We love a good challenge

Last summer, the federal government brought together Canadian industry leaders to help guide economic strategies for Canada. One of these, the Digital Industries table – chaired by Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke – examined how Canada could become a digital leader. Their report was published in September 2018, and presents a bold vision for Canada as a digital society.

Of all their recommendations, one stands out for our team: for the Government of Canada to make all government services available online by 2025. “No more trips to physical office buildings, waiting in lines, or mailing paperwork.”

It’s been just over a year now since I joined the Canadian Digital Service (CDS). CDS partners with departments across the federal government to design and build public-facing services together, to help enable digital-first delivery in government that meets Canadians’ modern expectations. As a team with a mandate to deliver government services that are easy to use, fast, and reliable, the table’s vision speaks to us. It’s a bold and timely goal.

In November at FWD50, CDS accepted the challenge to consider: What would it take for the Government of Canada to deliver its public-facing services digitally by 2025? As part of CDS’s mandate to provide advice to government about digital service delivery, we’re sharing the beginning of a roadmap to that goal: Delivering digital services by 2025. Public servants across government are working to improve digital service delivery, but efforts to date have not been enough. We need to put the wind at their backs.

This document is the beginning of a broader conversation, and we look forward to developing it together with all of you. Read it today and let us know what you think.