OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — One of Canada’s most staunchly pro-life MPs warned Canadians to be “on guard” against a push by the ruling Liberal Party to bring forth Digital IDs, saying that they should be voluntary.
Earlier this week, Conservative Party Member of Parliament Leslyn Lewis told fellow MPs in the House of Commons that increased surveillance by the state must be kept in check.
“Every promise of transparency can become a tool of surveillance if not guided by the principles of freedom that we cherish,” she said.
“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.”
Lewis made the comments in light of news, as reported by LifeSiteNews, that the federal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney will move ahead with digital identification for anyone seeking federal benefits, including seniors on Old Age Security.
Lewis told MPs that Canadians “deserve to know where data are stored, who profits from its use and whether freely opting out of systems including digital ID will remain a right in the digital era, especially when it comes to accessing essential taxpayer-funded services.”
“Without these answers, a trusted artificial intelligence ecosystem becomes a polite euphemism for centralized control,” she warned.
Lewis also noted that citizens should never be “reduced to mere consumers at the end of a bar code,” adding that “Human beings are not data points to be managed.”
“We are souls with a purpose. The future we build must reflect that truth,” she said.
Despite Lewis’s remarks, the government, in a recent note in Carney’s 2025 budget that passed earlier this week, said that changes will be made to the Department of Employment and Social Development Act. The goal is to “enable the delivery of more integrated and efficient services across government.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews, the Canadian government hired outside consultants tasked with looking into whether or not officials should proceed with creating a digital ID system for all citizens and residents.
Per a May 20 Digital Credentials Issue memo, and as noted by Blacklock’s Reporter, the “adoption” of such a digital ID system may be difficult.
Canada’s Privy Council research from 2023 noted that there is strong public resistance to the use of digital IDs to access government services.
Nonetheless, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre sounded the alarm by promising to introduce a bill that would “expressly prohibit” digital IDs in Canada.
Digital IDs and similar systems have long been pushed by globalist groups like the World Economic Forum, an organization with which Carney has extensive ties, under the guise of ease of access and security.