TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Governments and businesses across Canada are embracing the opportunities presented by digital ID to deliver secure, trusted and privacy-enhancing digital services to enable Canadians to transact efficiently and securely online. As Canada’s community of public and private sector digital ID leaders, the DIACC is pleased to welcome Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, City of Toronto, Deloitte, the Province of Quebec, and VISA as members.
“Today, more than ever before, our communities, our businesses, and our citizens are looking to the leaders within the DIACC to help deliver a robust, secure, trusted digital ID ecosystem that works for all Canadians. Our economy depends on it,” stated David Nikolejsin, Chair of the DIACC Board.
“We are thrilled to welcome this new cohort of public and private sector members to the DIACC,” said Joni Brennan, DIACC President. “With over 100 members including the government of Canada, provincial governments, municipal governments, financial institutions, telcos, technology companies, consulting companies, SMEs, academic partners, international organizations, and nonprofits, the DIACC is Canada's largest and most inclusive community of digital ID leaders.”
“When the DIACC began nearly a decade ago, it was a small group of passionate public and private sector organizations committed to unlocking economic opportunities for Canadian consumers and businesses while protecting and promoting Canadian values and perspectives in the digital economy,” said Eros Spadotto, EVP, Telus.
“Building on the vision of the founding members, the non-profit DIACC coalition has grown to over 100 private and public sector leaders who are working together towards establishing an interoperable ecosystem that Canadians can use with confidence,” added Robert Devries, Assistant Deputy Minister Platforms, Ontario Digital Service.
In 2020 the DIACC delivered on that vision with the launch of the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework™, a robust, privacy-enhancing trust framework shaped by Canadian values that permits trusted digital identity and provides clear guidelines on digital interoperability.
Recent research by the DIACC underlines Canadians’ desire for, and expectation of secure, trusted and convenient digital transactions - a desire that has increased as a result of the pandemic.
“From receiving emergency pandemic benefits to ensuring health records are correct and helping children and youth with online education, there are many ways in which a secure digital ID is essential to the functioning of daily life during a pandemic - and beyond,” added CJ Ritchie, CIO of the Government of British Columbia.
According to the DIACC research, the majority of Canadians believe it is important for federal and provincial governments to move quickly on enabling digital ID in a safe and secure manner, according to the survey. It also shows that collaboration between governments and the private sector continues to be considered the best approach to create a pan-Canadian digital ID framework.
With the addition of these new members and increasing demand from Canadians, it is clear that there is no better time for governments and businesses to invest in making digital ID a national public policy priority.
ABOUT THE DIACC
The DIACC is a non-profit coalition of public and private sector leaders committed to developing a Canadian digital identification and authentication framework to enable Canada’s full and secure participation in the global digital economy. The DIACC was created as a result of the federal government’s Task Force for the Payments System Review and members include representatives from both the federal and provincial levels of government as well as private sector leaders.
Quotes from New Members
VISA - Kolin Whitley
“The future of digital commerce will offer a better experience for users without sacrificing strong, proactive fraud prevention. VISA is proud to join the DIACC and contribute to the development of an interoperable ecosystem for digital identities that will contribute to Canada’s continued success in the global digital economy.”
CCCS - Eric Bisaillon
“The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (within CSE) is Canada’s national authority on cyber security and leads the government’s response to cyber security events. We are pleased to be joining the DIACC where we will continue working side-by-side with industry partners to solve Canada’s most complex cyber issues and make our country a safer place to be online.”
Deloitte Canada - Esther Dryburgh
At Deloitte, we believe that a strong Digital Identity ecosystem will be the foundation of Canada’s future economy. We are excited to be joining other like-minded organizations from across the public and private sectors at DIACC to drive this vision forward in a way that unlocks benefits for all Canadians.”
City of Toronto - Rohit Singla, Director, Digital Trust, Office Of The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
“Citizens count on their government to make the services they depend on secure and reliable. As the CISO division at the City of Toronto, our mission is to lead innovative solutions, including forming the first Digital Trust and Cyber Diplomacy teams in a Canadian municipality, to better protect citizen interests. We're grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with fellow DIACC members to explore solutions that best meet the needs of Torontonians.”
Government of Quebec - Pierre Rodrigue
“To foster the emergence of the economy of tomorrow, we need secure, user-friendly and interoperable digital identity. The government of Quebec has made it a priority to ensure that all Quebec citizens and businesses can transact safely and securely online, and we look forward to working with fellow members of the DIACC to advance this priority.”
