Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, Shared Services Canada – Supplementary Estimates (B), 2019-20

Issue

To enable digital operations in the Government of Canada, Shared Services Canada is embracing the innovative and responsible use of new technologies and aligning with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s directives on digital operations.

Response

• Shared Services Canada is working with Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and departments and agencies on detailed plans to enable digital operations and digital government services.
• Funding from Budget 2018 will support the upgrades to the Governments mission-critical IT infrastructure, and the modernization agenda, both of which are essential for enabling digital operations.
• Funding from Budget 2019 will support the identification, removal and prevention of technological barriers in federal government workplaces.
• “SSC 3.0: An Enterprise Approach” will help the Government of Canada achieve a truly digital government that delivers high-value, essential digital services to Canadians and provides federal employees with the digital tools they need to deliver these services.
• SSC 3.0 will also support Government of Canada Digital Standard to “Build in accessibility from the start” as part of Budget 2019 commitments.

Background

• In December 2019, the Government of Canada appointed a Minister of Digital Government to lead digital strategy and programming at Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, as well as at Shared Services Canada.
• To support moving the Government of Canada toward digital operations, the Government of Canada has invested $2.2 billion over 6 years (Budget 2018), in new technologies and replacing existing technologies, as government systems and IT infrastructure age. To support digital programs and services for Canadians, it is important to prioritize the renewal or replacement of at-risk IT infrastructure and systems.
• To achieve its digital government vision, the Government of Canada has set digital standards and released the 2018–2022 Digital Operations Strategic Plan, which together put users and their needs at the heart of everything it does, and leverages the latest digital technologies to deliver high-value services to Canadians.
• “SSC 3.0: An Enterprise Approach” focuses on delivering a government-wide approach for all of government which, in turn, will improve service to Canadians. A holistic approach is the only way Canadians will be served in the way they expect and deserve—by a digital government that puts users first and understands their needs, embeds data protection in everything it does, while simultaneously providing the best possible digital services, programs and policies.
• The government has also published the Directive on the Management of Projects and Programs (April 2019), the Policy on Service and Digital, and the Directive on Service and Digital (August 2019).
• Shared Services Canada updated its Project Governance Framework and Guidelines (October 2019) and is working on its alignment with the Policy on Service and Digital, which will come into effect as of April 2020.

Issue

Shared Services Canada is initiating a series of projects to digitally enable the Government of Canada workplace.

Response

• Shared Services Canada is expanding the digital communications tools and services available to Government of Canada employees.
• Email and other types of digital communications tools enable Government of Canada employees to collaborate effectively and better serve Canadians in today’s online environment.
• The first project will deliver a Government of Canada Digital Communications and Collaboration platform to provide employees with the means to work in a more connected way.
• These projects will provide modern, more accessible tools to public servants to serve Canadians with greater flexibility and with increased security.
• Microsoft 365 is a suite of tools that will enable new levels of efficiency, innovation and collaboration via the cloud. Nationwide, public servants will be able to work in more connected ways using integrated email, instant messaging, enterprise‑wide social networks, videoconferencing, web applications, digital collaboration tools and more.

Background

• Shared Services Canada is preparing the infrastructure required to support the implementation of Microsoft 365 in the cloud for 43 Government of Canada departments and agencies. Shared Services Canada aligns with the Government of Canada’s digital vision of enabling delivery of services anytime, anywhere and from any government device, and supports the SSC 3.0 approach by:
  • Solidifying the information technology foundation by increasing network reliability and strengthening security;
  • Modernizing collaboration tools to enable, engage and empower employees; and
  • Adopting Cloud and modern data centres to improve reliability and reduce risk.
• Digital Communications and Collaboration is also working closely with other federal departments, such as the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and Communications Security Establishment Canada. They will ensure the Government of Canada operates as one to the benefit of all Canadians.
• This new Digital Communications and Collaboration service will provide:
  • The ability to work securely (up to Protected B) from anywhere, with agility, flexibility of service delivery and increased security;
  • Access to a core set of tools to provide a better user experience;
  • Access to communication tools beyond email to improve employee mobility; and
  • Accessibility from the onset with software features that support inclusivity.
• Under the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, Shared Services Canada will be able to provide all federal departments with Microsoft 365. Public servants will be able to use software that is more inclusive from the start owing to built-in accessibility features. The Microsoft Enterprise Agreement will cover getting:
  • Digital Communication and Collaboration tools;
  • business and network applications;
  • ongoing support; and
  • maintenance for licenced services.
• Microsoft 365 will enable greater efficiency and collaboration with the latest office productivity technologies. For example:
  • Inspectors and scientists working in the field using a tablet and a cell phone will be able to access the same suite of products to work on shared documents with colleagues back at the office.
  • Members of a national working group across Canada will be able to collaborate on a project and keep a running log of conversations regardless of the difference in time zones.
  • A public servant who uses assistive technology to communicate with team members will be able to take advantage of built-in accessibility functions to get captioning of a web-casted meeting in another city.

Questions and Answers – Digital Communications and Collaboration Platform

Following the incomplete or failed email transformation initiative, how can Canadians trust that Shared Services Canada will deliver on the implementation of Microsoft 365?

Based on previous lessons learned, Shared Services Canada is taking a phased approach in implementing Microsoft 365. This platform includes tools serving various purposes, to facilitate collaboration, improve productivity, and manage content. Since the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement was signed in April 2019, Shared Services Canada has worked to identify six departments to act as pathfinders for onboarding Outlook email through Exchange Online and to enable them to use Office 365.

The Pathfinders are:

• Shared Services Canada;
• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat;
• Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency;
• Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada;
• Transport Canada; and
• Veterans Affairs Canada.

In preparation for the full roll-out, anticipated in 2020, all of the above Pathfinders have:

• prepared internally through project plans;
• upgraded systems to enable the Office 365 platform; and
• prepared strategies to ensure employees will be ready to use the new tools once they are live.

Additionally, Shared Services Canada has been supporting other departments as they examine their business requirements to also take advantage of the tools offered under the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement.

How can Shared Services Canada be sure that they secured the best possible deal in the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement?

Shared Services Canada is confident that it has secured the best possible deal for the Government of Canada in the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement. The Department spent considerable effort assessing and analyzing the market. This Agreement delivers cost savings across all Microsoft offerings, and was approved by Treasury Board. It will deliver a powerful digital communications platform to the Government of Canada.

Why did Shared Services Canada lock in to the contract for seven years?

Historically, Microsoft pricing increases annually and it is only willing to commit to pricing for three years. By engaging in a seven year contract, Shared Services Canada was able to negotiate aggressive discounts, lock the pricing for the term of the contract, and eliminate the possibility of having to re-compete and/or migrate to a different cloud based digital communications platform in three years. The contract does provide, however, termination clauses and the possibility to reduce the quantity of products purchased during the term of the contract.

What benefits will the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement provide to the Government of Canada?

The Microsoft Enterprise Agreement will allow the government to continue to operate and support the infrastructure, servers and applications used by departments. The Agreement represents an important step towards a digitally enabled government and should result in standardization, modernization, and increased cybersecurity.

The Microsoft Enterprise Agreement will also provide access to cloud-enabled storage, communications, collaboration and sharing functionalities, while simultaneously addressing existing demand for unclassified cloud storage solutions, all at no additional costs to departments.

Issue

Shared Services Canada has an ongoing Data Centre Consolidation Initiative that will bring 720 Government of Canada legacy data centres into four modern Data Centres in addition to moving data to the cloud.

Shared Services Canada has consolidated and closed over 250 legacy data centres into four modern Data Centres. 466 legacy data centres remain to be consolidated and closed.

Response

• In order to modernize the Government of Canada IT infrastructure, Shared Services Canada is consolidating 720 legacy data centres into the cloud and four modern Data Centres.

Background

• Budget 2018 proposed $110 million over six years for departments and agencies that Shared Services Canada serves to migrate their applications from older data centres into more secure modern data centres or cloud solutions.
• By moving applications to modern Data Centres, the departments and agencies that Shared Services Canada serves can access a modern information technology infrastructure that improves their services and program delivery.
• The Government of Canada is moving forward with a cloud-first strategy, but modern Data Centres will still be needed. Shared Services Canada will continue to work with the departments and agencies it serves to determine the right solutions for their needs. Shared Services Canada will identify and prioritize legacy data centre closures based on business needs and potential impacts to mission-critical services.
• Shared Services Canada has set closure dates for the top 17 legacy data centres. Shared Services Canada has prepared for the initial six workload migration projects involving: <redacted>
• This will help departments and agencies that Shared Services Canada serves to plan for upcoming workload migrations and data centre closures.

Questions and Answers – Data Centre Consolidation and Workload Migration

What is Shared Services Canada doing to ensure that all Government of Canada data is secure, even in a legacy environment?

In order to deliver reliable services to departments, Shared Services Canada has established a comprehensive Workload Migration Program and Data Centre Closure initiative to consolidate and close legacy data centres. The data from these centres has been consolidated to the cloud, to one of four modern data centres or into a reliable location until they can be moved more permanently to a modern data centre or the cloud. In addition to improved security, the closure of legacy data centres represents important cost savings as Shared Services Canada no longer has to pay for rent, utilities and repairs in these locations.

The rate of closure of legacy data centres has recently increased. In total, 56 sites were closed in fiscal year 2018–2019 (119 percent of the original target). This was the highest number of legacy data centres ever closed by Shared Services Canada in a single fiscal year. As of January 31, 2020, the Department has already closed 62 data centres this fiscal year, surpassing the total for 2018–2019. This brings the total to 254 legacy data centres closed thus far, of the original 720 data centres.

Shared Services Canada is taking further measures to ensure data security. For example, the Workload Migration Program is updating the Government of Canada’s use of Windows servers. This program will ensure critical applications are reliable and data is secure.

Each department and agency has its own peak business cycles and blackout periods. As a result, careful coordination with each department and agency is required while planning to migrate critical applications from older hosting solutions to newer and more stable environments.

What is Shared Services Canada doing to stabilize mission-critical systems and ensure this is done efficiently, while avoiding the mistakes of the past?

Shared Services Canada is supporting the Government of Canada in assessing, prioritizing and ensuring the health and stability of critical applications so it can deliver services to Canadians. Many services are at risk since they are hosted in aging legacy data centres, depend on older coding languages, and run on legacy information technology infrastructure that requires significant and costly maintenance.

Shared Services Canada has undertaken a number of stabilization and modernization projects to stabilize mission-critical systems.

Issue

Shared Services Canada provides IT infrastructure services to the Government of Canada, including contact centre services. Contact centre infrastructure supplied or arranged through Shared Services Canada allows Canadians, public servants, businesses and other organizations to access Government of Canada front-line services.

Shared Services Canada started to modernize government contact centres to provide more convenient, secure, and reliable telecommunications and digital platforms. This modernization includes new options of communicating with Government of Canada agents that go beyond simple voice communication (e.g. web, text, chat, email, videoconference), automated information sources, convenient automatic call-back and self-service options, and special electronic access for those with accessibility needs.

Response

• Shared Services Canada is modernizing contact centres with a more flexible infrastructure and internet cloud-based services to provide more convenient, secure, and reliable access to Government of Canada front‑line services.
• Modernization of the contact centres infrastructure is a foundational investment —and a very publicly-visible initiative—aimed at improving services for Canadians by moving toward a digitally-enabled public service.

