Naturally Inspired Report

Under Premier Scott Moe, Saskatchewan has become one of the leading provinces in Canada seeking to adopt a nationally-regulated digital identification system. Saskatchewan has been enrolled in the Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) since early 2020.  

According to the DIACC website, “Saskatchewan joined the DIACC because we recognize that if we are going to realize the potential of digital ID, we need to define and govern digital identity nationally, with private and public sector collaboration.” 

According to the DIACC mission statement, “The vision of the Saskatchewan Public Service is to be the best public service in Canada. We support Saskatchewan’s vision: to be the best place in Canada — to live, to work, to start a business, to get an education, to raise a family and to build a life,” adding that the organization is “dedicated to service excellence, innovation, collaboration and transparency” and will “practice effective and accountable use of resources.” 

With the goal of using a “digital identity” to “transform the Canadian and global economy,” the program explains that “[b]y allowing citizens and businesses to more easily and conveniently access services any time from any internet-connected device, digital identity promotes efficiency for Canadians and will further position Saskatchewan and Canada to other markets as being more attractive to work with.” 

“Our country’s collective work, across the public and private sectors, is defining and governing digital identity in a standards based way,” the DIACC explains. “This will position us well to other markets as a country to work with, and our collective commitment to make digital identity easy to use will encourage uptake of the digital identities across the country.” 

The council also says that the digital ID will “enable Canadians” to “participate in the global digital economy,” while further outlining that the program has the stated goal of becoming “ubiquitous.” 

According to an April 2021 post by DIACC president Joni Brennan, “Setting up a digital ID regime could provide a boost to post-pandemic recovery,” adding that in order for the “digital ID ecosystem” to be successful,” a “trust framework” is needed.  

The DIACC boasts that they have “spearheaded the ‘Pan-Canadian Trust Framework,’ an international collaborative approach to modernizing digital service delivery that’s recognized by the World Economic Forum and others.” 

“This made-for-Canada framework enables the development of an adaptable infrastructure that will make the Canadian digital ID ecosystem more resilient to future crises,” explains Brennan.  

Saskatchewan is not the only province seeking to push a digital ID on the public. Ontario, British Columbia, and New Brunswick are all listed on the site as members. 

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