Canadians have never been more aware of the importance of digital technology than they are now after a pandemic that dramatically accelerated the pace at which millions of us shifted our activities online. Many things Canadians used to do 'in person' — from grocery shopping to medical appointments — are now done without ever leaving home. How widespread is this transition? To look at just one indication: last year, while the economy as a whole shrunk by five percent, the digital sector grew by 3.5 percent.As Canadians and political parties debate how we restart the economy after the COVID-19 downturn, our leaders must commit to the one capability that can help rebuild business growth while providing the technological tools to support cyber security, privacy, citizen empowerment, and fraud mitigation: establishing a strong, privacy-respecting, and secure digital ID ecosystem of interoperable solutions and services.Unlocking digital ID will empower every Canadian. Federal leadership is key Digital ID has foundational importance for every Canadian and every political party.The Liberal Party platform's proposed “digital policy task force to integrate efforts across government and provide additional resources in order to position Canada as a leader in the digital economy and shape global governance of emerging technologies” would strongly benefit from secure, privacy-respecting, and citizen empowering digital identity.The Conservative platform acknowledges the need for Canadians to understand how their data is being used. The platform notes, “Digital data privacy is a fundamental right that urgently requires strengthened protection through legislation and enforcement. Canadians must have the right to understand and control the collection, use, monitoring, retention, and disclosure of their personal data.” Digital ID provides a tool for making this possible.The NDP's promise to include a digital bill of privacy rights in its platform will gain much-needed utility from a citizen empowering digital ID ecosystem.The Bloc's platform commitment “to improve support for the digital transition of businesses to enable a local, inclusive, and secure economy,” is important in both a local and global digital economy. Digital ID can enable business transformation while delivering capabilities to verify the authenticity of existing and emerging Quebec cultural IP.For these commitments to be implemented effectively, a strong and secure digital ID ecosystem of solutions and services must be established to secure a Canadian digital services safety net and accelerate the digital economy. Guaranteeing Canadians' and businesses' full participation in the digital economy According to a study by Brookfield Institute, 9 percent of Canadian businesses made 60 per cent or more of their total sales online, up from 6 percent in 2019. For SMEs, the impact of digital identity can be used to improve processes that are difficult today, resulting in a potential $4.5-billion of added value to SMEs and reinvestments in the Canadian economy. But this digital success has been difficult for small to medium enterprises to adopt. As digital service adoption grows, citizen and employee expectations have also shifted to demand more reliable and secure digital alternatives. Digital ID credentials that people can use with governments and businesses can encourage sustainable, long-term adoption of digital platforms and help organizations of all sizes to benefit from these systems.Provinces and territories are establishing their own digital ID initiatives. British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and others, are releasing digital proof of vaccination credentials. To gain the most functionality, these proof of vaccination credentials must be connected to the identity of the actual person who received the vaccination. This must be done with security and privacy built in by design.Canadian demand for enabling digital capabilities is growing across the country — but unequal funding and approaches developed in silos pose significant risks. Without collaborative federal leadership to view digital ID with a holistic and multi-departmental lens, the federal, provincial and private sector approaches will be disjointed, leading to a lost opportunity.Canadians deserve a pan-Canadian digital ID ecosystem of solutions and services that empowers them to fully participate online, while knowing their personal information is safe, protected by public policy and world-class technologies. All parties must take this opportunity during the election and beyond to be champions for digital ID. This means promoting digital ID to accelerate economic recovery and secure equitable social inclusion; and working with relevant stakeholders to establish privacy-protecting digital ID that empowers individuals, businesses, the public sector and civil society.Now more than ever, digital ID that works for everyone must be championed and made a public policy priority.Joni Brennan is president of the Digital Identification and Authentication Council of Canada.