If pressed on roll-out:

• The contact centre modernization is a multi-year initiative. Shared Services Canada began with its own service desk to test the updated functionalities in a real-life environment before fully implementing with the call centres serving Canadians directly.
• The first call centres being modernized are the most complex and critical sites at Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada.
• For the remaining call centres, Shared Services Canada is working with departments and agencies to determine the solution(s) that would best fit their requirements.

Background

• Shared Services Canada is responsible for 221 contact centres throughout Canada, supporting 35 departments and agencies. A total of 15,000 agents provide call centre services, responding to millions of enquiries and searches for information annually by phone, fax or email. Many of these contact centres need to be modernized because the Government-of-Canada-owned systems are at the end of their productive life, or their vendor-hosted service contracts are expiring and cannot be extended or renewed.
• In July 2013, Shared Services Canada began a fully competitive procurement process to establish a fully featured, cloud-based Hosted Contact Centre Services contract to support the modernization efforts of the department and agency contact centres. The contract was awarded to IBM on October 30, 2015. A contract amendment reflecting changes required to the contract was approved on April 18, 2017.
• The Hosted Contact Centre Services contract is for a ten-year period, with two additional one-year options. The total contract value awarded was $56.5 million, including Harmonized Sales Tax ($56.5 million is the minimum revenue guaranteed).
• In July 2018, Shared Services Canada’s End-User Service Desk became the first call centre to be modernized to the new infrastructure. This allowed Shared Services Canada to act as the pathfinder for the new service, testing all updated functionalities in a real-life environment.
• In October 2018, Shared Services Canada received the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s approval to proceed with the Hosted Contact Centre Services project for the modernization of eight of the most critical and complex citizen-facing call centres belonging to the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada.
  • Employment and Social Development Canada National Service Desk—Completed August 2018
  • Employment and Social Development Canada Employer Contact Centre—Completed October 2018
  • Employment and Social Development Canada Canada Pension Plan / Old Age Security—Completed May 2019
  • Employment and Social Development Canada Employment Insurance Call Centre—Planned for March 2020
  • Canada Revenue Agency Business Enquiries—Completed November 2018
  • Canada Revenue Agency Individual Tax Enquiries—Completed December 2018
  • Canada Revenue Agency Debt Management Call Centre—Completed April 2019
• The 2019 Auditor General of Canada Audit Report on call centres noted that “five years after the federal government started to plan the modernization and improvement of all of its call centres, Shared Services Canada’s initiative to modernize all 221 federal government call centres was rolling out for only 8 call centres. At the time of the audit, the Department had not yet finalized a plan for the remaining 213 call centres.”
• As recommended by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, Shared Services Canada engaged all contact centre departments and agencies to identify business and technical requirements. Shared Services Canada determined there are three main tiers of complexity of contact centres, each one with varying requirements for modernization. A single solution to address all contact centres is not viable. Shared Services Canada has developed a prioritized modernization roadmap for the next five years that considers a best-fit solution based on the assigned tier of complexity. Shared Services Canada is working with departments and agencies to further define modernization plans, and will begin execution in fiscal year 2020–2021.

Questions and answers – Contact centre modernization

What is Shared Services Canada doing to address the issues accompanying modernization initiatives outlined in the 2019 Auditor General’s Spring Report on Call Centres?

Shared Services Canada has been working diligently with departments to address the complex challenges of the Government of Canada’s aging call centres.

Following the Auditor General’s 2019 Spring Report on Call Centres, Shared Services Canada determined not all contact centres require a full-featured, high‑availability system that can handle sensitive information.

One of the key points raised by the report was that user experience needs to be considered. In response, Shared Services Canada revised its strategy from implementing a single solution that will address all contact centre requirements to one that ensures a best-fit solution in terms of cost and requirements.

By the end of March 2020, Shared Services Canada will have modernized eight of the largest and most complex contact centres that account for 30 percent of all Government of Canada contact centre agents throughout Canada.

The Department developed a roadmap for the next five years that considers a “best‑fit” solution based on complexity. This roadmap will result in the modernization of the 73 centres that are in greatest need of upgrading, or are on expiring contracts that cannot simply be renewed or extended.

Shared Services Canada is working with departments to further define modernization plans and ensure that past experiences of underestimating level of effort are not repeated.

What is Shared Services Canada doing to modernize call centre infrastructure?

The first call centres that were modernized are the most complex and critical sites at the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada as they are public-facing call centres that were residing on end-of-life technology and were at risk of failure.

The third-party review conducted by Deloitte in April 2018 recommended Shared Services Canada move forward with migration of these complex and critical contact centres to the Hosted Contact Centre Service, as it is the best-fit solution meeting the known requirements for the Government of Canada’s most complex contact centres.

By the end of March 2020, Shared Services Canada, will have modernized the eight largest and most complex contact centres, which account for 30 percent of all Government of Canada contact centre agents throughout Canada. Shared Services Canada developed a roadmap for the next five years that considers a best-fit solution based on complexity. This roadmap will result in the modernization of the 73 centres in greatest need of upgrading, or are on expiring contracts that cannot simply be renewed or extended. Shared Services Canada is working with departments to further define modernization plans, and ensure that past experiences of underestimating the level of effort required are not repeated.

Issue

As part of the Government of Canada’s cloud-first policy requirement, Shared Services Canada is now offering public cloud supply for unclassified and Protected B data to the Government of Canada.

Response

• Shared Services Canada provides the Government of Canada with access to commercially available cloud services for unclassified and Protected B data.
• As the government’s cloud services broker, Shared Services Canada helps the departments and agencies to which it provides services choose the public cloud services for their business needs.
• Four departments—the Canada Revenue Agency, Canada Border Service Agency, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Statistics Canada—have signed up as the cloud pathfinders and moving some of their applications to the cloud working closely with Shared Services Canada .
• By adopting cloud computing, the Government of Canada will be in a better position to support a digitally-enabled workforce and digital services for Canadians.

Background

Government of Canada Cloud Adoption Strategy:

• As indicated in the Government of Canada’s Cloud Adoption Strategy, Shared Services Canada is responsible for providing cloud brokering services to the Government of Canada by implementing contracts with cloud service providers. Some of the functions of a light touch cloud broker are:
  • monitoring service use;
  • reporting on consumption; and
  • conducting periodic security audits.

Public Cloud Supply:

• After having brokered 26 contracts for unclassified public cloud services in 2017, Shared Services Canada then awarded initial framework agreements for Protected B public cloud in late 2019. Shared Services Canada continues to process remaining proposals from this collaborative process and expects to have more contracts in place soon. Cloud brokering services now serve 69 departments, agencies and crown corporations. Shared Services Canada is now having discussions to open supply to other levels of government, including municipalities, provinces and territories.

Government of Canada Cloud Brokering Portal:

• Shared Services Canada launched the Government of Canada’s Cloud Brokering Portal in May 2019. This Portal allowed federal organizations to access public cloud supply services online. The new platform has streamlined the way cloud is procured and delivered in the Government of Canada. The Portal is user-friendly, robust and reliable, and will help the Government of Canada to fulfill the cloud-first policy.

Secure Enablement of Cloud Services:

• Privacy and security of information remains a top priority for the Government of Canada. The procurement process for cloud services has been orchestrated to ensure that Protected B information stays within Canada’s borders.
• Shared Services Canada supply contracts and framework agreements were developed closely with security partners, including the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Office of the Chief Information Officer. This ensured that cloud service offerings met specific Government of Canada security needs for confidentiality, integrity and availability of data and business processes.
• Shared Services Canada, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Office of the Chief Information Officer jointly developed a secure framework. It allowed the government to access public cloud services securely and responsibly. The framework was endorsed by the Government of Canada Enterprise Architecture Review Board in September 2019.

Application Migration to Cloud:

• To migrate applications into cloud, the departments can undertake an assessment of current applications and their planned initiatives and determine which ones can be moved to cloud. Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Office of the Chief Information Officer can support these assessments through the application modernization funding and Shared Services Canada has created the Workload Migration factory contracts for access to expertise to carry out these assessments.
• Once the target applications are identified for cloud, departments work with Shared Services Canada to identify the requirements for cloud foundational services like secure connectivity, identity management etc. Since many of these cloud foundational services are being delivered for the first time, Government of Canada is taking a pathfinder approach to ensure that the pathfinder departments get full support and the lessons learnt from these cloud migrations are applied in creating Playbooks that will be available for those departments that follow. Shared Services Canada is actively working with the departments and creating these Playbooks. Shared Services Canada has also created an application reliability assessment framework that can be used to baseline the data before and after the migrations with an objective to improve the application health.
• The Workload Migration factory contracts are also available to provide access to expertise to migrate the applications to cloud. To ensure success of these migrations, Shared Services Canada is tracking the progress and addressing the risks and issues on a proactive basis working closely with the departments and the Government of Canada governance bodies. The success will be measured initially in terms of number of applications migrated to cloud and the number of departments supported in the migration of applications to cloud.
• Shared Services Canada is working with Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Statistics Canada, Canada Border Services Agency, and Canada Revenue Agency, all of which have signed up as the cloud pathfinders and these departments are already moving some of their applications to the cloud. Shared Services Canada also helped Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada move some applications to the cloud. Many other departments are undertaking analysis of their applications to determine which of these can be moved to the cloud and are working with Shared Services Canada.

Other Cloud Procurements in the Government of Canada:

• The current Shared Services Canada Cloud Brokering Service supply contracts and framework agreements include the Cloud Deployment Model referred to as software-as-a-service.
• Public Services and Procurement Canada is in now establishing an alternate source of software-as-a-service supply. They recently published a Request for Supply Arrangement on buyandsell.gc.ca. As the Government of Canada’s cloud broker, Shared Services Canada will work with Public Services and Procurement Canada to integrate an alternate software-as-a-service supply into the Government of Canada Cloud Brokering Portal.

Questions and answers – Cloud

What steps is Shared Services Canada taking to ensure that Canadians’ data storage, specifically in the Cloud, is kept secure?

The Government of Canada and Shared Services Canada have implemented a number of important initiatives to keep the data of Canadians safe. For example, the Government of Canada has established policies that enforce where data resides and how it is controlled, keeping Canadian data in Canada and secure.

The management of information technology security risks is a governmental responsibility. The Government of Canada has put in place a Cloud security risk management process to protect data and applications.

Regarding Cloud Service Providers, each company is selected following a successful security assessment through the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security’s Cloud Security Program.

The Government of Canada is also incorporating Cloud standards from:

• the US National Institute of Standards and Technology;
• the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security; and
• the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

The former Chief Statistician of Canada resigned because he was concerned about moving data to Shared Services Canada’s servers and to the Cloud. Why is the Government moving forward with this new arrangement?

Shared Services Canada has a positive and productive relationship with Statistics Canada. In fact, Statistics Canada has decided to be one of the Cloud pathfinder departments working closely with Shared Services Canada. In order to ensure stable and secure information technology infrastructure to support Statistics Canada’s important programs, Shared Services Canada is moving departmental data from outdated, legacy data centres to new, secure modern data centres and the Cloud. Moving Statistics Canada’s data into modern data centres and the Cloud will reduce outages, incidents and delays, which will better serve Canadians in the long run. Moreover, both provide secure options for data storage that meet the data security required by Statistics Canada.

