02 Feb 2018 - The Government of Canada to test cutting-edge technologies to support secure and seamless global travel for air passengers

The Government of Canada will collaborate with the World Economic Forum and partners to test emerging digital technologies and how they can improve security and the seamless flow of legitimate air travellers, with the launch of the Known Traveller Digital Identity prototype. The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, highlighted the initiative today, on behalf of the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, during the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting taking place in Davos, Switzerland.

The Known Traveler Digital Identity system takes emerging digital technologies such as advanced biometrics, cryptography and distributed ledger technologies to give travellers control over, and the ability to share their information, via personal mobile devices, with governments and travel providers to facilitate and expedite progress from departure to destination airports, and beyond. The Government of Canada will design a proof-of-concept pilot project between Canada and the Kingdom of the Netherlands to explore opportunities for demonstrating the benefits that these technologies can offer.

The launch of the Known Traveller Digital Identity prototype is the first step in an ambitious roadmap for public and private sector leaders to radically transform the border-crossing experience for the majority of legitimate travellers. By 2030, international air arrivals are expected to reach 1.8 billion passengers, a 50 per cent increase from the 1.2 billion arrivals recorded in 2016. To accommodate this growth the public and private sectors will need to address infrastructure and human resource constraints, as well as procedures regarding the processing of travellers, while at the same time maintaining security. This requires an integrated and trusted approach between governments and the private sector facilitated by emerging technologies and innovations.

For more information : https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2018/01/the_government_ofcanadatotestcutting-edgetechnologiestosupportse.html