Backgrounder: The State of Service report 2025

The Minister of Citizens’ Services, Terry Beech, released the State of Service report to highlight improvements to service delivery and demonstrate how departments are working together across the Government to address challenges and keep improving—with a focus on public services that are efficient, accessible, dependable and centred on the needs of Canadians. This comprehensive update reflects the Citizens’ Services portfolio’s commitment to accountability and continuous progress, while advancing service delivery improvements aligned with the Minister’s mandate letter in these areas: 

• Passport Program;
• Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP); 
• Employment Insurance (EI) Program;
• Social Insurance Number (SIN) Program; and
• service delivery across Government.

Passport Program

• The Canadian passport is internationally recognized and respected. It allows Canadians to have safe, secure and visa-free access to over 180 countries.
• In the spring of 2022, Service Canada saw a historic volume of passport requests. To better manage the demand, capacity was expanded at 24 Service Canada Centres, upgrading them from a 20-day service standard to an expedited 10-day service. There are now a total of 60 sites across Canada offering 10-day service.
• About 93% of Canadians now have access to passport services within 50 kilometres of where they live.
• In 2022–23, Service Canada processed 3.3 million passports. For 2023–24, that number surged to 4.8 million—an increase of nearly 50%—and Service Canada processed 92% of those applications within the service standards. Service Canada expects to process up to 5.4 million passports in 2024–25. 
• The Government launched the Passport Application Status Checker in March 2023. This digital tool gives another option to Canadians, so they do not need to wait on hold or in line when they want an update on the status of their passport application.

Canadian Dental Care Plan

• In December 2023, the Government of Canada launched the CDCP, the largest benefit rolled out for Canadians in a generation.
• The CDCP makes dental care more affordable for low- to middle-income Canadian families who don’t have private dental insurance.
• Just over one year after the CDCP’s launch in December 2023, the plan has received more than 3.8 million applications (as of January 2025). Over 86% of these applicants have been deemed eligible and approved for coverage. Since access to the dental services began in May 2024, over 1.4 million Canadians have already received care (as of January 2025). 
• 87% of those who applied did so through the automated phone interactive voice response system without officer assistance.
• The CDCP Call Centre has maintained an officer accessibility rate of over 99%, meaning that no callers are turned away due to high call volumes. The average wait time has been less than 35 seconds. 

 Employment Insurance Program

• Millions of workers in Canada rely on Canada’s EI system every year. Whether they become unemployed, are starting a family or are taking care of a loved one or themselves, EI steps in to help.
• Workers in Canada receive EI benefits if they qualify and are entitled to receive them. Self-employed workers may also be entitled to EI special benefits if they qualify and have opted into the EI program.
• In 2023–24, the EI Call Centre answered approximately 6 million calls with an average wait time of 4 minutes, compared to an average of 18 minutes for the same period in 2022–23.
• The Government launched the EI Benefits Estimator in October 2024 to better help workers in Canada assess the benefits and services they may be eligible for. This now averages 4,482 daily visits.

Social Insurance Number Program

• To work in Canada or access government programs and benefits, everyone requires a nine-digit SIN.
• Using eSIN, clients can apply for their SIN from the comfort of their homes. If their documents are in order, their application will be processed within 5 business days from the date the application was received, cutting in half the previous service standard of 10 business days. eSIN automation authenticates personal identification documents and extracts key information from them. This improves turnaround times for obtaining a SIN and reduces the resources required for manual application processing, saving 137,000 hours of time annually once eSIN automation is fully operational in fall 2027.

Service delivery across Government

• Across the Government of Canada, departments and agencies are laser-focused on improving how they provide services to citizens. Examples include:
• The Canada Revenue Agency offers several automatic tax filing services to reduce filing barriers for lower-income individuals.
• The Canada Border Services Agency expanded its digital service offerings with the Advance Declaration mobile technology, allowing travellers to voluntarily make their customs and immigration declarations up to 72 hours before they arrive in Canada. Participating travellers can access dedicated express lanes upon arrival and experience time savings of up to 50% at a kiosk or eGate.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has expanded its digital services for citizenship clients to include online applications and testing, virtual citizenship ceremonies, electronic citizenship certificates, and an online application tracker that helps clients to stay updated on their files.
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada launched the Business Benefits Finder in 2018. The Finder has continually evolved in response to user testing and feedback, ensuring it is efficient, effective and accessible for all users. 
• Shared Services Canada is responsible for operating and modernizing the Government of Canada’s information technology infrastructure across the public service. Shared Services Canada uses satellite services to support communication to and from remote areas where its clients are based, both nationally and internationally.
• Veterans Affairs Canada is improving service delivery by enhancing digital tools and increasing early registration on MyVAC Account, an online system that allows veterans to communicate with the department simply and securely. To date, there are over 178,000 users.
• The Canadian Digital Service is building GC Sign in, a secure, inclusive and user-friendly digital platform that will only require people to have one sign in method to gain seamless access to a variety of government services, saving time and reducing unnecessary hassle.