The Government of Canada’s Digital Ambition

Build trust in government

Trust is a critical factor to ensuring that the public uses government services. Without trust, they may be less likely to use them. As the world shifts to a more digital landscape, the realization that information is available at the click of a button can become overwhelming for some.

To build trust, the GC will continue working to increase transparency and adopting open government principles and guidelines and working toward the commitments in Canada’s 5th National Action Plan on Open Government.

Current efforts by the GC include:

• updating how to make an access to information or personal information request through the online portal by using Sign-In Canada, which makes the entire process more efficient
• trialing approaches to declassification of government documents (as outlined in the Access to Information Review) and developing proactive disclosure approaches
• providing GC organizations the capacity to update individuals quickly, consistently, reliably and securely by email or by text message through GC Notify, which will reduce the risk of misinformation by sending information from a valid and credited source

Building and maintaining trust with Canadians

Protecting personal information and upholding a person’s right to access their information and correct it if necessary are also essential to building and preserving trust in public institutions. Most agree that personal information and data should be shared between GC organizations to enable faster, simpler services while being protected with mechanisms in place to address any breaches.

The GC must balance the need to work in the open with the protection of privacy. This means the GC will continue to:

• properly safeguard through partnerships and data and information-sharing agreements
• limit the collection, use and disclosure of information
• retain information for only as long as necessary
• maintain the accuracy of information
• ensure transparency in its practices

In building privacy into new digital initiatives from the start, the GC will:

• ensure that the protection of personal information is considered throughout the life cycle of programs and services
• foster trust among those who increasingly expect digital services

Deliver efficiency by leveraging existing tools

To continue to foster digital transformation, the GC will continue to embed its Ambition into existing government-wide policies, strategies, frameworks and governance bodies.

The efforts to embed the Ambition include:

• the Government of Canada Digital Standards: Playbook, which:
  • outlines the guiding principles for how all public servants must work in the digital age
  • will continue to be refreshed as the environment changes
• the Policy on Service and Digital and the Directive on Service and Digital, which articulate how GC organizations are to manage service delivery, information and data, IT, and cyber security in the digital era
• adjusting and extending the existing policy suite, including the development of new directives and standards, while working to simplify and bring the Policy on Service and Digital to life to:
  • accelerate digital transformation
  • address emerging needs and priorities
• the new Directive on Digital Talent, which:
  • operationalizes digital “workforce capacity and capability development” requirements in the Policy on Service and Digital
  • is designed to deliver improvements in data collection, interdepartmental collaboration, planning, talent sourcing and talent management for the GC digital community
• the GC Enterprise Architecture Review Board, which:
  • defines current and target architecture standards for the GC
  • reviews departmental proposals for alignment
• the GC’s Service and Digital Target Enterprise Architecture White Paper, which will continue to:
  • help better coordinate transformation efforts
  • focus on users and service delivery when considering modernizing and onboarding IT solutions
  • align IT investments with business services
  • be the primary architecture reference for more departments (as applicable) for the digital enablement of GC services
• the Policy on Government Security and the Directive on Security Management, which:
  • support trusted delivery of government programs and services through a modern hybrid environment and a broad-spectrum approach to security, including physical, personnel, data, IT, contracting, training, business continuity and incident management aspects
  • are related to other instruments, including the Standard on Security Screening, which will be refreshed as needed to enable digital outcomes
• the 2023-2026 Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service, which:
  • re-establishes priorities for a unified and collaborative approach to managing government‑wide data as an asset while respecting privacy
  • will continue to be refreshed as the environment changes
• the Greening Government Strategy, under which the GC:
  • is investigating ways to reduce the environmental footprint of the government’s digital operations in an era when digital technology is one of the leading contributors to greenhouse gas emissions
  • will develop targets, standards and procurement criteria for government IT that supports the Policy on Green Procurement
• Deputy Minister committees, which:
  • will continue to promote a whole-of-government approach to management, human resources and policy planning related to the Ambition
  • include committees on GC-wide priorities and planning and core services, which focus on issues such as privacy, data use and procurement for complex programs

Complex structural reality

The GC is structured as multiple departments and agencies. Often, the vertical operations lead within each organization has their own siloed and independent systems. However, from an IT point of view and user point of view, GC service delivery often goes beyond any individual organization or area of operations.

Currently, service delivery in the GC has multiple entry points, which reflect the need for whole-of-government digital infrastructure in Canada. People need to know where to go to access services and while many do, some do not. Asking them in inconsistent ways to provide proof of who they are to access services further exacerbates some frustrations. Making their sign-in experience easier and improving the overall end-to-end experience of accessing government services are key to ensuring and, importantly, showing that the GC’s digital transformation keeps user needs at the forefront.

