[ Backgrounder ] - [ Annual
Report ]
June 16, 2003
OTTAWA- Tony Tirabassi, parliamentary
secretary to the Honourable Lucienne Robillard, President of the
Treasury Board of Canada and Member of Parliament for
Westmount-Ville-Marie, tabled last Friday the second annual
report on the Government On-Line (GOL) initiative.
"Over the last year we put 22 additional services
completely on-line, made further improvements to the Canada Web
Site and introduced a number of new measures to further protect
the privacy of users and enhance security,'' Minister Robillard
said. "This is why Canada remains a recognized world leader in
e-government."
As mentioned in the report, Canadians are among
the world's most enthusiastic Internet users. For example, over
the past year alone, more than 400,000 Canadians applied for
employment insurance on-line and roughly nine million individual
income tax returns were filed electronically in 2002. The next
step is to make on-line service easier, faster and more
integrated.
"About 50 per cent of Canadians already expect to
use the Internet or e-mail as the chief means of interacting with
the government in the future," said Mme Robillard. "At the same
time, more than 50 per cent of Canadians who use the Internet now
use at least one other delivery channel - either a phone call, a
visit to a government office, or a letter - to complete a
transaction with the government."
Action is also being taken to ensure the privacy
and security of on-line transactions with the government. This
includes adoption of the Privacy Impact Assessment policy,
enhanced network connectivity and intrusion detection
capabilities through the "Secure Channel" and the introduction of
an on-line authentication service known as epass.
Earlier this year, the international consultancy
firm Accenture singled out Canada as the world leader in
e-government for the third consecutive year. In large measure,
this rating is due to our government's progress to the service
transformation stage of e-government.
The Government of Canada is committed to
improving services to Canadians. In addition to departmental
investments, $880 million has been allocated through to 2005 to
put the most commonly used services on-line and to establish the
policies and infrastructure to enhance privacy and security.
The GOL Annual Report can be accessed on the
following Web site address: www: tbs-sct.gc.ca
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For more information, contact:
Daniel Grenier
Press Secretary
Office of the President of the Treasury Board of Canada
(613) 957-2666
Mario Baril
Media Relations
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
(613) 957-2391
IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED
VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE
ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.
TTY (Telecommunications device for the hearing
impaired) - (613) 957-9090
Government On-Line
On-line Service and Canadians
- Increasingly, Canadians are relying on the Internet as their
primary resource to access information and services.
- Canadians are world leaders in the use of the Internet,
spending an average of 9 hours per week on-line.
- 71% of Canadians and 81% of Canadian youth have Internet
access.
- In the last three months, 51% of Canadian Internet users
visited a government web site.
- More than 80 percent of users who accessed a government
service on-line would do so again.
Government On-Line
- The Government of Canada launched the Government On-Line
(GOL) initiative in October 1999. GOL is a service improvement
initiative that will provide citizens and businesses with on-line
access to the most commonly used Government of Canada information
and transactional services via the Internet and in the official
language of their choice.
- The Government's commitment to the Government On-Line
initiative was reiterated in Budget 2000 and again in 2001.
- The Government of Canada's service strategy, of which GOL is
a key component, is guided by two principles:
- organizing services and information around the needs and
expectations of citizens and business (user-centred); and
- taking a "whole of government" approach to provide access to
the entire range of government services regardless of what
delivery channel is used to access it (telephone, in-person or
web) or which department, agency, or level of government is
responsible for the service.
- In addition to what departments and agencies are investing in
on-line services, the Government of Canada has allocated $880
million to GOL over six fiscal years to 2005-06. To date, the
following results have been achieved:
1. On-Line Services and Service
Improvement
The Government of Canada is continuing to develop
client-centred delivery of information and services to the people
of Canada through its main Internet portal, the Canada Site at www.canada.gc.ca
The Government of Canada has increased the number
of interactive on-line services available over the past year. For
example, individuals can now apply for employment insurance
benefits on-line while at the same time accessing other
employment-related information and services, such as job
availability.
