GCKey explained

GCKey (French: CléGC) is a standards-based authentication service provided by the Government of Canada.^[1] It provides Canadians with secure access to online information and government services and assists Canadian federal government departments in managing and controlling access to their on-line programs through the provisioning of standardized registration and authentication processes. The GCKey Service issues a GCKey, which is a unique, anonymous credential that protects communications with online Government programs and services.^[2]

The GCKey Service is logically divided into two high level components:

1. The Credential Service is responsible for the registration and management of user credentials for individuals participating in the Government of Canada Federation for authentication to online services; and
2. The Authentication Service is responsible for the creation of Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) assertions confirming to Service Providers (SPs) that a successful user authentication dialog has taken place.

The GCKey Service became operational starting in September, 2012 and is available to all Canadians.

Notes and References

1. http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=26262&section=text#sec2.5 Government of Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat, November 30, 2012
2. http://clegc-gckey.gc.ca/j/eng/FQ-02 Government of Canada, GCKey FAQ, August 8, 2012