Rethinking
government
services

Collaborating widely

Working in the open and collaborating with partners from across all levels of government is one of the ways we’re doing things differently. A number of cross-governmental initiatives are already underway or have been completed across the country:

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Service delivery partnership with the Government of the Northwest Territories

A partnership between Service Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) increases access to Service Canada’s programs and services in fifteen remote and Indigenous communities. Through a single point of service, a local GNWT employee now provides daily access to both GNWT and Service Canada services. Canadians living in or near these communities can now obtain information, or assistance in applying for the following programs: Apprenticeship Grants, Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance, Guaranteed Income Supplement, Old Age Security, the Social Insurance Number program, and the Wage Earner Protection Program.

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Service Canada video chat

Some Service Canada centres in the Quebec, Atlantic, Western Canada, and Ontario regions are piloting a video chat technology by using a video interface that provides Canadians with the opportunity to receive service from virtual Citizen Service Officers located in other Service Canada centres across their region.

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A dedicated team for improving service design and delivery

The Canadian Digital Service (CDS) is helping federal departments design and deliver digital services that are simpler, faster and easier to use. For example, CDS is currently working with Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) on an online tool to make it easier for Veterans to determine what benefits, programs and services they may be eligible for.

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Seamless access to federal services in Alberta

Service Alberta and the Government of Canada are collaborating on a pilot that will let Albertans access federal government services using their MyAlberta Digital Identity. That pilot is on track to launch in the 2019-20 fiscal year.

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Transparent contracting with blockchain

The National Research Council of Canada recently launched the Government’s first-ever live trial of public blockchain technology as a way to transparently administer contracts for Canadian small- and medium-sized businesses.

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Co-designing services with businesses and entrepreneurs

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has set up a Digital Innovation Lab at Bayview Yards Innovation Centre in Ottawa. This exciting Government of Canada lab is “working in the open” as part of an Innovation ecosystem to co-design digital experiences and learn innovative ways to leverage technology.

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Streamlined access to resources for new parents

Employment and Social Development Canada and the Government of Ontario expanded Ontario’s online newborn registration service to help parents start the process of opening a Registered Education Savings Plan and requesting education savings incentives for their children.

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A new tool to help understand Canadians’ needs and behaviours

A Behavioural Insights Playbook for Channel Shifting co-designed by federal, provincial and territorial partners will help service providers understand Canadians’ needs, improve access and encourage them to use in-person, phone or digital services according to their preferences.

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Anticipating the impacts of service digitization

Service Canada, in collaboration with provinces and territories, developed an e-vulnerability index to help ensure that digital services benefit all Canadians, regardless of geographic location.

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Cross-governmental blockchain experimentation

The Government of Ontario, the City of Toronto and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada are experimenting with blockchain technology to determine how it can be used to improve services for businesses.

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A playbook for cross-governmental collaboration

Service Canada, provincial and territorial governments co-developed a pan-Canadian Service Partnerships Playbook to promote collaboration across all levels of government with the goal of seamless service delivery.