Key Takeaways:
- The Ontario government has been tight-lipped on the status and implementation of the proposed statewide digital ID program.
- People and businesses will be able to establish their identities online and in-person without the necessity of a physical card, thanks to the digital ID program.
The Ontario government has been tight-lipped regarding the proposed provincial digital ID program’s progress and implementation.
The initiative was supposed to start in 2021; however, it was postponed due to the province’s creation of a proof-of-vaccination app. The administration said in November that the program would begin in 2022.
However, the administration has deleted the 2022 deadline from the digital ID webpage.
CTV News Toronto asked the Associate Ministry of Digital Government for an update on the program and an interview with Minister Kaleed Rasheed on many occasions, but neither was forthcoming.
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The Ministry of Finance, which houses the Ministry of Digital Government, did not respond to a request for information from CTV News Toronto.
According to the government, the digital ID program would allow consumers to save an electronic version of their government ID in their digital wallet apps, such as driver’s licenses and health cards.
Thanks to the digital ID program, people and businesses will be able to establish their identities online and in-person without the use of a physical card.
The government claims that a digital ID will provide consumers with more privacy than a physical ID.
When making age-restricted transactions, picking up a parcel at the post office, asking for government assistance, and opening a bank account, Ontarians will be able to utilize their digital ID.
PROGRAM IS PUT ON HOLD IN SASKATCHEWAN.
Meanwhile, the provincial government in Saskatchewan rejected a plan to launch a comparable scheme this week after privacy issues were raised.
“There are enough individuals concerned about it that, you know, privacy protection is quite vital,” Jim Reiter, the program’s minister, said.
The Saskatchewan government said it would conduct more consultations to gauge public support for a digital ID program before determining whether to invest millions of dollars in its development.
Meanwhile, the Ontario Party, a right-wing party founded by former Conservative MP Derek Sloan, has launched a petition to prevent Ontario from implementing a digital ID program.
According to the Ontario Party website, more than 15,000 individuals have signed the petition, which “demands that there be zero tolerance for the introduction of any Digital ID program in Ontario.”
Source: CTV news
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