e-Policy Resources

E-government Policies

Canada’s Government On-Line

Canada’s Government On-Line (GOL) initiative is the federal government program to provide information and services on the internet by 2005. Included in this section are the key policies and initiatives that have made Canada number one, among 22 countries around the world, for the fourth year in a row for on-line service delivery to its citizens (see e-Government Leadership: High Performance, Maximum Value, Accenture).

Background

Canada’s Government On-Line (GOL )/Service Improvement initiative (GOL is a key component of the Government of Canada’s service strategy) was established following the Speech from the Throne in October 1999, which states the following commitment: “The Government will become a model user of information technology and the Internet. By 2004 (now 2005), our goal is to be known around the world as the government most connected to its citizens, with Canadians able to access all government information and services on-line at the time and place of their choosing.” The Government's commitment to the Government On-Line initiative was reiterated in Budget 2000 and again in 2001.

At the political level, the President of the Treasury Board of Canada is the minister responsible for the overall leadership of GOL across government. Treasury Board is responsible for setting administrative policy for the government. The Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) Chief Information Officer Branch (CIOB), which is responsible for planning and standards for information management and information technology throughout government, was given the responsibility for leading and coordinating the successful implementation of GOL.

To be successful, the TBS GOL Project Office is supported by a deputy minister level committee chaired by the Privy Council Deputy Office, which is responsible for managing the Government’s policy agenda, and an assistant deputy minister level committee. The GOL Project Office also works with various interdepartmental committees and key departments and agencies.

Reporting on progress is also important to keep Canadians, businesses and other stakeholders informed of plans and progress. The annual GOL reports as well as reports from each of the departments responsible for GOL are posted at www.gol-ged.gc.ca.

In 2001, the President of the TBS established an independent external GOL Advisory Panel to provide advice and recommendations to ensure that government services are responsive to the needs of Canadian citizens and businesses. The Panel is made up of individuals representing all regions of Canada, including representation from the private sector, community and volunteer organizations and academia.

As a result of government reorganization in December 2003, the responsibility for coordinating the implementation of GOL was transferred to the Information Technology Services Branch at Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). The PWGSC website offers an overview of GOL. PWGSC is the government’s principal common services agency and is a key player in GOL.

Implementing GOL

GOL, which was officially launched on April 6, 2000, has put in place the backbone for the electronic links within government and has given public servants the electronic information and tools they need to serve Canadians. The GOL strategy consists of the following elements:

• providing key client-centric services within a whole of government approach;
• establishing a common secure infrastructure;
• updating policy and legislative frameworks to guarantee the security and privacy of information and transactions, including solid information management frameworks to ensure service improvement, accuracy and transparency of information;
• developing departmental and system-wide progress on GOL for measurement; and,
• developing a skilled workforce.

The launch of the re-designed Canada Site in February 2001 was a major early success in the GOL initiative. It was updated based on the Government’s Cluster Blueprint framework, which was developed using feedback from Canadian individuals and businesses participating in an interdepartmental committee. The portal is the government’s primary public access point for delivering government services and provides programs and services under three sub-portals that are relevant to Canadian citizens, businesses and non-Canadians. They are designed and managed by interdepartmental partnerships. The portal complements the Service Canada initiative and the vision for client-centred, single-window service for all channels including in person, by phone, mail or electronically. These public access points ("the front offices") are complemented by Publiservice (the "back office"). Publiservice is the intranet site for Government of Canada employees, offering a single access point to the most up-to-date government information and work tools available on-line.

A second major accomplishment has been to accelerate the transformation of key government services for on-line delivery through two rounds of "pathfinder" projects. These projects, funded through the GOL central funding, include portal and cluster, as well as service transformation initiatives and pilot projects that support inter-jurisdictional collaboration, the improved co-ordination of telephone and internet channels, and the testing of innovative technologies or partnership arrangements. On the recommendation of the Deputy Minister committee responsible for GOL, 55 proposals were approved. A complete list of these projects, as well as a brief summary of proposals, can be found at: http://www.gol-ged.gc.ca/pathfinder-expl/pathfinder-expl_e.asp

Another major contribution to GOL is the PWGSC Electronic Supply Chain (ESC) initiative. ESC addresses the complete procurement, purchasing and payment life cycle involving the federal government and external suppliers, using e-business processes and enabling technologies.

The Secure Channel Project is at the centre of the Government of Canada’s common secure infrastructure and, as such, forms the foundation of GOL. The Secure Channel provides citizens and businesses with secure and private access to all federal government on-line services, thereby helping to realize the Government’s Service Vision of client-centric, cross-government service delivery anytime, anywhere and in both official languages. The migration of over 100 departments and agencies to the Secure Channel Network (SCNet) was completed by the Fall of 2003.

Electronic authentication is also part of the common secure infrastructure. Certificate Authority (CA) confirms the identity of users and issues Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificates (e-passes) that can also act as a digital signature. Several federal departments are currently using Secure Channel authentication services for their on-line services. Over 200,000 citizens and businesses have signed up for epass that gives them access to GOL services.

The Secure Channel was built under the Strategic IM/IT Infrastructure Initiative (SII), the technology component of the GOL initiative, which comes under the Federated Architecture Program. The SII has put in place the IM/IT policies and product standards that guided the selection of IT systems and components and their integration across the Government of Canada.

