Provision of secure information and communication systems based on cryptography depends on the underlying key management system. The Government of Canada PKI will provide a uniform key management and key certification process for confidentiality and digital signatures across the government. The Policy Management Authority (PMA) is an interdepartmental committee chaired by the Treasury Board Secretariat. It will approve the policies and practices which CAs employ in issuing certificates. The Government of Canada PKI is the infrastructure that integrates other technologies (i.e., Electronic Authorization and Authentication, smart cards, etc . . . ) into a seamless solution for secure departmental information management and electronic commerce, whether internal or external to government. It is planned to be operational in late 1998.