And this is where the weirdness starts. I'm in Canada and early in I learned from a relative who was in government and finances told me that your SSN is only meant for the government and government services and nothing else.

Banks, companies or corporations do not need to see your SSN no matter what they say. The number was only ever supposed to be used with the government, taxation, government benefits and services.

Banks and companies just started using it as a shortcut to identify people and connect them to government services and taxation. But it was never a requirement, no matter what they said. It's the banks and the companies job to verify who you are.

I started my bank accounts as a teen in the 90s and with a bit of help, I was able to start them without a submitting a SSN. Every job I had, I actively refused to submit a SSN and told them why which with a bit of arguing they agreed. Funny part is, even though I never submitted one, the bank and every major employer I had already had the number anyway.