointment of Six Board Members

Newcomer Louis Jacob brings extensive engineering and transformation design experience to Board

TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

TORONTO June 4, 2019 – The Digital Identification and Authentication Council of Canada, (DIACC) today announced the appointment of six (6) nominees to the six seats up for election at its Annual General Meeting held in Toronto on June 3, 2019. Newcomer Louis Jacob, Manulife Vice-President Core Engineering and Transformation, joins the board after Manulife joined DIACC in 2019 and maintained an active role in Board committees.

“We are pleased to welcome Louis Jacob to the DIACC Board of Directors, and believe his experience in building key strategic UX engineering channels, salesforce and devops at Manulife University’s engineering training program will help DIACC’s goal of connecting Canadians through digital identity innovation this year,” said Joni Brennan, President, DIACC. “We look forward to leveraging Louis Jacob’s leadership as we focus on building out the Pan Canadian Trust Framework and other DIACC initiatives.”

The 2019 DIACC electoral slate:

  • Andre Boysen, Chief Identity Officer, SecureKey, and Board Treasurer
  • Marc Brouillard, Chief Technology Officer, Government of Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat
  • Greg Elcich, Vice President Innovation, CIBC
  • CJ Ritchie, Associate Deputy Minister and CIO, Province of BC
  • Eros Spadotto, Executive Vice President, TELUS, and Board Vice-Chair
  • Louis Jacob, Vice President, Core Engineering and Transformation, Manulife

DIACC Directors are elected industry leaders who set the organizational strategic directions, and ensure good governance is practiced, ensuring policies and procedures are continually improved and align with the vision and representation of DIACC membership. The DIACC Board members are: Board Chair Dave Nikolejsin (Province of BC), Collen Boldon (Province of NB), Neil Butters (Interac Corp.), Susie De Franco (Canada Post), Patrice Dagenais (Desjardins Card Services), Robert Devries (Government of Ontario), Allan Foster (ForgeRock), Franklin Garrigues (TD Bank), Hugh McKee (BMO), and Community Advisor to the Board Sajith Nair (PWC).

About the Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada
The Digital Identification and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) is the non-profit coalition of public and private sector leaders who are developing Canada’s system for digital identification and authentication to enable Canadians’ full and secure participation in the global digital economy. DIACC leverages broad Pan-Canadian and International input to collaboratively develop and publish the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework and other resources to secure public and private sector interoperability and advance the delivery of Canada’s Digital Identity Ecosystem.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190604005330/en/

Request for Comment and IPR Review: Pan-Canadian Trust Framework Model Draft Recommendation V1.0

Le français suit

STATUS: This review is now closed. Thank you for your participation!

Notice of Intent:

This notice of intent is intended to inform stakeholders that DIACC is developing the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework (PCTF) Model Draft Recommendation for standardization and adoption.

Veuillez trouver la traduction française ci-dessous…

Documents Status:

This review document has been approved as Draft Recommendations by the DIACC’s Trust Framework Expert Committee (TFEC).

Summary:

The PCTF is intended to standardize trusted digital representations (i.e., identities, attributes, relationships) of people and other types of entities in Canada. This document provides the high-level model of the PCTF and a recap of PCTF contextual information, goals, and objectives. This document also outlines functional areas that are the primary focus of the PCTF. The outline provides a sense of the digital representations with which the PCTF is concerned and the various processes involved in creating, managing, and using these digital objects. Individual PCTF components and profiles will provide detailed descriptions of the processes highlighted in this document.

To learn more about the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework vision and its benefits-for-all value proposition please read the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework Overview.

Invitation:

  • All interested parties are invited to comment.

Review Documents:

Supporting Documents:

Period:

  • Opens: June 3, 2019 at 23:59 PST | Closes: July 19, 2019 at 23:59 PST

Process:

  • All comments are subject to the DIACC contributor agreement.
  • Submit comments using the provided DIACC Comment Submission Spreadsheet.
  • Reference the corresponding line number for each comment submitted.
  • Email completed DIACC Comment Submission Spreadsheet to review@diacc.ca
  • Questions may be sent to review@diacc.ca

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Notice:

Comments must be received within the 45 day comment period noted above. All comments are subject to the DIACC Contributor Agreement; by submitting a comment you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions therein. DIACC Members are also subject to the Intellectual Property Rights Policy. Any notice of an intent not to license under either the Contributor Agreement and/or the Intellectual Property Rights Policy with respect to the review documents or any comments must be made at the Contributor’s and/or Member’s earliest opportunity, and in any event, within the 45 day comment period. IPR claims may be sent to review@diacc.ca. Please include “IPR Claim” as the subject.

Value to Canadians:

The DIACC’s mandate is to collaboratively develop and deliver resources to help Canadian’s to digitally transact with security, privacy and convenience. The PCTF is one such resource that will provide value to all Canadians, businesses, and governments by setting a baseline of industry standards, best practices, and other resources to establish business, legal, and technical interoperability. The DIACC is a not-for-profit coalition of members from the public and private sector who are making a significant and sustained investment in accelerating Canada’s Identity Ecosystem.

