For immediate release OTTAWA, March 23, 2005 -- The latest report from the Government of Canada on the Government On-Line Initiative shows that on-line interactions with the government quadrupled over three years. The Honourable Scott Brison, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, tabled today in Parliament the Annual Report on the Government On-Line (GOL) Initiative, entitled Government On-Line 2005: From Vision to Reality ... and Beyond. "For many Canadians, the Internet is now the preferred method for dealing with government. Our goal to be known as the government most connected to its citizens is now making a real impact, with Canadians increasingly using the services made available to them on-line", said Minister Brison. "This report is part of our continued commitment to keep Parliament and Canadians informed about the progress made on this important file". Launched in 1999, the GOL Initiative was aimed at meeting the growing service expectations of our citizens and businesses. The target was to put on-line the 130 most commonly used services of the federal government. Today, all of those services are now on-line with various degrees of completion. They can be accessed through the Government of Canada's main Web site - the Canada Site (www.canada.gc.ca) - which offers a convenient point of access to a wide range of programs and services. Canadians, businesses and international clients already take advantage of the many benefits from GOL. They now have access anytime, anywhere and in both official languages to many services on-line allowing them to find jobs, file their taxes on-line, reserve campgrounds in national parks, obtain wait times at key border stations and much more. With almost 600 million interactions by Internet with the Government of Canada in 2004, compared to 150 million in 2001, on-line transactions now account for 30% of all transactions. The GOL Initiative represents the collective efforts of 34 departments and agencies, the Treasury Board Secretariat and Public Works and Government Services Canada. The 2005 annual report can be accessed on-line directly at www.gol-ged.gc.ca or through the Canada Site at www.canada.gc.ca. - 30 - For more information, please contact: Renée David Press Secretary Office of the Minister (819) 997-5421 Mario Baril Manager, Media Relations (819) 956-2315 PWGSC News Releases are also available on our Internet site at www.pwgsc.gc.ca/text/generic/media-e.html HIGHLIGHTS - GOL 2005 ANNUAL REPORT The Government On-Line 2005 Annual Report entitled From Vision to Reality ... and Beyond highlights many examples of different levels of government working together to deliver services to Canadians anytime, anywhere and in both official languages. GOL is about using information technology to: make government more accessible, and serve all Canadians (Chapter 1 - Accessibility); make on-line service better and more responsive (Chapter 2 - Better and More Responsive Services); build trust and confidence in transacting on-line (Chapter 3 - Building Confidence and Trust in On-Line Services); and lay the foundation for service transformation (Chapter 4 - Building on Our Successes and Strengthening Results). Why GOL? GOL was launched in response to increasing demands by Canadians to make information and services available on-line while continuing to provide services through traditional modes. The Government On-Line (GOL) Initiative is a key component of the Government of Canada's service strategy, which is guided by two principles: organizing services and information around the needs and expectations of Canadians, businesses and international clients (client-centred); and taking a "whole-of-government" approach to provide access to the entire range of government services regardless of what channel is used (telephone, in-person, mail or Web) or which department, agency, or level of government is responsible for the service. Changes in 2004 Improved access to the subject or audience based information via the three Gateways on the Canada Site (www.canada.gc.ca), as well as enhancements to the Canadians Gateway (Canadians and Residents) homepage Addition of a "quick search" feature to the On-Line Forms and Services section of the Canada Site to help users quickly find the forms and services they need with a keyword search More easily accessible links throughout the site to such key information pieces as the proactive disclosure program, commissions of inquiry, Ethics Commissioner and Auditor General reports. This enhancement was made in support of the Government of Canada's communications, accountability and transparency objectives Canadians are among the world's most enthusiastic users of the Internet. According to a 2004-2005 EKOS survey on Trends in Internet Usage and Access: 78% of Canadians had used the Internet in the past three months. 72% of Canadians had Internet access at home. Canadian households with high-speed Internet access now outnumber those with dial-up. 44% of Canadians have bought on-line and 43% bank over the Internet. 64% of Internet users are comfortable submitting personal taxpayer information over the Internet to the Canada Revenue Agency. 71% of Internet users have used a Government of Canada Web site in the past 12 months; on average, there are 1.2 million visits to the Canada Site (Canada.gc.ca) every month. 31% of Canadians say their most recent contact with the Government of Canada was via the Internet. Users of Government of Canada services on the Internet report an 81% satisfaction rating of these services (either satisfied or extremely satisfied). 77% of Canadians having recent contact with the federal government said that accessing the Internet service was easy, compared to 67% across all services. 76% of current Internet users believe that the Internet has made it easier to find information about government programs and services. 46% of all Canadians would be most likely to visit a government Web site to find information about a government program or service, making it the preferred method overall. 90% of Canadian Internet users and 38% of non-users expect to use the Internet to deal with governments in the future. 42% of Canadians expect that they will do most of their transactions with the Government of Canada over the Internet in the next five years.
