A Digital ID for More Convenient & Accessible Government Services
Editor’s Note: Peter Bethlenfalvy, President of the Treasury Board, leads Ontario’s efforts to deliver digital and data transformation for the people of Ontario, including oversight of the Ontario Digital Service.
This interview is the first in a series of blog posts that will highlight Ontario’s approach to digital identity — a key foundational platform that will enable more convenient and secure digital services and an overall better customer experience across the public sector.
Why introduce a digital ID now?
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that now, more than ever, Ontario’s programs and frontline services need to be more accessible, more reliable and more convenient.
It’s our job as a government to ensure those services are there when the people of Ontario need them most. COVID-19 has shown us clearly that, in order to do that in a post-COVID world, we need to make our government more digital and data focused. Government services need to be nimble and responsive enough to adapt to changing circumstances. And the people of Ontario need to be able to access the services they rely on when and where they want and from a safe social distance.
We’ve seen the impacts the global pandemic has had on our society, economy, and government. We need to be responsive and flexible as we continue to battle COVID-19.
It has become clear that, in order to prepare for the future and keep people safe, we need to become more digitally advanced.
We need government to work for people and that’s why we’ve released Ontario Onwards: Ontario’s COVID-19 Action Plan for a People-Focused Government.
A key initiative from this plan is enabling a digital identity. In effect, you’ll have a safe, secure digital wallet that holds all the information you need from your government IDs.
This way you can easily and safely confirm your identity online, making it easier to access government services directly and making life more convenient.
Do you have a target for digital identity?
We will introduce a secure digital ID for Ontarians by the end of 2021.
What’s the benefit of a digital ID?
We know that many government services require some level of identity verification, and that’s usually done in person with a physical ID like your Drivers License or Health Card.
These in-person requirements make it more difficult to effectively deliver government services digitally. In order to deliver better service, we need to develop a way for citizens to prove who they are online.
We simply can’t be an offline government in an online world.
That’s why we are committed to digital ID.
But Digital ID will do more than make services more easily accessible. According to research conducted by McKinsey Global Institute, digital identities hold the potential to unlock $8 to $25 billion in economic value for Ontario.
How will a digital ID help Ontarians, in practical terms?
A Digital ID will have impacts throughout our economy. Think of this:
A small business owner could cut through red tape by opening accounts online, registering and renewing licenses and permits — without needing to visit an office, show paper proof of business registration, or fax in documents.
A student could skip a trip to the bank to open their first account by verifying ID online.
A senior could securely share health information with caregivers.
A farmer could register a farm vehicle online without needing to spend a day in the car
A parent or caregiver could more easily access and share their children’s immunization records with public health.
And it goes beyond just expanding online options — it’s about better customer service. Imagine receiving a text message from the province to renew a health card, and being able to renew it quickly and easily to your computer or smartphone.
A digital ID by the end of 2021. How will you get there?
Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and keeping Ontarians safe and healthy remains our first and foremost priority. Our Ontario Onwards Action Plan builds on what we’ve learned during this pandemic to improve government services now and into the future.
One clear lesson we’ve learned is that we need to work together — across governments, parties and organizations — to be successful. We can’t do this alone.
In the coming months we will be engaging partners in industry, technology, and business to help us further develop Ontario’s digital ID. We want to explore, and fully understand, the possibilities before us. And we want to learn from the best innovators in this space.
We also must ensure that any option protects people’s data and privacy online, so we will also be engaging leading privacy and security experts throughout the process as well as holding public consultations.
Ultimately, our focus on a digital ID will enable Ontario to expand the range of programs and services available online, simplify the government’s role in the lives of individuals and businesses, and put the needs of the people at the centre of everything government does.
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