Conference Board of Canada recommends the government use blockchain

The Conference Board of Canada, a not-for-profit think tank dedicated to researching and analyzing economic trends, has released a report that details how blockchain technology can make the Canadian government more transparent and accountable.

The board suggested that the government could use blockchain to manage public documents, permits and licenses. If the government were to adopt blockchain it could cut down overhead costs by reducing the amount needed for auditing and sharing infrastructure. This could also make it easier for the public and government clients to access those records as well.

The idea could even extend to include personal applications, commercial applications and property information as well as making it easier to track the transfer of land, lease contracts, marriage certificates, visas and land registrations.

The Conference Board thinks this could be the future of government record keeping but it still wants to wait for the new technology to become more widespread to provide proof that the technology can work.

So until blockchain becomes more mainstream the Conference Board recommends that the government align its digital transformation efforts, improve data linkages across jurisdictions and departments and develop a pan-Canadian blockchain vision to provide direction to users and Canadians.

Source: Conference Board of Canada