The decision to determine when Cloud or data centre services are appropriate for their department is the responsibility of Statistics Canada. This responsibility is embedded in the Policy for the Management of Information Technology.

What is Shared Services Canada’s role with respect to Cloud services and enabling Government of Canada Cloud Adoption?

Shared Services Canada’s role is to enable the Government of Canada’s cloud-first adoption strategy.

As a Cloud broker, Shared Services Canada works with departments to help them select the right solution for their needs. This approach helps to ensure a consistent security and operational model for all departments and agencies.

As a Cloud enabler, Shared Services Canada provides the foundational services for connectivity, security, Cloud management, and security and compliance auditing.

As a Cloud provider, Shared Services Canada supports the creation of private Cloud services supply as managed services for sensitive information.

Shared Services Canada has established support and maintenance contracts for major data centres and is updating at-risk infrastructure where possible.

Issue

Data security and the protection of personal information is paramount in Canada’s increasingly digitally-enabled government. The Government of Canada is committed to protecting its data, information and IT infrastructure so Canadians can rely on a secure, stable and resilient digital government.

Response

• Shared Services Canada is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals, including their personal information and supporting partners to protect their data and information on Government of Canada infrastructure.
• Shared Services Canada uses Privacy Impact Assessments to confirm that the appropriate privacy safeguards are in place and working to protect personal information under Government of Canada control.
• Shared Services Canada supports partners who are developing or modifying IT systems through our Security Assessment and Authorization service. This helps to ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability of their systems and data.

Background

• Shared Services Canada is the custodian of the largest portion of the government’s IT infrastructure. Shared Services Canada works with other departments and agencies to help prevent cyber threats and unwarranted intrusions by protecting and securing the integrity of the government’s networks and information.
• Currently, Shared Services Canada is adopting a Project Governance Framework to manage IT projects. This will ensure that privacy is considered at each stage to decrease risks and effectively implement controls in IT systems and services. At Shared Services Canada privacy implications are a core consideration. It use Privacy Impact Assessments to validate the appropriate privacy safeguards are implemented and functioning, as intended. This helps to ensure that personal information under our control is well protected.
• Security Assessment and Authorization of IT Systems
  • The Security Assessment and Authorization service supports clients who are developing or modifying IT systems by helping to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of their systems and data.
  • Security Assessment and Authorization helps to ensure that security requirements established for a system are met and that its controls and safeguards function as intended. Security Assessment and Authorization also formalizes the process for Shared Services Canada’s acceptance of any residual risks associated with a system following organizational efforts to address them.
  • Together with Security by Design, Privacy Impact Assessments and Enterprise Architecture services, Security Assessment and Authorization helps protect the integrity and continuity of Government of Canada operations as systems. They ensure that system updates are being launched after providing rigorous analyses of the threats, vulnerabilities and risks for them and for other systems impacted by their operation.
  • The Security Assessment and Authorization service helps secure IT systems and solutions. All IT organizations and their clients across the Government of Canada, including Shared Services Canada, benefit from this service.
• Protection of Personal Information:
  • Through the development of a Privacy Impact Assessments, Shared Services Canada validates that the appropriate privacy safeguards are implemented and functioning, as intended. This ensures that personal information under the control of Shared Services Canada (as per the Shared Services Canada Act) is appropriately protected. These privacy safeguards and processes include but are not limited to:
    • Completing the Privacy Risks Checklist and Privacy Impact Assessments for enterprise initiatives, to evaluate whether Shared Services Canada’s systems and programs comply with the Privacy Act.
    • Identifying all personal information and personal identifiable information that is handled (collected, used, disclosed, retained and disposed of) by an Shared Services Canada Enterprise service;
    • Identifying privacy breaches;
    • Ensuring proper privacy standard acquisition clauses and conditions are included in all Shared Services Canada enterprise contracts and evaluating vendors Privacy Management Plans;
    • Retaining and disposing of personal information in accordance with related privacy legislations and security standards;
    • Presenting Privacy Notice Statements to individuals before personal information is collected from them;
    • Restricting/limiting the collection and use of personal information to only what is required (ensuring that over collection is not occurring or that limiting collection is occurring, and can’t be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected);
    • Ensuring that the Personal Information Banks are accurate and up to date, allowing individuals to fully understand the type of personal information collected and it’s intended use;
    • Ensuring that personal information is only used for the intended purpose for which it was collected and/or generated;
    • Ensuring that personal information used by Shared Services Canada is accurate and up to date. The individuals for which the personal information pertains to have the ability to request and have personal information corrected if it is incorrect;
    • Obtaining appropriate consent from individuals before personal information is collected/handled;
    • Providing privacy training for staff who will be processing personal information;
    • Protecting the personal information during transmission over internal or external networks;
    • Protecting the personal information in storage;
    • Ensuring that applicable security controls protecting data containing personal information are implemented and functioning as intended; and
    • Providing advice and guidance to projects and service lines to ensure they understand their responsibilities and Shared Services Canada’s responsibilities when handling individuals’ personal information.

Issue

What is the Canadian Digital Service and what has it accomplished to date?

Response

• The Canadian Digital Service was launched in 2017 to help federal departments make public services faster, easier to use and more reliable and secure. The Canadian Digital Service’s mission is to change government to serve people better.
• The Canadian Digital Service uses modern design and technology practices to put people at the centre of services. By directly researching and testing with the public, it ensures services work for the people that will actually use them.
• The Canadian Digital Service has partnered with several departments to improve services, including:
  • Launching a service with Veterans Affairs Canada to make it easier for Canada’s over 650,000 veterans and their families determine which benefits or services are most relevant to them;
  • Opening up home energy data for entrepreneurs, researchers, and other governments with Natural Resources Canada; and
  • Launching the Impact Canada Challenge Platform with the Privy Council Office, which has issued hundreds of millions in prize challenges to innovators and entrepreneurs to help solve public problems.
• In late 2019, the Canadian Digital Service launched its Notify service to help any department send people or businesses updates about their service transactions by email or text.
  • Notify is currently being used by eight departments to support a dozen live services, with tens of thousands of emails already sent to the public, and trials underway for almost 300 additional Notify accounts.
• The Canadian Digital Service is currently working with Employment and Social Development Canada to make it easier for people to apply for the Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit, and with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to help people and businesses report cybercrime and fraud.

Background

• Budget 2017 highlighted the government’s commitment to harnessing digital innovation and support widespread adoption of digital tools to better serve Canadians. The need for a centrally-led government-wide effort, to improve digital services, was highlighted in both the 2013 and 2016 Reports of the Auditor General. In Budget 2019, the Canadian Digital Service’s initial three-year mandate was extended to 2021–2022.
• The Canadian Digital Service has two business units: a Partnerships Business Unit that teams up with departments to provide hands-on help to deliver better services, and a Platforms Business Unit that provides common services and components that make it easier for all departments to deliver better and more consistent services.
• In its first 2-plus years of operation, the Canadian Digital Service has worked with 8 departments and developed 14 products and services to help veterans, entrepreneurs, Canadians with low income and others.
• There has been significant demand for the Canadian Digital Service’s services, with over 200 potential partners coming forward since its launch.
  • The Canadian Digital Service has moved incrementally into deeper, more complex service design partnerships with large departments in core service areas (e.g., tax filing with the Canada Revenue Agency, disability benefits delivery with Employment and Social Development Canada).
  • The Canadian Digital Service has begun building platform services that address common needs across the Government of Canada (e.g., notifications for services).
• The Canadian Digital Service has recruited design and technology talent from across Canada and internationally. Today, it has more than 80 staff members, with more than 30 percent of these members distributed throughout the country. In a fiercely competitive market, the Canadian Digital Service has been able to recruit people who may not have considered working for the Government of Canada, convincing them to add their expertise and skills to the mission of improving services for Canadians.
• The Canadian Digital Service works in small, independent and multidisciplinary teams that break down traditional silos. These teams engage directly with the people who will use the service at every stage, focussing on measurable outcomes. The Canadian Digital Service practises continual, iterative delivery, improving services through frequent code releases on secure and reliable cloud infrastructure. It builds accessible and inclusive services that work on any device or screen.
• Through its work with partner departments, the Canadian Digital Service is empowering public servants by providing hands-on training, publishing tools and resources, and building communities. These efforts include:
  • All partners co-locate staff with Canadian Digital Service product teams;
  • Helped departments stand up their first multidisciplinary digital delivery teams;
  • Helped multiple partners procure and deploy some of their first cloud services;
  • Established the first community of practice for design research;
  • Hosted dozens of community meet-ups to show work and exchange knowledge and practices; and
  • Researched digital training needs with thousands of public servants with Dalhousie University, and delivered several courses through the Canada School of Public Service’s Digital Academy and others.
• The Canadian Digital Service role models work in the open. To date, it has published over 90 blog posts and a monthly newsletter to share expertise and lessons learned. The Canadian Digital Service has launched 12 tools and guides for design research, talent recruitment, product evaluation, and software development. All of the software code developed by the Canadian Digital Service is deployed in the open and available for reuse.
• In 2019, the Canadian Digital Service proposed a path forward for delivering digital services by 2025, based on the recommendations of the Digital Industries Table. The challenge has been welcomed by the private sector, Canadians, Government of Canada officials and foreign government officials as a practical guide on how to digitize services, and has sparked an important dialogue.

Issue

The Government of Canada has announced its first standalone Minister of Digital Government, with clear mandate letter commitments to lead work across government to transition to a more digital government and improve citizen service.

Key facts

• On November 20, 2020, the Government of Canada announced the Honourable Joyce Murray as the first standalone Minister of Digital Government. The Minister is mandated with leading work across government to transition to a more digital government in order to improve citizen service.

Response

• Digital Government is about meeting the needs of Canadians for modernized services using the right technology.
• Over the past few years, Shared Services Canada has taken key foundational steps to making government more digital:
  • It launched the Canadian Digital Service, putting people’s needs at the centre of government services;
  • It launched a Digital Academy to build digital skills for the government of the future; and
  • We published the new Policy on Service and Digital, reaffirming our commitment to making the shift to a more digital government and better service delivery.
• Canada is playing a leading role internationally, accepting the 2020 chairmanship of the Digital Nations—an international forum dedicated to advancing digital innovation around the world.

Background

• On November 20, 2020, the Government of Canada announced the first standalone Minister of Digital Government, with clear mandate letter commitments to lead work across government to transition to a more digital government and improve citizen service.
• This Ministerial mandate builds on the Government of Canada’s work during the last mandate to lay the building blocks for digital government.
• This included amending the Financial Administration Act to formalize the role of the Chief Information Officer of the Government of Canada in legislation and elevate the position to a deputy-minister-level position in order to strengthen management of government information technology and support government-wide digital transformation.
• The Government of Canada also announced its Digital Standards establishing how all public servants must work differently in the digital age. This includes ensuring that services, programs and operations are user-centric, and that the Government of Canada leverages digital technologies and methods to deliver the high-quality services Canadians expect.
• The Digital Standards include responsibly and ethically leveraging artificial intelligence in service delivery. The Government of Canada’s world-leading Directive on Automated Decision-Making and Algorithmic Impact Assessment tool support the responsible, human rights based use of automated decision-making systems by helping departments and agencies assess and mitigate any associated impacts. The Government of Canada also created an artificial intelligence source list to support departments and agencies in procuring ethical and effective artificial intelligence solutions, services and products that enable improved, digital-age public services.
• The Government of Canada is also building a policy framework that supports government-wide digital transformation. This includes the new Treasury Board’s Policy on Service and Digital, which takes effect April 1, 2020. This policy suite establishes a set of integrated rules that will guide how the Government of Canada manages service delivery, information and data, information technology and cybersecurity in order to deliver better, user-centric services in the digital era.
• Finally, the Government of Canada has established new organizations, designed to support the transition to a more digital government. This includes the Canadian Digital Service to help federal organizations design and deliver services that meet the needs of citizens, and the Digital Academy at the Canada School of Public Service to equip public servants with the skills they need to deliver digital age service excellence.
• The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat continues to work actively with its partners across the Government of Canada to concretely advance the Digital Government mandate and to improve services to Canadians.

