Both the Minister and the Deputy Minister emphasized the significant potential for information exchange and cooperation between countries in the fields of digital and cybersecurity. Digitalization has opened up many new opportunities for countries, and cooperation in this area serves as a means to achieve social and economic success.
“Collaboration allows us to keep pace with innovation in this rapidly evolving field, enabling experts to exchange experiences and learn from each other. Quebec is deeply interested in Estonia’s experience with digital identity and secure data exchange via X-Road. At the same time, Quebec is well-known for its development of artificial intelligence, which Estonia should monitor closely. It is also crucial to respect human rights and freedoms in the context of digitalization,” said Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta.
Estonia and Quebec share several priorities in the development of the digital sector. For example, they have common interests in the digitalization of public services, such as electronic identity, trust services (for example, the creation, verification, and preservation of e-signatures), data management, promoting open governance, enhancing cybersecurity, developing artificial intelligence and information systems, and fostering and retaining digital talent in the public sector.
In signing the statement of intent, Liisa Pakosta and Stéphane Le Bouyonnec were guided by the principles of openness, transparency, and legality. The Minister and the Deputy Minister aim to promote cooperation based on equality and mutual benefit in the field of digitalization. They also aim to foster contacts and communication between Estonian and Quebec organizations and institutions to ensure the continuity and sustainability of their activities and cooperation. The Estonian Information System Authority will be responsible for advancing the cooperation and related activities with Quebec.
The signing of the statement of intent follows extensive preparatory work by Estonian and Quebec officials. A key milestone was Minister Liisa Pakosta’s visit to Canada at the end of October and beginning of November, where she met with Quebec's Minister for Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs, Éric Caire.