DIACC targets digital credential access for 90% of Canadians by 2031

Canada is ready “to build a world-leading digital trust infrastructure” including interoperable digital identity, according to a forward-looking paper from the Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC).

The 35-page report on “Canada’s Digital Trust Imperative” sets out a plan to build that digital trust infrastructure, with goals and a timeline contained in the subtitle:  “A 2031 Strategic Vision to Reduce Fraud, Lower Compliance Costs, and Enable Growth through Coordinated Industry and Government Action.”

All possible, if some significant hurdles are surmounted, DIACC says. The paper credits British Columbia, Quebec, Alberta and some private sector players with advancing Canada’s digital identity ecosystem. British Columbia is up to 4.6 million users of its BC Services Card, and 3.8 million credentials for 1.4 million entities using its OrgBook BC.

But at the same time, synthetic identity fraud tripled in a year, going from 2.8 percent to 8 percent of credit applications.  And fraud was already rampant, costing Canadians $638 million in 2024, according to the report, and compliance costs for Canada and the U.S. total $61 billion annually.

In response, DIACC wants to the country’s provinces to modernize the credentials they issue and enable mutual recognition. Industry can use “AI-enhanced verification” and the organization’s Pan-Canadian Trust Framework (PCTF) certification and the federal government to designate a liaison to take evidence from the provinces and industry via DIACC.

And it sets targets: By 2031 DAICC wants to cut those fraud losses in half, for three-quarters of mortgage income verifications to be digital and operational credential recognition in three sectors. Compliance costs for PCTF adopters should go down 20 to 30 percent, and 90 percent of the country’s population should have access to digital credentials.

An internal goal is the publication of updated PCTF guidance “with AI verification criteria and regulatory mapping” in late-2026.

The paper outlines a strategy based on harnessing AI, speeding up economic sector ROI, compliance alignment and inclusive digital sovereignty. In support of that strategy, advice follows on how different kinds of organizations can contribute to building the sought-after digital trust infrastructure.

On the heels of DIACC’s paper, legislation went before Canada’s parliament to support digital health data interoperability.

Article Topics

Canada  |  DIACC  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  identity verification  |  Pan-Canadian Trust Framework (PCTF)  |  tech sovereignty