Issue

What is Open Government and how does it support the government mandate and priorities?

Key facts

• The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development defined Open Government as “a culture of governance based on innovative and sustainable public policies and practices inspired by the principles of transparency, accountability, and participation that fosters democracy and inclusive growth.”
  • Open Government is aligned with the United Nations sustainable development goal #16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
• Canada joined the Open Government Partnership in 2012, the key multi-lateral international organization on open government, with 78 member states. Canada has been a member of the Open Government Partnership’s steering committee since 2018 and is a candidate for re-election in 2020.
• Canada is currently in the process of developing its 5th National Action Plan on Open Government and is engaging with Canadians across the country and online to co-create the plan.
• A key component of Open Government is Open Data, which is a non-depleting resource that can unlock tremendous value in:
  • Supporting economic growth and entrepreneurialism;
  • Energy efficiency and fuel reduction in heating;
  • Employing machine-learning for accessibility and language services;
  • Improving emergency response times; and
  • Time savings and efficiency in transportation.
• The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat houses Canada’s Open Government Portal and Access to Information and Privacy Online Request Service, linking to more than 82,000 open datasets and 1.2 million proactive disclosures, while allowing requests for information to be made to 193 government institutions.

Response

• Open Government is one way we fulfil our commitment to Canadians to openness and transparency, while driving citizen-centric innovation through the public service.
• For example, Open Government and open data can enable, among other things:
  • Better understanding and participation in government decision-making, transparency in use of public monies, and participation in or gain from publicly funded research and innovation;
  • Governments across Canada to benefit from cross-jurisdictional issues analysis, collaboration and reduction in work duplication; and
  • Economic growth through reuse of public data.

Background

• Open Government is a growing discipline both domestically and internationally, with key organizations monitoring Canada’s maturity in opening our data and information. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Transparency International, Open Data Barometer, United Nations sustainable development goals and the Open Government Partnership, among other are monitoring Canada’s efforts toward achieving a more open government culture.
• Canada is an international leader in Open Government. Canada’s efforts and commitments to openness and transparency are key to democratic stability and support long lasting gains in areas like health, the economy, the environment, finance, public safety and more.
• As a member of the Open Government Partnership, Canada has created four National Action Plans on Open Government. The 4th plan, being implemented until June 2020, contains 10 ambitious commitments covering topics such as corporate and fiscal transparency, access to information, inclusive dialogue, digital innovation and healthy democracy.
• As Canada heads into the development of its 5th National Action Plan on Open Government, efforts are underway to mainstream Open Government within Canada, which includes:
  • Inclusion of openness in the Policy on Service and Digital;
  • Assisting departments to operationalize C-58 proactive disclosure requirements;
  • Enabling a “publish with a purpose” approach for open data; and
  • Further developing the Canada School of Public Service’s Digital Academy on data literacy and open data.
• Domestically, Canada has a pan-Canadian, multi-jurisdictional approach to Open Government through the Canadian Open Government Working Group, which is focussed on a collaborative approach to standardizing high value data sets, expanding federated open data search capabilities, mapping existing norms and guidance on open data and developing improved standards including on data and metadata quality and standards, and valuation principles of information and data.
• On a broader scale, Canada is looking to share best practices, influence future norms and global priorities and lead international development of Open Government by participating in key forums such as the Open Data Charter, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Working Party on Open Government, and the Open Government Partnership Steering Committee (including sub-committees and working groups).

Issue

As part of Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s international engagements in the field of digital government, Canada is a member and the current chair of the Digital Nations.

Key facts

• The Digital Nations was founded in 2014 and has ten member countries: Canada, Estonia, Israel, New Zealand, South Korea, United Kingdom, Mexico, Portugal, Uruguay, and Denmark.
• In 2019, the Government of Canada accepted the role of 2020 Chair of the Digital Nations for a one-year term at Uruguay’s Digital Nations Ministerial Summit.
• As the current Chair, Canada will host the next Ministerial Summit in November 2020 in Ottawa, Ontario.

Response

• In a digital world, Canada is committed to international and multilateral cooperation to maximize the design and delivery of citizen services.
• Canada is playing a leading role internationally as a member and current 2020 chair of Digital Nations – an important international forum dedicated to making progress on digital government.
• Through this forum, we are collaborating with leading digital governments on common challenges, sharing best practices, and supporting the growth Canada’s digital economy.

Background

• The Digital Nations is a collaborative network of the world’s leading digital governments with a common goal of harnessing digital technology to improve the lives of citizens. The ten member countries collaborate on key areas of interest such as digital identity, digital rights and artificial intelligence.
• In 2014, the Digital 5 was founded by countries with a shared vision for digital governance. Estonia, Israel, New Zealand, South Korea, and the United Kingdom signed a non-binding Charter of principles and intentions. As the group gained momentum, it expanded rapidly with Canada, Uruguay, Mexico and Portugal joining in 2018, becoming the Digital 9. Denmark joined the forum Uruguay’s Ministerial Summit in November 2019 at which time the title of the organization officially changed to Digital Nations. While other countries, such as France, Argentina, and Australia, have actively lobbied to join the Digital Nations, the group has agreed to pause new membership until the end of 2020.
• Since joining the Digital Nations in 2018, Canada has played a significant role in solidifying the mandate of the organization and driving discussions on its future direction. This includes leading the work of setting principles to ensure a common approach to the responsible implementation and use of artificial intelligence in the public sector. Canada has also solely funded the small Digital Nations Secretariat, bringing more coherence and continuity to the organization.
• The Chair of the Digital Nations rotates on an annual basis. Chairs are responsible for guiding the strategic direction of the forum during their leadership term as well as hosting a Ministerial Summit. The Government of Uruguay hosted the last Ministerial Summit in Montevideo in November 2019, at which Canada formally accepted the role of next Chair of the Digital Nations. Canada’s Ministerial Summit will take place in November 2020 in Ottawa, Ontario. Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is working collaboratively with Global Affairs Canada colleagues as well as Digital Nations partners to develop an outcomes-oriented agenda for the Summit.

Issue

What is the Policy on Service and Digital and how is it enabling digital government?

Key facts

• The Policy on Service and Digital consolidates five existing policy instruments and three supporting directives into a single policy and directive.
• The new policy effectively reduces the number of policy requirements from 162 to 115.
• The Policy will come into effect in April 2020.

Response

• Good government in the 21st century means providing quality services that are digitally enabled and client-centric.
• The new Policy on Service and Digital, coming into effect April 1, 2020, will support departments and agencies putting clients at the centre of our work, to ensure Canadians receive the modern and quality services they expect.
• The policy also sets out requirements to ensure that government operations and services are supported by well managed information and technology.
• With the policy, the government is prepared, now more than ever, to meet the needs of increasingly digital Canadians.

Background

• The Policy on Service and Digital and supporting instruments are an integrated set of rules that articulate how Government of Canada organizations manage service delivery, information and data, information technology, and cybersecurity in the digital era. Other requirements, including but not limited to privacy, official languages and accessibility, also apply to the management of service delivery, information and data, information management and cybersecurity.
• The policy focusses on the client, ensuring proactive consideration at the design stage of key requirements of these functions in the development of operations and services. It establishes an enterprise-wide, integrated approach to governance, planning and management. More specifically, key changes include:
  • Enhanced and integrated governance with an enterprise approach;
  • Increased focus on the client and digital enablement across all services and channels;
  • Better management, use and sharing of information recognizing its value as a strategic asset;
  • Leverage technology, such as automated decision-making, and to better manage and protect systems and information; and
  • Strengthen and train the federal workforce to meet the needs of digital government.
• Overall, the Policy on Service and Digital advances the delivery of services and the effectiveness of government operations through the strategic management of government information and data and leveraging of information technology.
• The management of these functions is guided by a commitment to the guiding principles and best practices of the Government of Canada Digital Standards:
  • Design with users;
  • Iterate and improve frequently;
  • Work in the open by default;
  • Use open standards and solutions;
  • Address security and privacy risks;
  • Build in accessible from the start;
  • Empower staff to deliver better services;
  • Be good data stewards;
  • Design ethical services; and
  • Collaborate widely.

Issue

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat has introduced tools and guidance for departments in the evaluation, procurement, implementation, and maintenance of Artificial Intelligence systems. Media interest in government’s use of Artificial Intelligence has been high over the past several months and is expected to continue

Key facts

• The Government of Canada’s Directive on Automated Decision-Making was introduced in March 2019 and comes into force on April 1, 2020 and encourages responsible use of automation in delivering services to Canadians.
• This Directive is supported by the Algorithmic Impact Assessment tool to help officials assess and mitigate the risks associated with the use of Artificial Intelligence within government.
• Together, these tools help ensure the government’s use of technology leads to more efficient, accurate, consistent and interpretable decisions.

Response

• The Government of Canada is the first to take concrete steps in defining how Artificial Intelligence should be used responsibly in the delivery of public services by taking into consideration key principles—openness, transparency, avoiding bias, equity of access, safety, security and ethics.
• The Directive on Automated Decision-Making, which is coming into effect on April 1, 2020, sets out the rules for how federal departments and agencies must mitigate risks when using technologies like machine learning or AI.
• It seeks to ensure that Automated Decision Systems are deployed in a responsible manner that reduces risks to Canadians and federal institutions.
• The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat has also developed Algorithmic Impact Assessment; a tool that helps officials assess the risks associated with the use of Artificial Intelligence within government and helps Canadians better understand how government uses Artificial Intelligence.

Background

• Artificial Intelligence can be described as information technology that performs tasks that would ordinarily require biological brainpower to accomplish, such as making sense of spoken language, learning behaviours, or solving problems.
• Canada is recognized for its strong talent base in Artificial Intelligence development. Canada is among the top five countries in the world in terms of Artificial Intelligence experts with over 1,487 PhD-educated researchers.
• The Government of Canada has demonstrated its preoccupation with the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence through a number of international and domestic Artificial Intelligence initiatives.

Domestic Artificial Intelligence Initiatives:

• Over the last three years, the Government of Canada has invested strategically in the Canadian Artificial Intelligence ecosystem. Successive budgets funded $125 million toward the Pan‑Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy and $950 million for the Innovation Superclusters Initiative, which are generating cutting-edge research, investment, and talent in Canada. These initiatives are managed by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
• Announced on May 14, 2019, by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, the Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence advises the Government of Canada on building Canada’s strengths and global leadership in AI, identifying opportunities to create economic growth that benefits all Canadians, and ensuring that Artificial Intelligence advancements reflect Canadian values. The Advisory Council is a central reference point to draw on leading Artificial Intelligence experts from Canadian industry, civil society, academia and government.

