Canada's Public and Private Sector Leaders Join Together to Launch World's First Digital ID and Authentication Partnership

TORONTO, May 6, 2014 /CNW/ - Recognizing the increasingly important role that digital security and privacy play in the lives of Canadians, leaders from Canada's public and private sectors have come together to launch the world's first digital ID and authentication partnership - the Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC).

"DIACC members know that to meet the needs of all Canadians, the public and private sectors need to work together to develop integrated solutions that are both secure and efficient," said David Nikolejsin, DIACC Chair and Deputy Minister at Government of British Columbia. "With a robust and effective digital ID and authentication framework, Canadians from coast to coast to coast will be able to engage with both the public and private sector digitally, in a manner that is safe, secure and efficient - be it to open a bank account or to register for government services".

Created as a result of the federal government's Task Force for the Payments System Review, 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 the global digital economy. DIACC members include representatives from both the federal and provincial levels of government as well as private sector leaders.

"This unprecedented collaboration will provide Canadians with a framework to transact with ease and security when and where they want to while maintaining their desire to keep a degree of separation between information shared with the private and public sectors " Rizwan Khalfan, SVP, Digital Channels, TD Bank Group.

The DIACC's objective is to unlock economic opportunities for Canadian consumers and businesses by providing the framework to develop a robust, secure, scalable and privacy enhancing digital identification and authentication ecosystem that will decrease costs for governments, consumers, and business while improving service delivery and driving GDP growth.

DIACC History

In 2010, then Finance Minister James Flaherty appointed the Task Force for the Payments System Review. One of the key recommendations of the final report of the Task Force was that digital ID and authentication are integral to the success of digital payments and to Canada's digital economy.

A working group was created with representatives from the public and private sectors, privacy commissioners' offices, and consumer advocates to better understand the subject. The working group developed a vision of a robust, secure, scaleable, and privacy-enhancing structure for transacting online and the DIACC was created to continue the activities of the working group after the wrap-up of the Task Force.

DIACC's Mission Statement

The Digital ID & Authentication Council of Canada shall:

• Catalyze changes and set the strategic direction for digital ID and authentication for the public and private sectors in Canada.
• Develop and recommend harmonizing policies, standards, and regulatory changes with international benchmarks that further the strategic direction such as standardization of levels of assurance in digital identity, and liability models for digital ID and authentication
• Enforce the minimum requirements necessary to enter the digital ID and authentication ecosystem.
• Promote interoperability between participants in the digital ID and authentication ecosystem, and with international digital ID and authentication schemes.
• Provide a forum to foster collaboration among digital ID and authentication ecosystem participants, to formalize existing standards and to create new ones.
• Provide operating guidelines to the marketplace, and set certification processes to ensure that digital ID and authentication is known for delivering efficient, secure, safe, reliable, privacy-enhancing transactions.
• Ensure that Canada's digital ID and authentication ecosystem is accessible to all.
• Promote public understanding and accelerate the adoption of digital ID and authentication in Canada.

The Board of DIACC includes:
Eros Spadotto – Deputy-Chair, DIACC; Executive Vice-President, Technology Strategy, TELUS
Pierre Boucher - Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Public Works and Government Services Canada
Rizwan Khalfan - Senior Vice President - Digital Channels, TD Bank Group
David Heatherly – COO, North American Retail Payment, BMO Financial Group
Patrice Dagenais - Vice president, Payment and Business Partnerships for Desjardins Cards Services
David Nicholl - Corporate Chief Information and Information Technology Officer, Province of Ontario
Kerry Munro, Group President, Digital Delivery Network, Canada Post
John Jacobson - Deputy Minister, Technology, Innovation and Citizens' Services, Province of B.C.
Dave Nikolejsin- Chair DIACC; Deputy Minister, Province of BC

Members of DIACC include:
TD Bank Group
CIBC
BMO
ScotiaBank
Rogers
TELUS
Government of Canada
Province of Ontario
Province of British Columbia
Equitable Bank
RBC
Interac
Equifax
Canada Post
BlackBerry
Desjardins
SecureKey
Central 1 Credit Union

SOURCE: Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC)

Aran Hamilton, President, Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada, [email protected] 416-270-9987; David Richards, Vice President, Director of Operations, Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada, [email protected], 416-270-9987