Canada’s IT Sovereignty Standard

The Canada IT Sovereignty Standard establishes a consistent framework for evaluating the sovereignty characteristics of technology service providers operating in the Canadian market.

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Criteria

The Standard examines the elements that determine whether a provider is genuinely Canadian-controlled rather than simply Canadian-based.

IT Partner Sovereignty asks a different question

Five tests of ownership, control and accountability

01

Ownership

Who ultimately owns the organization?
02

Decision Centre

Where are ultimate strategic and corporate decisions made?
03

Tax Domicile

Where is the organization ultimately domiciled for taxation?
04

Governance

Where does ultimate governance, oversight and accountability reside?
05

Operational Control

Where does meaningful operational responsibility and customer accountability reside?

Apply For Assessment

Presence is not control

Look through the operating entity!

The existence of a Canadian subsidiary, office or workforce does not by itself establish Canadian sovereignty.
The Standard therefore looks through the operating entity where necessary to identify the ultimate owner and controlling interests.
The objective is straightforward:

To determine who ultimately controls the organization that provides the strategic technology service.

SOVEREIGN COMPLIANCE

IT Partner Sovereign Compliant

when available evidence demonstrates that the applicable requirements of the Standard are satisfied within Canada.

Where evidence is insufficient to make a determination,
the provider is identified as:

Unverified

rather than being assumed to be compliant or non-compliant.

Where the evidence demonstrates material foreign ownership
or control, the provider is identified as:

Not Sovereign Compliant

The available evidence demonstrates material non-Canadian ultimate ownership or control.

Canada’s IT Sovereignty Standard applies these principles specifically to the strategic technology service-provider relationship