Furthermore, many IT systems and infrastructure components are:

• outdated, complex and costly to maintain
• difficult to change quickly and carry additional risks

In addition, limitations in core capabilities related to delivering on these large, complex components remain barriers to digital change.

Shortage of talent and under-representation

There is a worldwide shortage of technical specialists, particularly in areas such as data science and cyber security. The GC is in a very competitive situation in attracting the workforce needed to deliver on the Ambition.

The GC needs to:

• represent the population of Canada
• reduce systemic barriers to people trying to access government information and services, no matter where they live and how they identify

Building a diverse and inclusive workforce helps the GC:

• better understand the needs of individuals
• deliver quality, user-centric service

Under-representation is another challenge facing the digital community.

These needs are identified in the Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada and Building a Foundation for Change: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2019–2022, and the Clerk’s Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service. To achieve these objectives, it is necessary to work with employment equity groups and equity-seeking groups to better understand their needs and expectations, to attract and retain more talent from these important groups that will support our effort to design more inclusive and accessible digital services for all.

Value-driven investment

Investment in technology and digital initiatives has continued to grow over the last decade; however, the highly decentralized nature of IT investment management and decision-making in the GC creates high complexity. This is consistent with large complex organizations around the globe in both the private and public sectors. There is no target state or destination in managing these investments; rather, it is an ongoing journey to evolve delivery, funding and value creation. Focused work is underway to calibrate the right balance between centralization and decentralization with an eye to maximize efficiency to take advantage of the cost savings that modernization can create. There is opportunity to provide both self-service and full-service means to support Canadians and be methodical about how we invest collectively to achieve efficiency of delivery.

Priority 1.1: strengthening the overall health of the government’s application portfolio

Thousands of software applications are used to run the systems that deliver GC programs and services, such as Employment Insurance, passports and Old Age Security, to millions of Canadians every day. The good health of these applications is essential for reliable and secure service.

To manage current technical debt and avoid accumulating more in the future, the GC should look toward modernizing the application portfolio by:

• making decisions, as outlined in the Cloud Adoption Strategy, to modernize for short-term and long-term value
• building a roadmap for retiring and decommissioning legacy technology
• leveraging common enterprise and cloud-based solutions, such as software as a service

Such collective action will be enabled by:

• enhancing the GC Application Portfolio Management Framework and tools to provide better data-driven insights for GC organizations to use in managing the health of their application portfolio and for senior leaders to use in prioritizing enterprise investments
• supporting funding to GC organizations to modernize applications and migrate to modern hosting environments
• ensuring a GC-wide approach to drive common adoption of solutions and global processes
• making enhancements to tools and guidance for a developer-centred approach to security and privacy that embeds such an approach in the application development process

Priority 1.2: strengthen delivery of the GC digital transformation

As the GC continues its digital transformation, there remain key challenges that require horizontal solutions and prioritization. To this end, it will be necessary to deploy senior transformation leaders, provide key digital resources, and leverage agile ways of working to deliver cross-enterprise programs with a focus on outcomes. Dedicated teams will continue to act as liaisons with central agencies and project teams for complex and multi-year transformation projects.

Priority 1.3: improve the service experience of all clients

A successful digital government is committed to continuously improving service delivery.

Digital government invests in:

• obtaining quality data
• gathering client insights
• understanding user experiences
• measuring and improving service satisfaction

By making these investments, digital government can build public trust.

For government, client focus means:

• developing and delivering client-centric service, as required by the Policy on Service and Digital
• making sure that services are:
  • accessible, inclusive, easy to use and secure
  • digitally enabled
  • configured to protect privacy
  • available in both official languages

Service delivery improves through commitment to the guiding principles and best practices set out in the Government of Canada Digital Standards: Playbook. To provide easy-to-access, modern and effective services, the GC must:

• increase the accessibility, availability, reliability and security of online end-to-end services
• meet the needs of everyone, including:
  • vulnerable populations who require specific forms of support
  • those who reside in areas with less connectivity
  • those who do not wish to or are unable to use technologies

Priority 1.4: deploy modern and accessible workplace tools and devices

The COVID‑19 pandemic increased the need for more modern work tools and ways of working. Day-to-day operations have undergone a seismic shift since early 2020, and the GC must continue to support public servants with the tools and devices they need to be productive and collaborate in this new reality.

Efforts in this regard will complement the Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada and its commitment to providing public servants with a new suite of accessible digital communication and collaboration tools.