Government of Canada’s Directive on Automated Decision-Making:

• The Government of Canada has also been a leader in the development of guidance for Artificial Intelligence use by the public sector:
  • The Government of Canada’s Directive on Automated Decision-Making, launched in March 2019, seeks to ensure that Automated Decision Systems are deployed in a responsible manner that reduces risks to Canadians and federal institutions, and leads to more efficient, accurate, consistent, and interpretable decisions made pursuant to Canadian law.
  • The Directive includes a set of guiding principles that will help ensure departments use Artificial Intelligence effectively and ethically:
    • Understand and measure the impact of using Artificial Intelligence by conducting an Algorithmic Impact Assessment;
    • Be transparent about how and when the government is using AI;
    • Provide meaningful explanations about Artificial Intelligence decision-making, while also offering opportunities to review results and challenge these decisions;
    • Be as open as possible by sharing source code, training data, and other relevant information, all while protecting personal information, system integrity and Canada’s national security; and
    • Provide sufficient training to ensure that the employees developing and using Artificial Intelligence solutions have the skills needed to make government services better.
  • The creation of this Directive was done in collaboration with academics, industry leaders, civil society and other governments to identify and mitigate various risks associated with using Artificial Intelligence systems.
  • The Algorithmic Impact Assessment tool, launched in May 2019, is a questionnaire designed to help government departments assess and mitigate the risks associated with deploying automated decision systems. The Algorithmic Impact Assessment also helps identify the impact level of automated decision systems under the Directive on Automated Decision-Making to ensure that the mitigation measures are proportional to the risks. The Algorithmic Impact Assessment was also developed in the open and is available to the outside world for sharing and re-use under an open licence.

International Artificial Intelligence Initiatives:

• In June 2018, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, and His Excellency Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, announced their intention to create an international initiative on AI. This initiative, now named the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, will bring together many of the greatest Artificial Intelligence experts globally to support and guide the responsible adoption of Artificial Intelligence that is human-centric and grounded in human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation and economic growth. Canada and France received expressions of interest on the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence from Germany, Italy, India, Japan, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the European Union.
• In 2019, Canada participated in the development and adoption of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Recommendation on AI, including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Principles for Trustworthy AI, which serve as the basis for the G20 Artificial Intelligence Principles introduced during Japan’s 2019 Presidency and endorsed by leaders.
• The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is actively engaged with an international group of world-leading digital nations, the “Digital Nations”, in a thematic group on Artificial Intelligence to guide governments in their implementation of digital services based on these shared values. Canada is joined in the Digital Nations by Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and Uruguay.

Issue

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat in collaboration with Public Services and Procurement Canada have developed a list of prequalified Artificial Intelligence vendors to facilitate agile adoption of the technology across the Government of Canada.

Key facts

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Public Services and Procurement Canada developed the artificial intelligence Source List with 74 pre-qualified artificial intelligence suppliers, of which 46 are Canadian (62 percent).
• The Artificial Intelligence Source List was published on January 15, 2019.
• Additional vendors interested in qualifying for the Artificial Intelligence Source List can apply to the Invitation to Qualify, posted on January 15, 2020. The refreshed list is estimated to be available by April 30, 2020.
• Suppliers were pre-qualified based on their experience, skills and ethical artificial intelligence practices.

Response

• The Government of Canada has developed an iterative and flexible approach to procuring artificial intelligence services, solutions and products. This approach includes more open dialogue between industry and the government, and making opportunities more accessible to small- and medium-sized enterprises.
• In 2018, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, in coordination with Public Services and Procurement Canada, finalized a list of qualified suppliers that offer artificial intelligence services. This list will be refreshed on an ongoing basis.
• The Artificial Intelligence Source List can be used by departments and agencies to support experimentation and agile development of artificial intelligence solutions in the Government of Canada.

Background

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat has introduced tools and guidance for departments in the evaluation, procurement, implementation and maintenance of artificial intelligence systems.
• One of such tools is the Artificial Intelligence Source List. On September 22, 2018, the Government of Canada published an Invitation to Qualify through buyandsell.gc.ca for the purposes of creating a procurement mechanism for government organizations to use artificial intelligence services.
• The Invitation to Qualify followed a Request for Information issued in June 2018, where the Government of Canada was seeking to better understand the capability, viability and commercial availability of the artificial intelligence ecosystem of services, solutions and products.
• Following the Invitation to Qualify evaluation, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat in coordination with Public Services and Procurement Canada finalized the list of qualified suppliers that offer artificial intelligence services called the Artificial Intelligence Source List. This included advanced data analytics and machine learning approaches for broad use across service delivery, policy development and regulations.
• On January 15, 2020, the Government of Canada published a new Invitation to Qualify through buyandsell.gc.ca to refresh the existing Artificial Intelligence Source List. The updated list is estimated to be published on April 30, 2020.
• The Artificial Intelligence Source List can be used by departments to support experimentation and agile development of artificial intelligence solutions.
• The Artificial Intelligence Source List will be refreshed on an ongoing, quarterly basis.
• Suppliers qualified for the Artificial Intelligence Source List were evaluated against three (3) mandatory criteria:
• Demonstrated experience delivering artificial intelligence products, solutions or services;
• Qualification of their team to deliver artificial intelligence; and
• How they address ethical practices while delivering artificial intelligence.
• Evaluation of the suppliers against the mandatory criteria was done by employees from multiple departments, including an expert from the National Research Council Canada.
• More than half of the suppliers (45) committed to seek confirmation from their government clients of their Algorithmic Impact Assessment results in order to best serve Canadians through the application of appropriate mitigation strategies on artificial intelligence‑related projects.
• As of November 28, 2019, one contract has been issued using the Artificial Intelligence Source List, one procurement is at the Request for Proposal stage, one is preparing to post a Request for Proposal and two are planning to post a Request for Information, for a total of five procurements.

Issue

The Government of Canada is faced with daily cyber threats. These attacks may pose a risk to government infrastructure, or when aimed at private enterprise, raise the Government of Canada’s security posture.

Key facts

• The Government of Canada operates under the Policy on Government Security and the supporting Directive on Security Management.
• Canada’s Cyber Security Strategy was introduced in 2010, to strengthen the security of federal cyber systems and protecting Canadians information
• Budget 2018 investments include $2.2 billion to enable digital services and to support related cyber security measures, and $507.7 million to implement a new National Cyber Security Strategy, including the establishment of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.

Response

• The Government of Canada, like every other government and private sector organization in the world, is subject to ongoing and persistent cyber threats.
• We have robust systems and tools in place to monitor, detect and investigate potential threats, and we take active measures to address and neutralize them.
• We are continually working to enhance cyber security in Canada by identifying cyber threats and vulnerabilities, and by preparing for and responding to all types of cyber incidents to better protect Canada and Canadians

Background

• The domain of cyber security is dynamic, with a threat environment that is constantly evolving. While no measures can prevent 100 percent of cyber incidents, the Government of Canada is committed to making the safety and security of Canadians’ information a top priority.
• The Government of Canada is continually working to enhance cyber security in Canada by preventing attacks through robust security measures, identifying cyber threats and vulnerabilities, and by preparing for and responding to all kinds of cyber incidents to better protect Canada and Canadians.
• The Government of Canada operates under the Policy on Government Security and supporting Directive on Security Management.
• Guidance for managing cyber events and incidents of any kind, is outlined in the government’s Cyber Security Event Management Plan. This plan outlines the stakeholders and actions required to ensure that cyber security events are addressed in a consistent, coordinated and timely fashion government wide.
• Since the release of Canada’s Cyber Security Strategy in 2010, the government has made significant progress in strengthening the security of federal cyber systems and protecting Canadians information.
• The government improved its enterprise capacity to detect and defend against cyber threats, centralized Internet access points, launched an enterprise security architecture program and implemented a whole-of-government incident response plan.
• Budget 2018 investments include $2.2 billion to enable digital services and to support related cyber security measures, and $507.7 million to implement a new National Cyber Security Strategy, including the establishment of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.
• All government departments and agencies have responsibility to ensure cyber security within their organization. Departments ensure the security of desktops and applications.
• The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is responsible for strategic oversight of Government of Canada cyber security event management to ensure effective coordination of major security events and to support government-wide decision-making. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Office of the Chief Information Officer for the Government of Canada sets information technology security policy.

Issue

In support of a pan-Canadian approach to Digital Identity, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is developing a framework that will enable trusted digital identity issuance, recognition, and acceptance.

Key facts

• Digital Identity is the foundation of digital service delivery and is the digital equivalent of government issued identification to prove you are who you say you are, in an online context.
• The goal is to allow individuals and businesses to sign in once with their trusted digital identity to access government services, and to enable a solid foundation for a trusted digital economy.
• The Government of Canada, in addition to Canada’s Provinces and Territories, are working together to achieve this vision in partnership with leaders from Canada’s private sector and internationally.

Response

• The Government of Canada is committed to improving its services and offering a user-friendly experience while protecting privacy and security.
• Canadians want more seamless, secure, and trusted access to government services, greater transparency from their government, and more autonomy and control over their digital information.
• The Treasury Board Secretariat recognizes the important role of digital identity to streamline the way in which citizens access government services.

Background

• As technology and expectations evolve, citizens and stakeholders expect seamless access to government services both on and offline.
• Digital Identity is the foundation of digital service delivery, and is the digital equivalent of government issued identification to prove you are who you say you are, in an online context.
• In support of a pan-Canadian approach to Digital Identity, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is developing a framework that will enable trusted digital identity issuance, recognition, and acceptance.
• The goal is to allow individuals and businesses to sign in once with their trusted digital identity to access government services, and to enable a solid foundation for a trusted digital economy.
• The Government of Canada, in addition to Canada’s Provinces and Territories, are working together to achieve this vision in partnership with leaders from Canada’s private sector and internationally.
• The Government of Canada’s Digital Identity program operates under Directive on Identity Management.

(Not for public announcement)

• My Alberta Digital ID and BC Services Card are digital identity programs of the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.
• My Alberta Digital ID and BC Services Card have been assessed by TBS for use with Government of Canada services.
• My Alberta Digital ID has been integrated and is available with My Service Canada account since October, 2019, and may also be used to access Canada Revenue Agency services (MyCRA)
• BC Services Card has been integrated and is available for use to access Canada Revenue Agency as of February 10, 2020. Integration with Service Canada is anticipated by end of February 2020.
• Other provinces, such as Quebec, have similar digital identity programs either in production, under development, or in planning, and will be assessed and integrated with Government of Canada services as appropriate.

Issue

Update on the Next Generation Human Resources and Pay Initiative.

Key facts

• In June 2019, following an innovative and agile procurement process, the government announced it had selected Ceridian, SAP, and Workday as the qualified vendors for the Next Generation solution.
• In September 2019, the government announced that it will invest $117 million to co-design and deliver pilot projects for the Next Generation human resources and pay system.
• In March 2020, after months of evaluation and testing, the government announced that SAP had been selected to work with the government on a pilot project for a new human resources and pay solution.

