IRCC Minister Transition Binder 2021: Proof of Vaccination Credentials

Context

The Proof of Vaccination Credential (PVC) will allow those vaccinated in Canada to show their vaccination history.
The PVC is intended to facilitate inbound/outbound travel by providing border officials with the vaccination history needed to assess whether a traveller meets public health requirements.
There is currently no internationally recognized standard for a PVC. The global landscape for proof of vaccination is evolving rapidly, with different types of documentation and requirements being used in different jurisdictions.
Currently, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) uses the ArriveCan app to accept uploaded vaccine receipts from travellers entering Canada, though it cannot verify the authenticity of those receipts against a global health database. However, through ArriveCan, CBSA is building knowledge of authenticity against known global vaccination certificates.
Those vaccinated in Canada are currently using provincial/territorial (PT) vaccine receipts to show their vaccine status at foreign borders. These are generally accepted across the world on a case-by-case basis, but the lack of a standardized, Canadian PVC has made it difficult for some Canadians to travel to, or transit through, certain countries (e.g. some jurisdictions in the Middle East will only accept national-level documents or documents with a QR/barcode for proof).

The Canadian PVC is designed to be a federal-facing, multi-jurisdictional program, which:
- ensures a common look and feel, including a Canada watermark, which adheres to the Smart Health Card standards; and
- is recognized and trusted by foreign states as being endorsed by Canada.
Developing a PVC is a joint federal and provincial/territorial effort – the PTs are the custodians of health data, and the federal government is responsible for supporting Canadian travellers abroad.
IRCC is the project coordinator for the Canadian PVC, working closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada, who manages the relationships with provincial-territorial health authorities and sets vaccine policies and data standards.
The PVC is also being developed in close collaboration with many other federal departments, including the Canada Border Services Agency, who will be responsible for using the credential at Canadian borders.
The rollout of the Canadian PVC began with the launch of the ArriveCan app in early July.
- As of summer 2021, PTs have begun issuing the pan-Canadian standardized PVC credentials which are secure and verifiable by CBSA. Timelines and specific solutions for future developments of the Canadian PVC will depend on the outcomes of continuing PT and international engagement.

Joint FPT effort – Delivery of a multi-jurisdictional program based on close and ongoing collaboration.
Client-focused – Secure document allowing people to travel as freely as possible, and providing support in getting and using the PVC.
Protecting privacy – No duplication of health information database, minimizes electronic steps to reduce chance for error.

Vaccination data in Canada will continue to be held exclusively by issuing jurisdiction, usually a PT. Examples of exceptions include those vaccinated by the Canadian Forces or Global Affairs Canada.
Single credential issued from the system of record decreases complexity of service delivery.
Broad acceptance of pan-Canadian standard.

Foreign borders are asking Canada for consistency in the PVC that our country is endorsing – this will facilitate visual inspections and operational efficiency at borders.
PTs can decide if and how they wish to support domestic use cases for the Canadian PVC.

A pan-Canadian PVC with one technical specification and common look and feel.

Requested and controlled by the individual
Uniform branding to be recognizable as issued in Canada for international verifiers
Identifies the PT issuing the information
Bilingual
Uses SMART Health Card Framework, verifiable in Canada (emerging international standard)
Mandatory fields like lot number must be in the QR code for compatibility even if left empty
Reflects COVID-19 vaccination event history, allowing foreign borders to make a determination based on their own domestic definition of fully vaccinated
Captures date of issuance of the certificate
Security features to prevent fraud and allow secure verifiability

Illustrative example only [Image shows example of the pan-Canadian look and feel]

Images shows exactly what the numbers are.

FPT discussions to deliver a multi-jurisdictional, client-centric PVC
Engagement with indigenous communities to ensure that the PVC responds to the needs and rights of Indigenous peoples (i.e. program is equitable and takes into consideration Canada-U.S. border communities)
FPT discussions with respective privacy commissioners, as well as the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, to identify and address the privacy elements of the PVC
Preparations to undertake a series of GBA Plus-focused consultations with relevant stakeholder tables (e.g. Indigenous communities) to identify accessibility and equity risks to accessing a PVC, and to identify appropriate mitigation strategies
Proactive promotion of Canada’s approach to PVC within the international community and with industry stakeholders to ensure recognition of Canadian PVCs abroad

There have been ongoing discussions with PTs about their level of readiness to collaborate on a Canadian PVC. By the end of October, most PTs should be ready to launch with the Canadian PVC.
Some of the ongoing areas of discussion:
- Eligibility and accessibility standards
- Complex cases, like out of jurisdiction vaccination, non-Health Canada approved vaccines, missing data fields in vaccine registries, mixed vaccine acceptance in an international context, etc.
- Service delivery models
- Privacy measures
- Parameters for moving to an internationally recognized PVC

IRCC and the Public Health Agency of Canada have been working closely with Global Affairs Canada and other federal departments to engage foreign governments to ensure broad awareness and acceptance of the Canadian approach to vaccination (e.g. mixed dosages) and of Canadian PVCs.