The Government of Canada has also enacted security and privacy policies which are key to the success of GOL. These policies form the Electronic Commerce Policy Framework and include: Canada’s Cryptography Policy, and Authentication Framework, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Bill C-6), Principles of Consumer Protection for Electronic Commerce, Policy for Public Key Infrastructure Management in the Government of Canada (PKI Policy), Standards Framework for Electronic Commerce).

A list of GOL policies and standards, is available at: http://www.solutions.gc.ca/solutions/pols_e.asp?who=/solutions/

GOL measures its progress using the Common Measurements Tool (CMT). CMT is an easy-to-use, ready-made tool, client satisfaction survey instrument recognized by the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) and by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. The Institute for Citizen-Centred Service (ICCS) serves as the custodian of the CMT, and makes the tool and associated support materials available through its web site. Canada’s GOL performance is measured according to the TBS Management Accountability Framework.

The last element of the GOL strategy consists of developing a skilled workforce. The Government of Canada is ensuring that employees will have the knowledge, skills and competencies to deliver public services in an integrated, client-centred, multi-channel environment.

Next Steps

The Government of Canada has implemented the main elements of GOL strategy. Greater GOL partnering with other government jurisdictions in order to integrate their respective service offerings will be the focus of the final phase of implementation. It is what Canadian citizens want (GOL Internet Research Panel, 2004). It is also the advice of the Government On-line Advisory Panel. The Panel’s final report, Connecting with Canadians: Pursuing Service Transformation, 2003, recommends that the Government of Canada should “build on the success of GOL by implementing an integrated service delivery network”.

Chapter Four of the Government On-Line 2004 Report outlines in concrete terms what integrated services would mean and also elaborates on challenges ahead. The Government will continue its efforts to ensure a successful conclusion to the GOL initiative, as this will serve as the foundation for any future transformation work

Financing GOL

The 2000 Federal Budget identified $160 million over two years to design and launch Government On-Line (GOL). Of that amount, approximately one third was set aside to fund the pilot projects that would facilitate cross departmental service integration, address horizontal policy issues or break new ground to help the government meet its 2005 commitment. In the December 2001 Budget, a further $600 million were committed over the fiscal years 2002-2006 to continue and expand the work on the GOL initiative: to implement the plans for building the common secure infrastructure and to sustain the transformation in service and business practices. Appendix A of the Government On-Line 2004 Report above-mentioned provides a listing of the allocated funds as of December 2003.

Government On-Line at a Glance

• 30 Departments and Agencies
• 130 Services
• 63 (48%) Informational
• 67 (52%) Transactional
• 45 (35%) services are completed

GOL Additional Resources

Tools:

• The Readiness Strategy: A Whole-of-Government Approach
  
• The Knowledge Institute. The Institute provides Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) education, professional development and training to government professionals. The ICT government-specific curriculum for both technical and non-technical public sector employees will help departments meet their Government On-Line (GOL) objectives, facilitate the acquisition of skills and expertise required to improve services to Canadians, as well as provide continuous learning and professional development opportunities for employees.
  
• Crossing Boundaries is a collaborative research project involving e-government leaders in Canada and around the world in setting and advancing the e-government agenda.
  
• Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) e-Learning Tool. This Course provides introductory training to Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) Practitioners, PIA managers, and other Government of Canada (GoC) personnel on Privacy Impact Assessments and other privacy-related issues.
  
• Information Management Resource Centre (IMRC). The Information Management Resource Centre is a portal to Government of Canada, Canadian and international information management activities and resources.
  
• Business Transformation Enablement Guide. This paper provides an overview of the Government of Canada Strategic Reference Models, or GSRM. This tool sets standards for business modeling from several perspective so individual departments, clusters of departments, and central agencies, can map common services and the business processes that support them, and thereby align GOL and service transformation activities.
  
• Metadata Training -- Learn about Metadata and the Government On-Line Metadata Standard. A basic-level one-day course for Government of Canada employees who are responsible for supplying metadata elements to Web content as required by the Government’s Common Look and Feel Standard 6.3 and TBITS 39.1.
  
• Framework for the Management of Information in the Government of Canada Roles and Responsibilities – Employee Guidance – Quick Reference Card - Questions and Answers.
  
• E-Government Capacity Check interview guide. The guide provides an approach to obtaining the information needed to utilize KPMG's e-Government Capacity Check diagnostic tool

Reports:

• Government On-Line 2004.
  
• Building Capacity to Accelerate Service Transformation and e-Government. - This is a report for Government On-Line on putting the citizen at the centre of a whole-of-government approach using service delivery, common secure infrastructure and architecture, policy, organizational readiness and human resources, and communication.
  
• Connecting with Canadians: Pursuing Service Transformation , Final Report of the Government On-Line Advisory Panel.

Presentations:

• Presentation – Governments working together to serve Canadians, Michelle d’Auray, GTEC October 2003
  
• Transforming Services for Canadians, Annual CIO Update, April 2003
  

Articles:

• GOL fact sheet
  
• Government On-Line and Canadians – How Canadians are using on-line services--narrated video, text
  
• Article, E-government Leadership: High Performance, Maximum Value, Accenture.
  
• eGovernment news.

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