Response

• The government continues to work toward a long-term and sustainable human resources and pay solution to meet the diverse needs of federal employees across Canada.
• In September 2019, the government committed $117 million to co-design and deliver pilot projects to test solutions against the real complexity of federal government human resources and pay needs.
• In March 2020, the government announced SAP as the vendor selected to begin work on a pilot project for a new human resources and pay solution.

Background

• Budget 2018 announced the government’s intention to move away from the Phoenix pay system and begin development of a pay system that will be better aligned with the complexity of the federal government’s human resources and pay structure.
• The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat received $16 million over two years, beginning in 2018–19, to explore replacement options for a Next Generation human resources and pay solution.
• Ongoing stabilization efforts of the Phoenix pay system remains a top priority for the government and is being pursued by Public Services and Procurement Canada.
• These options are being identified through a new, gated agile procurement process.
• In June 2019, the government announced it had selected Ceridian, SAP, and Workday as the qualified vendors for the Next Generation solution.
• In September 2019, the government announced that it will invest $117 million to co‑design and deliver pilot projects for the Next Generation human resources and pay system.
• In March 2020, after months of evaluation and testing, SAP had been selected to work with the government on a pilot project for a new human resources and pay solution.
• The government continues to work with stakeholders, such as bargaining agents, employees and pay practitioners, and will continue to engage in an open and transparent manner, so that the new solution can address the needs of a modern public service and its employees as soon as possible.

Issue

The government has been working on a number of fronts to address ongoing issues with the Phoenix pay system. In parallel, Budget 2018 committed to move away from the Phoenix pay system, and toward developing the next generation human resources and pay solution.

Key facts

• In June 2019, following an innovative and agile procurement process, the government announced it had selected Ceridian, SAP, and Workday as the qualified vendors for the Next Generation solution.
• In September 2019, the government announced that it will invest $117 million to co-design and deliver pilot projects for the NextGen HR and Pay system.

Response

• Canada’s public servants deserve to be paid properly for their important work and the Government of Canada continues to take action on all fronts to resolve pay issues.
• The Government recognizes that employees have been impacted, either directly or indirectly, by the implementation of the Phoenix pay system.
• In addition to ongoing investments in stabilization and our continuing work to advance the Next Generation pay solution, the government is implementing an agreement reached with 15 bargaining units to compensate employees for damages caused by the Phoenix pay system, with similar agreements negotiated by separate agencies with their respective bargaining agents.
• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is committed to providing annual updates on the government’s Phoenix pay system expenditures through its Departmental Results Report.

Background

• The Transformation of Pay Initiative was implemented in 2016, to:
  • Replace the government’s 40-year old payroll system with Phoenix; and,
  • Implement a new centralized compensation service model, with consolidated capacity within a Public Services and Procurement Canada Pay Centre.
• Difficulties with the implementation of Phoenix have since resulted in thousands of employees experiencing problems with their pay.
• Since 2017, a joint Public Services and Procurement Canada and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat integrated team has been working on actions to stabilize the pay system, including: adopting a robust governance and reporting structure, engaging with key stakeholders including public service bargaining agents, increasing compensation advisor capacity, leading select business process changes across government, and implementing timeliness standards for HR actions that lead to pay.
• Budget 2018 committed $431.4 million over five years to continue addressing current Phoenix issues, including the hiring of additional staff to support the pay system.
• Budget 2019 provided an additional $523.3 million over five years, starting in 2019-20, to ensure that adequate resources are dedicated to addressing pay issues. Canada Revenue Agency received an additional $9.2 million in 2019-20 to quickly and accurately process income tax reassessments for federal government employees that are required due to Phoenix pay issues, and to support related telephone enquiries.
• Budget 2019 also referenced accelerated progress on NextGen work, noting that Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat has been able to identify options with the potential to successfully replace the Phoenix pay system with an integrated HR and Pay solution. This work has been underway since Budget 2018 announced the Government’s intention to eventually move away from Phoenix and provided $16 million over two years (2018-19 and 2019-20) to begin development of options and recommendation for the next generation of the federal government’s Integrated HR and Pay system.

Issue

The Supplementary Estimates (B) 2019–2020 for Shared Services Canada (Shared Services Canada) was tabled on February 18, 2020, and is the second Supplementary Estimate for this fiscal year.

Supplementary Estimates present information on additional spending requirements that were either not sufficiently developed in time for inclusion in the Main Estimates, or have subsequently been adjusted to account for developments in particular programs and services.

Key facts

• With the approval of Supplementary Estimates (B), Shared Services Canada’s reference levels for 2019–2020 will decrease by $10.7 million, from $2,254.4 million to $2,243.7 million. This decrease is attributable to the following items included in Shared Services Canada’s Supplementary Estimates (B):
• New funding of $23.0 million for various new projects and initiatives;
• Transfers with other government departments totalling $33.7 million; and
• A total nil net effect of the realignment of funding from the Operating vote to the Capital vote of $11.2 million.

Response

• Shared Services Canada will invest additional funding to provide modern, reliable and secure information technology infrastructure in support of government priorities and digital delivery of programs and services to Canadians.

Background

• With the approval of Supplementary Estimates (B), Shared Services Canada’s reference levels for 2019–2020 will decrease by $10.7 million, from $2,254.4 million to $2,243.7 million.
• The $10.7 million decrease in the Supplementary Estimates (B) is attributable to the following:
  • New Funding—Total New Funding $23.0 million
    • A total of $10.2 million for core information technology services to support new full‑time equivalents in the government by providing a standard suite of services at an approved rate of $700 per full-time equivalent.
    • A total of $4.7 million for the Centre for Plant Health in Sidney, British Columbia, to support the implementation stage of the project and provide wide area network services, cybersecurity services, enterprise internet services, and project management services.
    • A total of $3.0 million for the implementation of the Canada Border Service Agency’s Assessment and Revenue Management project by providing cloud computing, data centre networks, wide area networks, cybersecurity services, project management and solution integration design services.
    • A total of $2.8 million to support the implementation stage of the Enhanced Passenger Protect Program by providing access to data centre services, project management and solution and design services. Shared Services Canada’s direct costs are to support the information technology scope and scale requirements of the project implementation stage.
    • A total of $1.7 million to support Public Services and Procurement Canada in stabilizing the Government of Canada’s pay system.
    • A total of $0.6 million for information technology services to support the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in establishing the National Cybercrime Coordination Unit.
  • Transfers—Total Net Transfer ($33.7) million
    • A total of $1.2 million from Public Services and Procurement Canada for reduced accommodation requirements, such as power consumption costs and space costs as a result of data centre consolidations.
    • A total of ($20.0) million to Global Affairs Canada in support of departmental staff located at missions abroad. This is a permanent transfer in support of the Service Authorization granted to Global Affairs Canada on May 16, 2019, to provision services in support of missions abroad where Shared Services Canada may not have the physical presence required.
    • A total of ($6.5) million to Department of National Defence to provide information technology infrastructure and equipment for the Carling Campus in Ottawa.
    • A total of ($4.7) million to Communications Security Establishment Canada in support of security monitoring for the Digital Communications and Collaboration Project.
    • A total of ($1.1) million to the Department of National Defence for procuring and funding licences for the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of applications.
    • A total of ($1.0) million to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat to support the Government of Canada Project and Portfolio Management project.
    • A total of ($0.8) million to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat for the Workload Migration project oversight, architecture and readiness teams.
    • A total of ($0.6) million to Employment and Social Development Canada to adjust amounts previously provided for core information technology services.
    • A total of ($0.2) million to the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada for two database analyst resources.
  • Internal Transfer—Total Nil Net Effect
    • A total nil net effect of the realignment of funding from the Operating to the Capital vote of $11.2 million. The internal realignment of funds will be used for Program Integrity Mission-Critical Projects to ensure the appropriate mix of capital and operating funding is available.

Issue

The 2020–2021 Main Estimates for Shared Services Canada will be tabled in Parliament on February 27, 2020. Main Estimates provide an overview of spending requirements for the upcoming fiscal year.

Key facts

• With the approval of 2020–2021 Main Estimates, Shared Services Canada’s reference levels will increase by $152.7 million, from $1,902.5 million in the 2019–2020 Main Estimates to $2,055.2 million in the 2020–2021 Main Estimates.
• The net increase of $152.7 million is mainly due to an increase in new funding of $123.9 million, which constitutes 81 percent of the total increase.

Response

• Shared Services Canada will invest additional funding to provide modern, reliable and secure information technology infrastructure in support of government priorities and digital delivery of programs and services to Canadians.

Background

• With the approval of 2020–2021 Main Estimates, Shared Services Canada’s reference levels will increase by $152.7 million, from $1,902.5 million in the 2019–2020 Main Estimates to $2,055.2 million in the 2020–2021 Main Estimates.
• The net increase of $152.7 million is attributable to the following:
  • New Funding—Total New Funding $123.9 million
    • A total of $90.2 million for the Workload Migration Program and Cloud Architecture programs. These programs support the government’s priority of enabling the digital delivery of services to Canadians. The modernization of the government’s information technology infrastructure, and specifically the moving of applications from at risk data centres to modern hosting solutions.
    • A total of $12.7 million for the Government of Canada Microsoft Enterprise Agreement. The funds are for Shared Services Canada to contractual obligations to provide for the acquisition of digital communications functionality, business applications, data centre applications, and ongoing support and maintenance services, on behalf of the Government of Canada.
    • A total of $8.8 million for core information technology services to support new full time equivalents (FTE) in the government by providing a standard suite of services at an approved rate of $700 per FTE.
    • A total of $3.9 million to support the implementation stage of the Enhanced Passenger Protect Program by providing access to data centre services, project management and solution and design services. Shared Services Canada’s direct costs are to support the information technology scope and scale requirements of the project implementation stage.
    • A total of $3.4 million for the Centre for Plant Health in Sidney, British Columbia, to support the implementation stage of the project and provide wide area network services, cyber security services, enterprise internet services and project management services.
    • A total of $2.6 million for new signed Collective Agreements and Program and Administrative Services Modernization Government Initiative.
    • A total of $2.3 million for the implementation of the Canada Border Service Agency’s Assessment and Revenue Management project by providing cloud computing, data centre networks, wide area networks, cyber security services, project management and solution integration design services.
  • Transfers—Total Net Transfer ($22.8) million
    • A total of $1.2 million from Public Services and Procurement Canada for reduced accommodation requirements such as power consumption costs and space costs as a result of data centre consolidations.
    • A total of ($20.0) million to Global Affairs Canada in support of departmental staff located at missions abroad. This is a permanent transfer in support of the service authorization granted to Global Affairs Canada on May 16, 2019, to provision services in support of missions abroad where Shared Services Canada may not have the physical presence required.
    • A total of ($4.0) million for various transfers with other government departments such as with the Department of National Defence for procuring and funding licences for Adobe Creative Cloud suite of applications.
    • Nil net effect of the realignment of funding from Vote 1 Operating to Vote 1 Personnel to fund personnel expenses such as stabilizing the capacity in the drafting centre of expertise on cabinet documents.
  • Other Adjustments—Net Increase $51.9 million—mainly due to the following:
    • A net increase of $92.5 million for Workload Migration and Cloud Architecture Program, which includes a re-profile of $114.4 million.
    • A net increase of $8.4 million for Mission-Critical Projects, which includes $19.4 million to stabilize and improve service integrity for time-limited funding.
    • A net decrease of ($22.1) million for the Carling Campus Project for phases II and III, which includes a ($19.7) million re-profile for Phase II.
    • A net decrease of ($9.2) million for various projects and initiatives.
    • A decrease of ($6.2) million for the Information Technology Refresh Program for time-limited funding.
    • A decrease of ($4.5) million to establish environments that will allow Statistics Canada’s applications to perform the 2021 Census collections and the dissemination of that information for time-limited funding.
    • A decrease of ($4.3) million for Cyber and Information Technology Security Initiatives for time-limited funding.
    • A net decrease of ($2.7) million for the Renewal of High Performance Computing for the Environment and Climate Change Canada Project, which includes ($7.3) million re-profile.
  • Net Decrease ($0.3) million—Employee Benefit Plan:
    • A net decrease of ($0.3) million in the Employee Benefit Plan.
  • The total 2020–2021 Main Estimates is $2,055.2 million.

