Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis demanded that digital ID programs must be strictly voluntary, as the Department of Employment moves to enable digital ID for employment insurance and old age security applications.

“Every promise of transparency can become a tool of surveillance if not guided by the principles of freedom that we cherish,” Lewis said yesterday in the Commons. “If everything of value becomes data, every aspect of our lives can become data to be recorded and monetized. That is why we must be on guard.”

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MP Lewis stressed yesterday that taxpayers require safeguards, asserting, “Digital infrastructure is not neutral.” She stated they “deserve to know where data are stored, who profits from its use and whether freely opting out” of systems like digital ID remains a right for accessing essential public services. She concluded that without these answers, a “trusted artificial intelligence ecosystem becomes a polite euphemism for centralized control.”

“We must never allow people to be reduced to mere consumers at the end of a bar code,” Lewis told MPs. “Human beings are not data points to be managed,” she said. “We are souls with a purpose. The future we build must reflect that truth.”

Canadian airports are urging the Commons finance committee to implement digital ID for domestic air travellers, who currently only need government-issued photo ID.https://t.co/c0JUqXqsfA

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) October 16, 2025

A November 4 cabinet budget note announced an amendment to the Department of Employment and Social Development Act to permit “information sharing and digital services” for benefits claimants, though no legal text was provided, as reported by Blacklock’s.

The employment department states digital ID will be a voluntary convenience, not replacing existing in-person, mail, or phone services, according to a May 20 briefing note, A Single Sign-In Portal For Government Services. It emphasized building strong privacy and security features for “convenience and confidence.”

A May 20 memo, Digital Credentials Issue, admitted the complexity of a digital ID system. The department noted, “Building this kind of system is complex and requires certain specialized tools and expertise we don’t have in-house,” and is “asking industry to help” based on international best practices.

“We are moving to [the] next steps to our engagement of external contractors,” said the memo. “This solution will give departments the ability to issue digital versions of the physical credentials they already provide today.”

Canadian government moves forward with digital ID

It’s a slippery slope toward total control, especially as U.S. lawmakers warn that the kind of digital authoritarianism once confined to dictatorships is now spreading across the globe.

READ by @TamaraUgo:https://t.co/8K4xybhXQZ

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) November 6, 2025

This follows an October 2024 cabinet notice suggesting an optional digital ID, despite public skepticism. The plan aims to offer “fast and efficient delivery of government services” for programs like pensions, EI, and tax filing.

Recent federal records show the Liberal government under Justin Trudeau quietly spent $6.4 million on digital ID programs that fell through, according to Blacklock’s.

Federal regulators announced plans for digital credentials on October 28, 2024, without parliamentary approval, raising MP concerns over cost and security. However, cabinet clarified in a parliamentary response that there are “no plans to consider or introduce a federally issued digital ID.”