When I say the word “prosperity,” where does your mind go? If you’re like most people, you might think of numbers: financial wealth, good-paying jobs, affordability, access to capital. But increasingly, I think the real story is the human lives behind those numbers—the newcomer sending money home, the small business owner invoicing clients online, the student applying for school, the retiree verifying their benefits. Do they feel confident, empowered, and safe navigating those digital moments that shape everyday life across Canada?
I remember arriving in Canada as a teenager in the 1980s. Like many immigrants, I had to quickly learn how things worked—how to get a health card, open a bank account, find my way in a new environment. It wasn’t always easy, but I was lucky to land in a country where I felt encouraged to participate, not pressured to assimilate. That experience gave me a deep and lasting appreciation for systems that are open, accessible, and built with the user in mind—an outlook I’ve carried with me through more than 30 years working in digital commerce.
At Interac, we talk about digital prosperity as our North Star. On one hand, that means a modern, thriving economy for Canada. But just as important, it means a system where people feel confident and comfortable as they move through it. In today’s world, financial well-being and digital engagement are like plug and socket—interdependent by design. You can’t fully participate in the economy if you’re not connected to it digitally. And you can’t build financial confidence if the systems around you are unfamiliar, inaccessible, or untrustworthy.
I don’t have to look far to find an example. My husband is an upholsterer who has spent years perfecting his craftsmanship and skill. He’s incredibly talented and his business does just fine, but he’d be the first to admit that digital tools aren’t his thing—he’s a bit of a Luddite. Even for him, it’s become harder and harder to operate offline. Sending invoices, managing payments, communicating with clients—all of it takes place online now. Slowly but surely, he’s had to grow his digital confidence. Fortunately, he’s well-established, with loyal customers and years of experience behind him. But what if he were just starting out today? What if he didn’t have that foundation to fall back on? In today’s economy, it’s nearly impossible to grow a business, or even run one efficiently, without being digitally engaged. Prosperity is about giving people the confidence, tools, and trust they need to thrive.
And when I say people, I mean all people. We must treat inclusion not as an afterthought but as something designed from the start. Whether someone is born here, emigrates here, studies or works here, they should have secure, digital access to the services and opportunities that mark each stage of life. Getting a birth certificate, opening a bank account, applying for a loan, filing taxes, volunteering in your community—these should all be part of a clear, supported digital journey. That inclusion also means respecting people’s rights. It means safeguarding their data, protecting their privacy, and ensuring that control stays with the individual here on Canadian soil, not with foreign institutions or platforms that don’t reflect our values.
I’ve long believed one of Canada’s biggest strengths—our secret sauce—is our model of public-private collaboration. We’re not a country that dictates transformation. We work together. That’s our quiet advantage. The systems we build—finance, healthcare, transportation, telecommunications, manufacturing, education—reflect the richness and diversity of our economy and institutions. We can design solutions that are resilient, inclusive, and highly trusted. Other countries are moving fast, and there’s plenty to learn from them—India with Aadhaar and UPI, Brazil with Pix, Malaysia with MyDigital ID, the Nordics with their digital ID systems—but we don’t need to import anyone else’s blueprint. We can build a model that works for Canada, and that embraces innovation while staying true to who we are.
And we are ready. We have the right ingredients—a highly educated population, trusted institutions, deep technical expertise, and strong consumer protections. What’s been missing is a sense of urgency. But that’s starting to change. Around the world, the pace of innovation is accelerating—AI adoption is advancing, programmable money is becoming real, agentic commerce is reshaping how businesses and consumers interact. At the same time, geopolitical uncertainty and growing digital competition are forcing countries to take a harder look at their own infrastructure. Here at home, we’re seeing a renewed willingness to act. There’s recognition that we can’t afford to be passive participants in the next wave of innovation. We won’t always have perfect regulation, but we can’t let that stop us. We have to build as we go.
When I imagine a digitally prosperous Canada five or ten years from now, I see a place where verification is seamless, where digital interactions are fast and secure, and where people feel empowered to take part, whether they’re opening a business, sending money to pay for their kid’s daycare, or accessing government services. I see a future where the systems that enable our economy reflect Canadian choices on privacy, security, and inclusion. Where innovation happens on Canadian rails, under Canadian rules, with Canadian values at the core.
Prosperity in this context is about economic growth, yes. But it’s also about trust, access, and control. It’s about ensuring that no one is left behind, and that every Canadian has the tools they need to move forward. If there’s one message I could share with policymakers, business leaders, and innovators alike, it’s this: the time is now for Canada to lead with purpose and make sure that digital prosperity is built by Canadians, for Canadians.