Security safeguards will be implemented based on the sensitivity and value of information balanced with the user experience.

Priority 1.5: plan and govern for the sustainable and integrated management of service, information, data, IT, privacy and cyber security

Progress is being made on integrating:

• the planning and management of service, information, data, IT and cyber security
• input and direction from program officials

Integrated planning uses the right data, processes and technology to help provide data-driven insights across the GC portfolio of investments, assets and services.

The GC will respond to changes in business needs and better leverage new technologies by enabling agile product management approaches to meet evolving expectations. To address key challenges in the current ecosystem, including reducing silos, eliminating unnecessary redundancies and addressing the problems posed by legacy systems, a target-state model has been defined for the digital enablement of GC services. The Service and Digital Target Enterprise Architecture White Paper will:

• help align IT investments with user needs and underlying business services
• reduce unnecessary redundancies

When implementing this enterprise architecture, IT investments will be systematically considered from a whole-of-government perspective. New digital investments will be assessed against the criteria set out in the Service and Digital Target Enterprise Architecture White Paper.

Priority 2.1: maximize public value of data and information

The GC needs to build the foundations that take advantage of work that has been advanced in the 2023-2026 Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service. To that end, the GC will:

• define roles and responsibilities for data stewardship
• implement standards for accessibility and interoperability, while protecting privacy and personal information
• build solutions to facilitate the secure exchange of data across levels of government and with trusted external partners, while upholding ethical and inclusive democratic principles
• advocate for a legislative framework that:
  • supports sharing and using data ethically and responsibly
  • protects such data
• develop data-sharing with a focus on enabling a prioritized sequence of use cases (both user-facing services and internal program design)
• prioritize the release of high-quality open data and information that is in demand to allow the public to generate their own economic and social value

Priority 2.2: build and use secure common solutions for digital service delivery

Over the past 50 years, most IT systems that help deliver government operations and services have been designed and built independently of one another. This system has resulted in:

• a complex technological landscape that makes it difficult to integrate systems to provide a seamless client experience
• high support and maintenance costs
• a lack of flexibility and agility, which are needed to deliver new services and benefits quickly

For users, this means they have to provide the same information every time they access a new service or benefit. They may also have to wait longer to confirm their identity when signing up for a new service and providing different information as proof of eligibility for different services.

The next step in enabling digital government is adopting a “government as a platform” service delivery model that relies on common components for common service interactions. Such interactions include:

• finding information
• applying for a service
• receiving a status update
• exchanging data within government to give clients a “tell‑us‑once” experience

We have also recognized that providing simple, secure ways of interacting with government services improves the experience for those using them. It is critical that the GC continue to demonstrate leadership at the federal level in developing and implementing a framework for using digital credentials to improve digital service delivery. At the same time, we will continue to work closely with our provincial and territorial partners to further enhance the work underway in their jurisdictions.

Priority 2.3: manage and use data and information as strategic assets

In addition to maximizing the public value of data and information, the GC needs to improve how these strategic assets are managed, used and protected.

The vast amount and variety of data and information that the GC collects, creates and holds (including but not limited to personal, financial, geospatial, scientific and statistical data) can be used to improve decision-making, the development of advice, and the design and delivery of policies and programs. All this needs to be done with the user’s service experience in mind. The 2023-2026 Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service has been refreshed as part of the work on the Ambition, and was sponsored by the Privy Council Office, Statistics Canada and the Chief Data Officer of Canada.

Building on progress to date and work already underway across the public service, the strategy is organized into four mission areas focused on the following concrete, achievable and high-impact opportunities:

1. proactively considering data by design in all stages of government initiatives
2. effectively stewarding data for decision-making
3. improving user experience and maintaining trust by enabling data-driven services through data that flows securely where it is needed
4. empowering the public service with the talent and tools it needs

This strategy shifts the focus to implementation and engagement across GC organizations, notably by:

• embedding data activities and needs at the outset of initiatives
• striving to disaggregate data (Disaggregated Data Action Plan) to the lowest level needed to enable service improvement that continues to respect privacy and security requirements
• assessing the needs of managers and teams in terms of data skills

Priority 3.1: embed GC priorities into governing frameworks and policy

Governance is a key enabler of effective policy. The deputy minister–level committees bring together internal and external experts who have experience in implementing modernization initiatives in order to enable and support the GC organizations that are responsible for transforming core services.

Priority 3.2: provide horizontal prioritization and portfolio management

Throughout its history, the GC has customarily managed its respective portfolios and priorities in silos, department by department. However, to deliver citizen-centric digital government services effectively, the GC needs to increasingly consider the broader government context when defining its priorities. Throughout 2022–23, the GC:

• reorganized how digital initiatives are managed
• shifted toward a cross-organization integration and allocation strategy

This shift will continue over the near term with a goal of maturing this approach.

