Delivering secure access for GCtranslate: A story of speed, innovation and government‑wide impact
When Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) began preparing to launch GCtranslate—a new AI‑powered translation tool for federal organizations—timelines were tight and expectations were high. The objective was clear: provide a secure, Protected B service that could deliver fast, accurate translations and scale quickly to support a government‑wide rollout.
To get there, an essential building block was needed: secure single sign‑on (SSO). Implementing SSO would allow public servants to access GCtranslate safely and consistently and provide the foundation to onboard more organizations over time. It was a key technology the pilot project needed before it could proceed.
That’s where Shared Services Canada (SSC) partnered with PSPC to deliver the secure authentication foundation needed for this pilot—aligning the right expertise with the right mandate so GCtranslate could launch on schedule.
Canadians rightly expect federal organizations to work together, especially when delivering secure digital services. In this case, PSPC led the product rollout while SSC focused on the enterprise identity and access components, ensuring the service meets security requirements without adding friction for users.
Why SSO is critical for secure government services
SSO is a technology many people use without realizing it. With SSO, you only need to log in once to access multiple services, eliminating the need to juggle passwords. It’s like having one key that unlocks many doors.
For the Government of Canada (GC), a secure SSO isn’t just convenient; it protects sensitive information, such as users’ login information. It also keeps digital services safe from cyber attacks and ensures only authorized users can access sensitive information or services.
A race against the clock
As the GCtranslate pilot launch approached, PSPC and SSC aligned on the need for a secure SSO capability for participating departments to enable users to access GCtranslate securely and consistently. In September 2025, the GCtranslate pilot went live, right on schedule.
“SSC’s ability to deliver the authentication solution on time enabled PSPC to meet an ambitious rollout schedule and launch the pilot across six departments, including PSPC.”
Modernization at scale and ahead of schedule
As GCtranslate moved beyond its pilot phase, scaling it to more departments required identity services to meet higher demand and current security requirements. To support the broader rollout, SSC modernized key parts of the sign‑in environment, including upgrading 50 SSO servers, and completed the work ahead of schedule so GCtranslate could connect to a secure, reliable authentication service.
This upgrade paves the way for PSPC’s incremental rollout throughout the Government of Canada in 2026–27.
“This collaboration demonstrates how strong partnerships accelerate secure, AI-enabled transformation across government, delivering instant, compliant translations while safeguarding data and supporting the Official Languages Act.”
“The rollout shows how SSC’s leadership, innovation and technical excellence are accelerating government‑wide transformation. The team showed what it means to be efficient, productive and focused on delivery, even under pressure.”
Building for the future: A modern identity platform for the GC
As GCtranslate grows, it needs a consistent way for public servants across departments to sign in securely, without creating new accounts or adding extra steps. That’s why SSC is developing a modern Identity and Credential Access Management (ICAM) platform—a government‑wide sign‑in foundation that helps people access the right services and allows organizations to protect sensitive information.
“A modern identity platform makes it easier for departments to roll out new digital services securely—and easier for employees to access them using trusted sign‑in. ICAM is one of the foundations that will help GCtranslate and other future services scale across government.”
The ICAM platform is expected to be ready this summer, which will support the onboarding of more federal organizations to GCtranslate as the service expands.
