e-2262 (Identity theft)

Petition to the Government of Canada

• These days, Canadians are targets of many fraud and identity theft schemes;
• Recently, the social insurance numbers of nearly three million Canadians were stolen through Desjardins;
• A stolen social insurance number means fraudsters can easily steal a Canadian’s identity to fund their criminal activities and possibly fund terrorist organizations;
• In this digital age, there is surely an effective solution that would ensure Canadians can be clearly identified without putting them at risk of fraud by using only a number, which is the case today;
• This digital solution must be developed and designed to take into account the needs of Canadians, and also must prevent attacks and theft from fraudsters targeting Canadians, both now and in the future;
• While Desjardins has offered Equifax protection for five years, this is not enough unless the government changes its procedures, because otherwise in five years nearly three million Canadians will once again be at risk of electronic theft or attack from these fraudsters; and
• The outdated social insurance number (SIN) system still in use puts the safety and security of Canadians at risk by catering to fraudsters and terrorists and exposing Canadian citizens and leaving them without protection.