Priority 3.3: streamline partner portfolio

To address complex challenges, GC organizations are looking for solutions that can be implemented quickly. As departments and agencies face similar challenges, identifying solutions and negotiating contracts with vendors as a group for technically validated procurement vehicles can:

• facilitate the implementation of quality solutions
• enable organizations to benefit from economies of scale

Priority 3.4: establish an agile operating model

There are many horizontal and cross-cutting digital mandates throughout the GC. To achieve these mandates requires a clear model of responsibilities and communication structures to ensure that outcomes are aligned to whole-of-government priorities. The maturing of an agile operating model to allow for better horizontal/enterprise solutions is a work in progress and will be an iterative activity. Excellent foundational work has occurred in the prior year and work will continue in current year to further mature approach.

Priority 3.5: implement GC-wide architecture strategy and standards

To ensure the benefits gained from investments can be maximized, the GC will provide direction on architectural topics to guide a cross-enterprise approach. For example, continuing to prioritize a “modernize-first” approach to cloud transition. This, in turn, will allow the development of enterprise patterns while still being able to be flexible with departmental and agency needs.

Priority 3.6: provide modern, reliable and secure networks and infrastructure

Secure networks and infrastructure are the foundations of digital government and of all government services. Currently, the GC has a multitude of networks across the country consisting of a mix of old and new network infrastructure. Much of the older infrastructure cannot handle cloud, video and voice. Furthermore, the majority of the networks are based on old concepts, some of which are overly complex and labour-intensive to support or modify. They are also costly to maintain and lacking in their capacity to scale and deliver the services Canadians need and expect.

As the GC adopts alternative service delivery models, such as public cloud and hybrid cloud, it must continue to provide a secure, reliable and privacy-enabled interoperable service delivery environment for internal services and business applications hosted in cloud-based environments. To that end, the GC must create a secure and resilient enterprise digital security ecosystem that builds in privacy and security from the outset.

Shared Services Canada is in the process of consolidating and modernizing the GC network infrastructure. This consolidation and modernization include the recent expansion of external network connectivity, which was set up with a focus on access to cloud environments and software as a service. The needs of the GC’s high-security organizations will be considered as the work continues to make government networks and infrastructure more secure.

Priority 4.1: drive a systemic culture shift across government to a digital-first mindset

Everyone has a role to play, and leaders must create the space for their employees to thrive, learn and adopt a digital-first mindset to better serve the population.

Applying a digital lens to all government policy development and program design requires focus and discipline, innovative thinking, skills, governance and work practices.

The GC Digital Skills Strategy, which is being developed as part of the Skills Strategy for Public Servants, will establish:

• evolution of digital skills for all public servants
• organizational-level supports, learning and outcomes that will fundamentally enhance the GC’s ability to lead with a digital mindset
• a common foundation for digitally enabled discussions with partners in other areas of government, including human resources, finance and procurement

The Government of Canada Digital Standards: Playbook, which places the client at the centre of design, development and change, remains a resource that helps public servants understand how they can approach work differently in the digital age. These standards, which will continue to evolve over time, support the government’s shift to making its operations more iterative, agile, open and user-focused.

Priority 4.2: attract, retain and develop diverse digital talent

To make digital government a reality, GC digital practitioners must adopt a digital mindset, with the right knowledge and skills. This mindset requires investing in training and professional development that will attract and retain top talent. There is currently intense demand for such talent nationally and internationally.

The digital workforce needs to reflect the diversity of the people it serves to make programs and services inclusive and accessible by design. The GC Digital Talent Strategy, which is being implemented, will ensure that digital recruiting, retention and skilling efforts are coordinated across departments. Within this, the OCIO will continue to:

• expand its talent acquisition and management efforts in concert with GC organizations
• mobilize to make tangible progress in closing the talent gap

Such efforts will further include:

• seeking new sources of talent, such as apprenticeships
• increasing diversity through functional partnerships with advocacy organizations across Canada
• developing career pathways

The efforts will ensure workforce development and skilling so that digital practitioners have the right digital skills for today and tomorrow.

Data will also inform decisions about talent mobility and career management and enable the GC to respond strategically to gaps in critical skills. The OCIO will also work to proactively create a working environment that promotes psychological safety, for example, by improving onboarding processes and supports. The GC Digital Talent Strategy outlines activities led by the OCIO related to the digital workforce, including enabling the GC, building the community and harnessing innovation.