Issue

Shared Services Canada’s 2018-19 Departmental Results Report was tabled on February 26, 2020. It provides an account of the Department’s results achieved against the planned performance goals set out in the 2018─2019 Departmental Plan. The Report further highlights Shared Services Canada’s progress in delivering the federal government’s information technology infrastructure services.

Response

• In fiscal year 2018–2019, Shared Services Canada worked with other federal departments to deliver reliable information technology services for Canadians.
• Shared Services Canada demonstrated real results in its core responsibilities including the delivery of email and workplace technology, data centres, telecommunications, cyber and IT security, and customer relationships and service management.
• Shared Services Canada advanced the Government of Canada’s digital vision by supporting the programming of federal partners and sustaining the infrastructure that supports service to Canadians.

If pressed on Shared Services Canada’s workforce

• Budget 2018 saw a significant investment in Shared Services Canada’s workforce which resulted in a net increase in the capacity of the department to deliver on its key responsibilities.

If pressed on the reporting structure

• Treasury Board’s Policy on Results was used to establish Shared Services Canada’s Departmental Results Framework, which is the foundation for Shared Services Canada’s Departmental Plan, the Departmental Results Report and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Government of Canada InfoBase.
• Shared Services Canada’s Departmental Results Framework came into effect on April 1, 2018. It is being used to report results on financial and non-financial resources to Parliament and to Canadians.

If pressed on diversity

• Shared Services Canada is committed to supporting women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The Department has partnered with post‑secondary institutions and private sector organizations to work collaboratively to support women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and women in leadership.
• Shared Services Canada has appointed leadership champions for women, the LGBTQ2, Indigenous and other communities that contribute actively to the workforce.

Background

• Shared Services Canada delivered on our responsibilities over the past year by providing modern, secure and reliable services to government organizations so they could deliver digital programs and services that Canadians need.
• Shared Services Canada accomplishments highlighted in the 2018-19 Departmental Results Report include:
• Established secure and reliable cloud services.
• Opened Shared Services Canada’s largest state-of-the-art enterprise data centre to further consolidate, modernize and enhance the security of Canada’s data and applications.
• Created a team dedicated to supporting partners in Northern Canada and provided services such as satellite communications, video-conferencing and mobile communications.
• Provided information technology infrastructure for the G7 Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec.
• Provided information technology support for the new WeatherCan application.
• Provided significant information technology support for emergency responses to natural disasters, such as floods in Eastern Ontario, wild fires in British Columbia and tornados in Ottawa-Gatineau.
• Enabled the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to meet its unique policies and security requirements by creating a new directorate that provides them with a single point of contact at Shared Services Canada.
• Continued to help integrate and support public servants with disabilities, injuries, or ergonomic requirements by giving them access to systems, programs, and information.
• Collaborated with the government and other organizations in efforts to increase the number of women involved in information technology, as well as science, engineering and mathematics fields.

Issue

Digital government priorities in the 2018-19 Treasury Board Secretariat Departmental Results Report.

Key facts

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) pursued 15 departmental results in 2018–2019, measuring its progress using 37 indicators. Three of these results and 7 indicators measure the progress of the Digital Government portfolio.
• TBS sets the Government of Canada strategic direction for Digital Government, with a focus on information technology, service delivery, open government, and information and data.
• In August 2019, the Government of Canada launched the Policy on Service and Digital. The Policy consolidates five existing policies and three directives, and comes into effect April 1, 2020.

Response

• TBS is committed to leading work across government to lead the transition to a more digital government in order to improve citizen service. Over the last year, TBS has made substantive progress in support of this transition, including launching a new Policy on Service and Digital and providing global leadership on digital issues, including open government.
• TBS will continue to advance progress towards our objectives through the Office of the Chief Information Officer and the Canadian Digital Service, working with departments to enable a more digital government, to build capacity to use modern tools and methodologies, and to develop solutions that will benefit Canadians.

Background

• The purpose of the Departmental Results Report is to compare 2018–2019 actual results to the targets that were established in the 2018–2019 Departmental Plan. The tables below are excerpts from the Departmental Results Report, and the paragraphs below are based on the messaging in the Departmental Results Report.
• In the TBS Departmental Plan, the Digital Government portfolio falls under the administrative leadership core responsibility. In 2018–2019, TBS aimed to achieve the following three results related to Digital Government.
• Canadians have timely access to government information.

  • Performance indicator	Target	Date to achieve target	2018–19 Actual results	2017–18 Actual results	2016–17 Actual results
    Number of datasets available to the public	At least 2,000 new non-geospatial datasets	March 2019	3,168 new datasets published (11,340 total non‑geospatial datasets available in 2018–19 on open.canada.ca)Footnote 1	1,807 new datasets published (12,039 total non‑geospatial datasets available in 2017–18 on open.canada.ca)	2,079 new datasets published (10,232 total non‑geospatial datasets available in 2016–17 on open.canada.ca)

• To achieve this result, TBS worked with federal government organizations to add datasets to open.canada.ca, the open government portal. In 2018–2019, the government published 3,168 new datasets on open.canada.ca, up from 1,807 in 2017–2018 and surpassing the 2018–2019 target of 2,000. In addition, Canada was ranked number one in the world in 2018 on the Open Data Barometer, tied with the United Kingdom.
• Government service delivery is digitally enabled and meets the needs of Canadians.

  • Performance indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2018–19 Actual results	2017–18 Actual results	2016–17 Actual results
    Percentage of Government of Canada priority services available online	No target set for 2018–19 as baseline data was being collectedFootnote 2	74%	62%	Not assessed
    Degree to which clients are satisfied with the delivery of Government of Canada services (expressed as a score between 1 and 100)Footnote 3	At least 60	March 2020Footnote 4	Canadians were not asked this question in 2018–19 Results of the next survey expected by March 2022	58	Canadians were not asked this question in 2016–17
    Percentage of priority services that meet service standard	At least 80%	March 2020	69%	70%	85%

• To achieve this result, TBS establishes the strategic direction for government-wide service design and delivery, which includes the following objectives:
  • Departmental services across all channels (e.g., in person, phone, online) are easy to use and responsive to the needs of Canadians; and
  • More departmental services are available online.
• In 2018–2019, 74 percent of Government of Canada priority services^{Footnote 5} were available online. Specifically, this indicator measures the percentage of client interaction points that are available online for Government of Canada priority services (e.g., registration, authentication, application, informed of decision, issued documentation and provide feedback). This represents an increase from 62 percent in 2017–2018, and aligns with the Policy on Service and Digital, which requires departments to annually increase the proportion of their services available online.
• In 2018–2019, the percentage of priority services that met their service standard (69 percent) remained relatively stable from 2017–2018 (70 percent). While the indicator remained stable, it is worth noting that departments adjusted their service standards to be more ambitious. These adjustments align with the Guideline on Service Standards, which advises that standards should be relevant to clients, ambitious but realistic, and continually updated. The target for this indicator is 80 percent by March 2020.
• TBS also launched the new Policy on Service and Digital in 2019 to improve service design and delivery in a digital era. The Policy, which comes into effect April 1, 2020, consolidates five existing policy instruments and three supporting directives into a single policy and directive, and establishes the requirement for a designated official responsible for service in each department.
• TBS also works with departments to help them improve their services. This includes the work of the Canadian Digital Service, housed at TBS, which partners with departments to design, test and build easy‑to‑use services.
• Technology enhances the effectiveness of government operations

  • Performance indicators	Target	Date to achieve target	2018–19 Actual results	2017–18 Actual results	2016–17 Actual results
    Percentage of information technology systems for which cyber risks are managed effectivelyFootnote 6	100%	March 2019	94%	93%	82%
    Percentage of departments that have fewer than 3 significant outages impacting key systems in a year	No target set for 2018–19 as baseline data was being collected	14%	48%Footnote 7	Not assessed
    Degree to which departments are satisfied with the health of government’s information technology, expressed as a percentage	Year‑over-year improvement	Annually	59%	51%	37%

• To achieve this result, TBS sets the strategic direction for developing and delivering secure and reliable information technology (IT) in the federal government. In 2018–2019, this strategic direction was provided by the Policy Framework for Information and Technology, and the more specific policies that fall under it. To measure this result, TBS uses indicators that relate to the security, reliability and overall health of IT.
• Cyber risks were managed effectively for 94 percent of key IT systems in the federal government in 2018–2019, which means that, for each system, the responsible department had assessed the risks and had granted the system formal authority to operate. This was up 1 percentage point from 2017–2018, but did not reach the target of 100 percent. TBS will work with the departments responsible for the remaining 6 percent of IT systems to find out why some of them are operating without formal authority (for example, perhaps they are being phased out) and to identify appropriate measures to further improve on this result.
• The IT reliability indicator measures the percentage of departments supported by Shared Services Canada (SSC) that had fewer than 3 significant outages (longer than 4 hours) that affected key systems. In 2018–2019, 14 percent of departments supported by SSC had fewer than 3 significant outages, down from 48 percent in 2017–2018. This means that in 2018–2019, fewer departments had a high degree of IT reliability (as defined by this indicator).
• This decline may stem from two factors:
  • An increase in the number of key systems that SSC supports (each additional system has the potential to have outages, which can then increase the total outages experienced by departments); and
  • An increase in the number of outages related to the Enterprise Mobile Device Management Service, which provides mobile services to all 44 departments supported by SSC (each outage may affect multiple departments).
• SSC is implementing a new three‑year strategy to improve how it manages its services (see SSC’s 2019–20 Departmental Plan for more information). In future, TBS will not report on this indicator because it falls within the role of SSC, and because it reports on similar indicators.
• Overall, the degree to which departments are satisfied with the health of government IT has steadily increased, from 37 percent in 2016–2017 to 59 percent in 2018–2019. This result is based on a survey of departments and is a composite of 4 questions about departments’ perceptions of the service, security, value, and agility of government IT.

Issue

COVID-19 is an illness caused by a coronavirus. Human coronaviruses are common and are typically associated with mild illnesses, similar to the common cold. COVID-19 was first discovered in China on December 31, 2019, resulting in the first death on January 11, 2020.

The first Canadian case was reported on January 27, 2020, in British Columbia. The first reported death related to this virus, in Canada, was yesterday, March 9, 2020, in British Columbia.

