Identity document
Other forms of officially accepted identification include the driver's license and the birth certificate. However, these are accepted only in limited circumstances and cannot take the place of the ID Card in most cases. The ID Card is mandatory for dealing with government institutions, banks or currency exchange shops. A valid passport may also be accepted, but usually only for foreigners.
Bill C-27 (39th Canadian Parliament, 2nd Session)
An official document was defined as follow in the Bill: "For the purposes of this section, "identity document" means a Social Insurance Number card, a driver's licence, a health insurance card, a birth certificate, a passport as defined in subsection 57(5), a document that simplifies the process of entry into Canada, a certificate of citizenship, a document indicating immigration status in Canada or a certificate of Indian status, issued or purported to be issued by a department or agency of the federal or a provincial government, or any similar document issued or purported to be issued by a foreign government." The bill did not include debit cards and credit cards. For someone to possess someone else's official document, they would have had to have the document owner's permission or provide a valid reason. Valid include genealogical research and administration of justice.