Canada’s trusted digital ID leader, the DIACC, welcomes Budget 2021 investments for digital transformation and Canadian innovation
TORONTO, APRIL 19, 2021 — Joni Brennan, President of the Digital Identification and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) released a statement following the tabling of the federal budget today:
If the global pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that the need for reliable and secure data is paramount as businesses, governments and Canadians from Vancouver to Quebec City to Charlottetown and everywhere in between move online.
From receiving emergency pandemic benefits to ensuring health records are correct and helping children and youth with online education, the pandemic has put a renewed spotlight on the need for governments to move with urgency to invest in digital infrastructure. In fact, it’s critical to ensuring Canadians receive the services they need and that businesses can participate fully and securely in the global digital economy.
At the core of this infrastructure is a secure digital identity which is essential to the function of daily life during a pandemic.
The DIACC, Canada’s digital ID leader, is pleased to see the federal government’s recognition that our economic future depends on digital investments. Initiatives like the investment in the Known Traveller Digital Identity pilot project and the Canada Digital Adoption Program will help Canadians, businesses and governments on this path.
However, at the core of a safe and secure digital environment is a safe and secure digital ID. Given the federal government’s priorities around a Digital Charter, the government lost an opportunity to highlight the important need for investments in digital ID. Investing in digital ID makes economic sense, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). For SMEs, the impact of digital identity could be used to improve processes that are difficult today, resulting in a potential $4.5 billion of added value to SMEs and reinvestments in the Canadian economy.
Our digital future rests on getting digital ID right. We look forward to working with governments to meaningfully adopt a digital ID ecosystem, especially as we look toward post-pandemic economic recovery.
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About Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC)
The Digital Identification and Authentication Council of Canada was created following the federal government’s Task Force for the Payments System Review to bring together public and private sector partners in developing a safe and secure digital ID ecosystem. The DIACC has 100 high profile members spanning several sectors from financial institutions, networks for payments and for identity verification, technology service providers, strategy and integration experts and federal and provincial governments. For 10 years the DIACC has built up this important sector as the trusted voice for driving the development of standards and a trust framework that will secure a fully digital Canada. With established global partnerships that will help Canada lead efforts in international digital interoperability and accreditation, the DIACC provides a world-leading forum to foster collaboration for developing and recommending harmonizing policies, standards, and regulatory changes with international benchmarks — innovative solutions to navigate the digital future.
For more information
Krista Pawley
krista@imperativeimpact.com
416 270 9987