Streamlining government services: Introducing GC Sign in
In today’s digital world, accessing government services should be simple, right? Yet, people in Canada find themselves juggling multiple accounts and struggling to remember unique passwords for each. And for every new account they create, they need to enter the same personal information to prove their identity and gain access to the services they need.
But what if there was a way to streamline it all? Enter GC Sign in, a solution designed to simplify how people in Canada access digital government services. With this secure, inclusive, and user-friendly platform, people will only need to have one sign in method to gain seamless access to a variety of services, saving time and reducing unnecessary hassle.
Led by the Canadian Digital Service (CDS), GC Sign in is part of a broader effort to reduce the complexity of digital government services, ensuring that people and businesses spend less time navigating red tape and more time focusing on what matters.
We sat down with Breanna Fife, Senior Product Manager for GC Sign in on the Enterprise Products team to learn more.
Can you share a little about yourself and your work at CDS?
YES, I’d love to share. So, I started my career at Service Canada in various front-facing service roles, where I developed strong “empathy muscles” and learned the importance of designing with and for our users. As I transitioned into systems delivery roles, my focus shifted to improving services that can be accessed via a My Service Canada Account. It was during this time, while working on a dashboard feature, I noticed something interesting; no matter how much we refined the interface, users kept steering the conversion back to the struggles they faced just trying to sign in.
This was a lightbulb moment for me, and I knew it was a problem I wanted to help solve. Fast forward to today, and I’m here as the Product Manager for GC Sign in. Here’s what I think that generally means in practice (shout out to Lenny for inspiring this breakdown):
- Shaping the product:
My role begins with gathering insights from users, customers, stakeholders, and data to define the product’s priorities and vision. I translate these insights into actionable plans that drive product development. - Syncing the people:
Collaboration is key. I act as the unifying force that aligns our talented, cross-functional team, including design, research, engineering, policy, communications, and more around a shared strategy and clear goals. - Ship the product:
This is the part I’m most excited about taking action! As we build, I manage progress, and ensure timely, high quality releases that make a real difference for users.
Can you tell us about the vision behind GC Sign in?
The vision is simple:
GC Sign in is a secure, inclusive, and user-friendly sign in experience that only requires people to have one sign in method to access all Government of Canada services, rather than needing a new username and password every time they access a new service. We want to make it effortless for our users to be able to sign up and sign in not just today but a year from now and beyond. It’s ambitious, we know but that’s the purpose of a vision: to aim high and deliver something truly impactful.
In the future, Government of Canada service owners can rely on GC Sign in to handle user authentication and identity verification, thereby eliminating the need to do duplicative checks themselves. Our self-serve integration tools will enable departments to onboard quickly and efficiently.
What motivated the development of GC Sign in?
We’re tackling some big inefficiencies in the current system, challenges that affect both people trying to sign in to access services, and the public servants who deliver them.
Did you know there are over 270 online services offered by the Government of Canada and more than 60 different ways to sign in? It’s like needing a separate key for every door in a house. GC Sign in wants to give people one key that works everywhere.
Right now, the system isn’t just frustrating; it’s costly, vulnerable, and ineffective. It’s also putting a strain on resources and trust.
That’s where a unified platform comes in. GC Sign in is all about simplifying access, optimizing for efficiency, and creating a secure, seamless way to connect to government services. The result we’re aiming for is a better user experience, streamlined operations, and renewed confidence in Canada’s digital infrastructure.
What makes this new product different from the existing sign in systems like the ones ESDC and CRA uses?
GC Sign in brings something new to the table: modern, secure, and flexible options for signing in. Users will be able to choose from traditional methods or cutting-edge tools like passwordless authentication with passkeys. We want to give users the flexibility and security they need.
Today’s landscape is a patchwork: solutions like GCKey offer only basic sign-in methods, leaving services to build out their own add-ons for security enhancements, creating a fragmented experience for users. GC Sign in brings it all together by offering advanced security options for sign-in on one cohesive platform.
What makes it stand out isn’t just the variety of sign in options, it’s the integration of identity verification into the same process. In today’s systems, a person is required to verify their identity multiple times across different services, sometimes through complex, time-consuming methods. GC Sign in will prompt people to verify once and carry that verification with them, meaning that they can use their identity verification across multiple services without needing to repeat the process.
Security will also be baked into every step of the process. Behind the scenes, GC Sign in will use advanced tools to monitor for unusual activity, from suspicious sign-ins to unauthorized access attempts. We also use dynamic security measures like context-based “speed bumps” that appear only when needed. These measures keep people’s accounts safe without getting in their way, striking the perfect balance between security and usability.
How does GC Sign in ensure the security and privacy of users’ personal information?
Protecting user privacy is one of our core service principles. With GC Sign in, users can monitor the data sharing process to ensure transparency and control at every step. To ensure users are well-informed, we provide just-in-time information that clearly explains what data is being collected and how it will be used. This keeps users in the loop, ensuring they’re aware of how their information is handled and can make informed decisions about their privacy.
As we design the service, we’re working closely with privacy policy implementation specialists to co-design and ensure that our approach aligns with best practices and meets privacy requirements. By collaborating in this way, we can validate our decisions and check that we got it right!
How will GC Sign in enhance the user experience for people and businesses accessing government services?
The GC Sign in team is designing with users from the start. We’re aiming to create a sign-in experience that feels intuitive, secure, and accessible for everyone.
Here’s what users can expect:
Faster, more convenient service.
One front door: No need to create new user names or passwords. With GC Sign in, users can access government services using sign-in options they already have.
Flexible sign in options: Whether people prefer passkeys, biometrics, or traditional methods, GC Sign in offers choices that fit their comfort and needs. Once they’re signed in, managing credentials and information will feel effortless.
One profile: People’s information is saved securely, reducing the hassle of entering the same details across different services.
Privacy-first design: It will be transparent to how data we collect is shared and used in our systems.
Inclusive design
- GC Sign in is being built with accessibility as a core principle. We’re building in accessibility from the start, and testing rigorously to ensure we meet accessibility standards and make it straightforward to sign in using assistive technology.
- We’re also considering technical proficiency and connectivity. We’re designing in such a way that people don’t need to be tech savvy just to set up an account.
What’s next? Are there any upcoming features or enhancements that users can look forward to?
We’re building our first iteration of GC Sign in! Initially, we’ll take an incremental approach, beginning with a pilot this year involving a few lower-volume services. This allows us to gather valuable feedback and refine the system based on real-world use, ensuring we’re creating a solution that truly meets the needs of both users and service providers.
But, we do intend to grow quickly. Our mission is to be fully ready to support high-volume and high-impact services such as Employment Insurance by the end of fiscal year 2025/2026. We will focus on expanding to integrate more robust identity proofing services and improving scalability, reliability, and operations, so that by then, we can offer a seamless experience to a broad range of government services and users.
While we do this, we want to work in the open as much as possible. For anyone interested (and you must be if you’ve read this far!), we’d love to hear your thoughts as we build. Please send us an email or reach out on LinkedIn, and stay tuned for updates and opportunities to get involved! Together, we can build a more connected, efficient, and accessible digital future for Canada.