2. Common, secure infrastructure
An enterprise-wide electronic service delivery
platform (Secure Channel) is being built to enable integrated
services and support secure Internet, telephone and in-person
access. Phase one of the Secure Channel project has seen the
successful implementation of the epass service that
enables on-line registration and authentication and will provide
the means for end-to-end, interactive, customized and secure
services via Internet.
3. Policy and standards frameworks
The Government of Canada is building confidence
in e-services by addressing the issues of information management,
privacy and security.
- A Privacy Impact Assessment Policy was adopted to
ensure that privacy is an integral part of the design or
re-structuring of services.
- A revised Government Security Policy was adopted, and
information technology security standards are being updated.
- A revised Management of Government Information Policy
was adopted.
4. Communications and measurement
The views of citizens have played an important
role in determining the design, comprehensiveness and
prioritization of on-line information and services. Extensive
consultations with clients in Canada and abroad supported the
re-design of the Canada Site and its on-going development.
Extensive consultations are also being carried out to obtain user
views on security and privacy as well as service standards,
service delivery models and other service delivery issues.
- An Internet-based user panel of some 4,500 people was
established in early 2002 to begin collecting information on
on-line service preferences and expectations.
- Multiple focus groups have been conducted on a range of
issues.
- The Government of Canada also participates in a number of
syndicated studies such as Ekos' Rethinking the Information
Highway, Citizens First and other research initiatives.
The GOL Advisory Panel comprising representatives
from the private, academic and voluntary sectors submitted its
second report to the government in December 2002
(www.gol-ged.gc.ca/rpt/rpt_e.asp).
Reporting on progress is also important to keep
Canadians, businesses and other stakeholders informed of plans
and progress. The annual GOL reports as well as reports from each
of the departments responsible for GOL are posted at www.gol-ged.gc.ca.
Measuring progress is key to moving forward and
demonstrating the on-going value of GOL investments. A
performance measurement framework with 11 performance indicators
has been established covering all aspects of the Government
On-Line initiative from departmental readiness to client
satisfaction. A Common Measurements Tool has been developed to
measure client satisfaction for in-person, telephone and Internet
channels.
5. Human resources
The Government of Canada is ensuring that
employees will have the knowledge, skills and competencies to
deliver public services in an integrated, client-centred,
multi-channel environment.
- A business strategy has been developed that focuses on
capacity-building, engagement and awareness, and shared work
practices to meet the unique requirements of the three
"communities of practice" within the government: Information
Management, Information Technology and Service Delivery.
- Research and demographic-analysis has been carried out in
relation to communities of practice and their role in supporting
policy and organizational change.
More information on the Government On-Line
initiative and related activities can be found at www.gol-ged.gc.ca.
Canadian Centre for Management
Development
Campus direct
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Management of Access to Canada
Department of National Defense
Information Technology Security
Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade:
Assistance to Canadians Abroad
Public Diplomacy Services
Health Canada
Health Promotion
Canadian Heritage
Virtual Museum of Canada
Human Resources Development Canada
Labour Transaction Services
National Homelessness Initiative
Social Insurance Number
Industry Canada
Canadian Business Service Centres
Canadian Intellectual Property Office
Consumer Services
Corporate Name Search - NUANS (Newly Upgraded Automated Name
Search)
Federal Incorporations
Filings Under the Investment Canada Act
Information Highway Applications
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Land Management
Privy Council Office
Congratulatory Messages from the Prime
Minister
Privy Council Office Web site
Statistics Canada
Communications and Dissemination
Stakeholder Relationships
Existing Completed Services:
Department of Finance
Budget Information
Consultations Information
Finance Legislation Information
Other Information Updates
Tariff Policy Information
Tax Policy Information
Industry Canada
Business Intelligence Products
Lobbyists Remote Registration System
Privy Council Office
Prime Minister's correspondence
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