Context:

The purpose of the open commentary is to ensure transparency in development and diversity of Pan-Canadian and international input. This Draft Recommendation has been developed by the DIACC’s TFEC that operates under the DIACC controlling policies and benefits from broad and diverse public and private sector stakeholder representation. In alignment with our Principles for an Identity Ecosystem, processes to respect and enhance privacy are being prioritized through every step of the PCTF development process.

DIACC expects to modify and improve this Draft Recommendation based on public comments. Comments made during the review will be considered for incorporation to the next draft and DIACC will prepare a Disposition of Comments to provide transparency with regard to how each comment was handled.

Guide d’examen des recommandations sur l’ébauche de modèle de cadre de confiance pancanadien V1.0

Déclaration d’intention:

Cette déclaration d’intention vise à informer les parties prenantes que le DIACC est en train de préparer la recommandation d’une ébauche de modèle de cadre de confiance pancanadien en vue de son uniformisation et son adoption.

État des documents:

Ce document d’examen a été approuvé en tant qu’ébauche de recommandations par le Comité d’experts du cadre de confiance (TFEC) du DIACC.

Résumé:

Le cadre de confiance pancanadien vise à uniformiser les représentations numériques de confiance (c.-à-d., identités, attributs, relations) des personnes et autres types d’entités au Canada. Ce document fournit un modèle très général du cadre de confiance pancanadien et une recommandation de ses renseignements, buts et objectifs contextuels. Il présente aussi des domaines fonctionnels sur lesquels porte surtout le cadre de confiance pancanadien. L’aperçu donne une idée des représentations numériques dont se préoccupe le cadre de confiance pancanadien et des divers processus intervenant dans la création, la gestion et l’utilisation de ces objets numériques. Chaque composante et profil du cadre de confiance pancanadien décrira en détail les processus mis en évidence dans ce document.

Pour en savoir davantage sur la vision du cadre de confiance pancanadien et les avantages qu’il procure à tous, veuillez lire Aperçu du cadre de confiance pancanadien.

Invitation:

  • Toutes les parties intéressées sont invitées à faire des commentaires.

Document à examiner:

Documents de référence:

Période:

  • Début: 3 juin 2019 à 23 h 59 HP | Fin: 19 juillet 2019 à 23 h 59 HP

Processus:

  • Tous les commentaires sont assujettis à l’entente de contributeur du DIACC
  • Veuillez utiliser le formulaire prévu à cet effet pour soumettre vos commentaires au DIACC
  • Assurez-vous d’indiquer le numéro de ligne correspondant à chaque commentaire soumis
  • Le formulaire de soumission de commentaires au DIACC doit être envoyé par courriel à review@diacc.ca
  • Questions: review@diacc.ca

Avis concernant les droits de propriété intellectuelle:

Les commentaires doivent être reçus pendant la période de 45 jours prévue à cet effet et indiquée ci-dessus. Tous les commentaires sont assujettis à l’entente de contributeur du DIACC; en soumettant un commentaire, vous acceptez d’être lié par les conditions de l’entente. Les membres du DIACC sont également assujettis à la politique sur les droits de propriété intellectuelle. Tout avis d’intention de ne pas accorder une licence en vertu de l’entente de contributeur et/ou de la politique sur les droits de propriété intellectuelle relativement à l’examen des documents ou des commentaires doit être signifié au contributeur et/ou au membre dès que possible et, en toute circonstance, pendant la période de commentaires de 45 jours. Les plaintes pour atteinte aux droits de propriété intellectuelle doivent être adressées à review@diacc.ca, en indiquant « Plainte droits de propriété intellectuelle » comme objet.

Valeur pour les Canadiens:

Le DIACC a pour mandat de collaborer au développement et à la prestation de ressources visant à aider les Canadiens à faire des transactions numériques qui sont sécuritaires et commodes, et qui respectent leur vie privée. Le cadre de confiance pancanadien est une de ces ressources qui va procurer de la valeur à tous les Canadiens, entreprises et gouvernements en établissant une base de normes de l’industrie, de pratiques exemplaires et autres ressources pour établir une interopérabilité commerciale, juridique et technique. Le DIACC est une coalition sans but lucratif de membres des secteurs public et privé qui effectuent un investissement important et soutenu pour accélérer l’écosystème de l’identité du Canada.

Contexte:

Les commentaires ouverts ont pour but d’assurer la transparence du développement et de la diversité de l’apport pancanadien et international. Cette ébauche de recommandations a été élaborée par le TFEC du DIACC, qui est régi par les politiques qui contrôlent le DIACC et les avantages de la représentation à grande échelle et diversifiée des parties prenantes des secteurs public et privé. Conformément à nos principes pour un écosystème de l’identité, la priorité est accordée aux processus visant à respecter et à renforcer la vie privée à chaque étape du processus de développement du cadre de confiance pancanadien.

Le DIACC s’attend à modifier et à améliorer cette ébauche de recommandation en fonction des commentaires du public. Les commentaires faits pendant l’examen seront pris en compte pour être intégrés dans la prochaine ébauche et le DIACC va préparer un document expliquant d’une façon transparente comment chaque commentaire a été traité.