Response

• Shared Services Canada is part of the Public Safety-led Federal Emergency Response Plan.
• Shared Services Canada takes this situation very seriously. The Emergency Operations Team has been activated for several weeks and has set up a “war room” to coordinate Shared Services Canada’s Pandemic Emergency Response Plan including refreshing Shared Services Canada’s business continuity plans.
• Shared Services Canada’s primary role in supporting customer departments is assessing and supporting remote access (virtual private network) for public servants if the pandemic situation evolves and a large portion (or majority) of the Government or Canada is asked to work from home.
• Shared Services Canada has assessed client department’s current Secure Remote Access capabilities to support remote access for approximately 40 percent of the Public Service to work remotely. In addition, Shared Services Canada has surveyed departments to inquire about their capacity requirements and is developing a plan to deliver extra capacity as required.
• Shared Services Canada is continuing to assess and make improvements to mitigate service interruptions to Canadians.
• Shared Services Canada also has an important role to play in support of federal department mission critical programs, and to ensure their critical services are operational during emergency events.
• Shared Services Canada is currently working with our industry partners on alternative contingent communication capability to improve government response time for future emergency situations.

Background

• With the COVID-19 outbreak evolving rapidly internationally, the federal government will continue working closely with local, provincial, territorial, and international partners to reduce potential risks to Canadians and the economy.
• Shared Services Canada has an integral role to play for the Government of Canada to support the departments and agencies who are managing and combatting the spread of the COVID‑19 virus.
• Top 19 critical partner departments:
  • Health Canada;
  • Public Health Agency of Canada;
  • Privy Council Office;
  • Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat;
  • Department of Finance;
  • Department of Justice;
  • Public Safety;
  • Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada;
  • Employment and Social Development Canada;
  • Shared Services Canada;
  • Public Services and Procurement Canada;
  • Canada Border Services Agency / Canada Revenue Agency;
  • Canadian Food Inspection Agency;
  • Correctional Services Canada;
  • Royal Canadian Mounted Police;
  • Department of National Defence;
  • Indigenous Services Canada; and
  • Transport Canada.
• Remote access (virtual private network) is the highest-demand service in emergencies and Shared Services Canada has assessed customer departments’ current Secure Remote Access capabilities to support remote access for approximately 40 percent of the Public Service to work remotely.

Issue

Recently, there have been confirmed reports of the presence of bedbugs in buildings in the Public Services and Procurement Canada inventory which has received significant attention from members of the media, employee unions, and federal employers.

Response

• We understand that employees are concerned about the presence of bedbugs in our buildings, and we are taking these concerns very seriously.
• When bedbugs are reported, Public Services and Procurement Canada brings in pest management experts to investigate, and if required, conduct a full treatment of the affected area.
• My department (Public Services and Procurement Canada) has engaged an industry expert who confirms that current pest management practices are appropriate, and we will continue to vigorously address all reported cases.

If pressed on Public Services and Procurement Canada actions

• We are taking this issue very seriously and have been working closely with facility managers in affected departments to address detections immediately.
• Public Services and Procurement Canada has invested approximately $400,000 in bedbug detection, remediation, and monitoring. Other federal departments have also made investments for similar services.
• With respect to bed bugs, it is important to note that all but one detection were in the “very low” range which is defined as less than 20 insects – in most cases, one to five bugs.
• Public Services and Procurement Canada continues to work closely with landlords and federal departments to mitigate future incidents of pests. Follow up visual inspections have been ongoing and will continue on a weekly basis until further notice.

Background

• Bed bugs can be unknowingly brought into the workplace on the personal effects of employees or visitors (i.e. bags, shoes), and even in mail packages.
• Public Services and Procurement Canada is taking this issue very seriously and has been working closely with facility managers in affected departments to address detections immediately.
• When bedbugs are reported, pest management experts are engaged to confirm the presence with an initial inspection. Canine inspections are conducted as required and monitoring traps installed. If bedbugs are confirmed, a full treatment of the affected area is completed. Elements of the treatment could include vacuuming, steaming and the application of a treatment spray. When possible, treatments are completed afterhours to minimize the impact on employees. Monitoring programs are put in place as it is not uncommon to require follow up treatments.
• With the increase in reports of bedbugs, Public Services and Procurement Canada is implementing a risk-based approach to proactive monitoring which includes high traffic areas.
• Various communications have been distributed across government to further enhance the prevention, detection and management of bedbugs in the workplace including additional instructions to the cleaning contractor community to reinforce the actions to take if they notice pests or their remnants.
• Consultation also took place with federal public sector unions.
• To support Government wide communication and knowledge sharing, a Public Services and Procurement Canada website on Control of Bedbugs in Federal Facilities was published, complete with infographics, helpful links, and videos on Public Services and Procurement Canada pest management methods (https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/comm/vedette-features/punaisesdelit-bedbugs-eng.html).
• Buildings with Bedbug Presence Detected
  • As of February 12, 2020, in the past 6 months, 51 locations have been investigated, treated for a confirmed presence, and are being monitored. Of these 51, the level of detection was:
    • Very low (1-20 bugs) – 50 buildings
    • Moderate (101 – 1000 bugs) – 1 building

Issue

In 2019, the Government launched a number of measures to improve accessibility in the federal Public Service—the Accessible Canada Act, Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada and amendments to Treasury Board’s Contracting Policy.

Response

• Shared Services Canada supports Government of Canada departments and agencies in implementing a barrier-free workplace that offers equal opportunities for all employees to contribute, feel empowered, reach their full potential and succeed in their careers.
• The mandate of the Accessibility, Accommodations and Adaptive Computer Technologies program is to assist with the workplace integration of employees with disabilities, injuries and ergonomic requirements, who require access to systems, programs, information, computers and computer resources.
• The program provides all government departments, agencies and their employees with information, awareness and training sessions, including opportunities to receive one-on-one or group workplace assessments and help in understanding the various needs and resources available to increase awareness and ensure a barrier free environment.
• Shared Services Canada removes and prevents technological barriers for public servants with disabilities by leading and supporting transformative initiatives with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Office of Public Service Accessibility, putting adaptive technology in the hands of employees.
• Examples include the Lending Library and the Accommodations Passport
  • The Lending Library is a personalized service for federal short-term employees (students, casuals, interns, terms, etc.) with disabilities. It allows employees to experiment with and borrow (often the same day) adaptive solutions required for their jobs.
  • The Accommodations Passport, led by Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and supported by Shared Services Canada, will enable employees to bring their adaptive technology with them as they change departments.
• The implementation of Microsoft 365 tools also provide accessible features.

Background

• The Accessibility, Accommodations and Adaptive Computer Technologies program provides accessibility testing and evaluation for some enterprise projects and procurements to ensure that products and applications meet accessibility standards. It provides employees with a wide variety of unique adaptive technology to meet their various needs (specialized hardware, software and workplace arrangements, such as lighting, a closed office, etc.). The success of the Accessibility, Accommodations and Adaptive Computer Technologies program serves Canadians at large by providing employment opportunities for Canadians with disabilities. Shared Services Canada continues to ensure the promotion of inclusion and diversity through career fairs and other recruitment initiatives, and will continue to work with its partners to advance the Accessibility, Accommodations and Adaptive Computer Technologies program as part of the implementation of the Accessibility Strategy

Issue

A power interruption at the <redacted> caused service interruptions at <redacted> This generated two media enquiries and no articles.

Response

• Early in the morning on March 3, 2020, a power interruption occurred at a government data centre. This caused several servers in this data centre to lose power.
• Some services at the following departments were affected by this outage: <redacted>
• No program payments were affected by this outage. The <redacted> programs were not affected by this outage.
• On March 3, 2020, services to all affected departments were restored except for <redacted> departmental email.
• On March 5, 2020, services to the <redacted> departmental email was restored.

Issue

What are the statistics on women in technology roles in the Government of Canada, and what actions are being taken to improve these figures?

Key facts

• For roles below Executive level, the majority of technology positions fall within the Computer Systems (CS) classification.
• There are currently around 20,000 CS employees in total.
• Of the total number of CS employees, 25 percent are women.
• Within the millennial age group, this percentage declines to 14 percent.
• Around 22 percent of computer science graduates in Canada are women.
• Shared Services Canada is the largest employer of public servants in technology roles, and has over 4,000 employees in CS positions.
• Currently at Shared Services Canada, overall representation of women is at 32.9 percent, compared to workforce availability of 36.5 percent.

Response

• Increasing the number of women in digital and technology roles in the Government of Canada is vital in helping the government be able to respond to the needs of Canadians.
• Twenty-five percent of Shared Services Canada’s CS employees are currently women.
• However, we recognize that for many women with these skills, there are an increasingly wide range of attractive career options.
• Working together, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, as the community lead, and Shared Services Canada as the largest employer of staff with technical skills, are taking action. This includes:
  • Running a recruitment campaign targeted at women, resulting in a pool of successful candidates, where 48 percent of those hired are women.
  • Development of recruitment material and videos to encourage and support women to apply for government roles.
  • Partnering with Women in Communications and Technology to run a development program for women in the first five years of their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics career.
  • Undertaking research sessions across the country to understand barriers for women in the public sector, in order to take action to address these.

Background

• Despite significant advocacy and efforts, the number of women undertaking computer science degrees in Canada has remained relatively static, at around 20 percent, over the past thirty years. There is significant demand for people of all genders with talent in these areas, and the percentage of women employed in CS positions within the Government of Canada has declined over that time.
• Public Service employees working within digital teams are not solely within the CS category. Skills such as data scientists and researchers work within a number of different classifications. However, the data for a broader grouping of public servants in this space is not available.
• The Office of the Chief Information Officer of Canada and Shared Services Canada have been working in partnership to improve these numbers, and to address issues of both recruitment and retention. The Office of the Chief Information Officer is responsible for the Information Technology and Information Management Community, and Shared Services Canada is the largest employer of CS employees within the government. The Executive Vice-President of Shared Services Canada has been highly active in championing activity in this space.
• The Office of the Chief Information Officer ran collective external recruitments for CS positions within the Government of Canada. Last year the team ran a recruitment campaign targeted specifically at women. This has greatly increased the percentage of women available within the overall pool, with the results that 48 percent of those hired from the pool are women.
• Demonstrating the leadership of women in digital and technology is important in helping younger women aspire to careers in the public service and to leadership positions. Both Shared Services Canada and Office of the Chief Information Officer leadership have committed to only taking part in conferences where diversity has been clearly considered, and to only taking part in panel events where there is at least one woman.

Shared Services Canada:

• As a department heavily relying on computer science and information technology, Shared Services Canada is committed to the development, recruitment, and retention of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
• Currently at Shared Services Canada, overall representation of women is at 32.9 percent, compared to workforce availability of 36.5 percent. Shared Services Canada has established hiring targets for women in the CS occupational group and has already surpassed these targets.
• Activities to support women in technology and science are focused on governance, recruitment and retention, learning and development and awareness. The Department recently held consultations with employees to validate the approach and identify additional opportunities to support employees.
• Shared Services Canada is also building networks with academia, the private sector, and across the public sector to share information, identify best practices, and support initiatives. Recent highlights include the Roberta Bondar Career Development Program, which is a partnership with Shared Services Canada, the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Microsoft Canada and Women in Communications and Technology. It is a two week development program for women in the first five years of their career or who have re-entered the workforce. Applications closed in February 2020 and the participants will be announced in April 2020.