Thread by @cosminDZS

#EXCLUSIVE: A federal event titled "Paving the Path to Digital Identity for All" claims that "a vast majority of Canadians" want digital IDs.

The claim is based on a poll by an org with close ties to a little-known gov advisory body...

[THREAD]

tnc.news/2022/08/31/maj…

“A vast majority of Canadians want safe and secure digital IDs to confirm their identity to access government services online seamlessly, from any device, anywhere, anytime,” the Canada School of Public Service Event explains.

The claim is sourced from a survey on Canadians' views of digital ID published by the Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) – an org partnering with the Public Sector Chief Information Officer Council. (PSCIOC)

Having never heard of them, I dug further...

In DIACC's letter of intent to work with PSCIOC, the group is referenced as a "governmental advisory/consultative" body that is comprised of "senior officials of the federal, provincial and territorial governments of Canada."

But wait, there's more...

The agreement also goes onto state "their intention to work together ... to develop one Pan Canadian Trust Framework considering public and private sector contexts."

Essentially a public-private national digital ID infrastructure...

In fact the the PSCIOC is one of many councils that compose the Insitute for Citizen-Centred Service (Citizen First) which was created by the Clerk of the Privy Council in 1997 under the name of the "Canadian Centre for Management Development.".

In short, the government is relying on surveys conducted by an org it is clearly collaborating with through an obscure advisory body to claim that a "majority of Canadians" support digital ID.

If and when a "Pan Canadian" digital ID is adopted across Canada it will be a major shift in how Canadians interact with services federally and privately.

If the Government of Canada wants to earn Canadians' trust, why aren't these ties more transparent?