Trudeau gov’t office secretly authorized research to explore national digital ID system
BY
The Privy Council commissioned a focus group in Nova Scotia regarding the viability of federal digital IDs without explaining why the research was being conducted.
(LifeSiteNews) – Officials from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s own Privy Council Office last year authorized confidential research to investigate the possible creation of a Canada-wide digital ID system.
As reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, on August 24, 2022, Trudeau’s Privy Council commissioned a focus group in secret in the province of Nova Scotia regarding federal digital IDs. The total cost of the focus group research was $2.4 million, with the research conducted by Toronto pollster The Strategic Counsel.
The confidential research looked into whether a federal digital ID would be viable. However, there was no reason given as to why the research was being conducted.
The researchers concluded that participants in the focus group were divided on whether a national digital ID would be a good idea and be acceptable to the average citizen.
According to a September 7, 2022, Privy Council report titled Continuous Qualitative Data Collection of Canadians’ Views, the widespread adoption of “digital credentials by Canadians may be difficult to achieve.”
Noted the report, the creation of a digital ID may be hard “especially among cohorts of society who may already be somewhat distrustful of public institutions.”
The report pointed out that some participants “believed daily life would feel far more restricted and were skeptical of assigning such high responsibility to a single department or agency to manage these credentials.”
Only a few individuals were aware of “digital credentials,” which they were told were a form of identification to replace physical paper identification, many expressed concerns about widespread usage of this technology,” the report stated.
Among the concerns noted were “security risks of storing sensitive personal information” on one’s phone or online.
Thus far, proposals for the creation of a federal digital ID program have been hit with roadblocks.
For example, in 2002, a recommendation by the then-Liberal government for national ID was rebuffed by a House of Commons all-party immigration committee.