Transforming service to Canadians: the Service Canada model
| DOI | 10.1177/0020852307083458 |
| Author | Maryantonett Flumian,Amanda Coe,Kenneth Kernaghan |
| Date | 01 December 2007 |
| Published date | 01 December 2007 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Review of
Administrative
Sciences
Transforming service to Canadians: the Service Canada model
Maryantonett Flumian, Amanda Coe and Kenneth Kernaghan
Abstract
Over the past decade, the pursuit of citizen-centred service, combined with rapid
advances in information and communication technologies, has stimulated innova-
tive approaches to the organizational design of governments’ service delivery
systems. Service delivery organizations in Canada and elsewhere have taken a
variety of organizational forms, thereby providing a range of models for adoption
or adaptation. Service Canada offers Canadians a new model for the delivery of
government services. It is a one-stop, multi-channel and multi-jurisdictional initia-
tive that is dedicated to delivering seamless citizen-centred service. It brings
together a wide range of government programmes and services from across
federal departments and other levels of government to provide citizens with
integrated, easy-to-access, personalized service. This article assesses the possibili-
ties that the Service Canada model presents for service transformation through
integrated service delivery (ISD) and discusses political, structural, operational,
managerial and cultural barriers to its implementation.
Points for practitioners
Successful ISD initiatives can take a variety of organizational forms with an array of
governance arrangements. While some of the ISD challenges are not faced by all
countries, many of the challenges (e.g. privacy and security issues) are of a generic
nature. Many of the solutions to ISD challenges are also of general application,
including those utilized by Service Canada – the innovative use of partnerships,
adequate funding, guaranteed privacy and security and effective human resource
management. Note also that successful service transformation requires the
Maryantonett Flumian is the former head of Service Canada. She is currently on interchange from
the Privy Council Office as an Executive-in-Residence at the University of Ottawa. Amanda Coe is
Director of Policy at Service Canada, Government of Canada. Kenneth Kernaghan is Professor of
Political Science and Management at Brock University, Canada.
Copyright © 2007 IIAS, SAGE Publications (Los Angeles, London, New Delhi and Singapore)
Vol 73(4):557–568 [DOI:10.1177/0020852307083458]
558 International Review of Administrative Sciences 73(4)
creation of a culture of service excellence among employees, the demonstration
of frequent and tangible results, and understanding that leadership in service
integration requires a capacity for adapting to an ambiguous and ever-changing
environment.
Keywords: citizen-centred service, integrated service delivery, one-stop shops,
public service reform, service transformation, single-window service
Introduction
Service Canada offers Canadians a new model for the delivery of government
services. It is a one-stop, multi-channel and multi-jurisdictional initiative that is dedi-
cated to delivering seamless citizen-centred service. Its primary purpose is to bring
together – and fit together – a wide range of government programmes and services
from across federal departments and other levels of government to provide citizens
with integrated, easy-to-access, personalized service. Service Canada is an integrated
service delivery (ISD) arrangement that responds to the rising expectations of
Canadians for improved service delivery. It is also a response to the realization that
the federal government cannot make substantial improvements in the quality of its
service delivery without a new delivery model.
Students of comparative public administration will recognize ISD as the current
manifestation of service delivery arrangements that have been widely described as
‘one-stop shops’ or ‘single-windows’. These arrangements are a relatively new, but
rapidly expanding, feature on the public administration landscape. Over the past
decade, they have sprung up in countries around the world in a remarkable variety of
forms. Practitioners in various countries have learned about these arrangements from
one another – and have acted on what they have learned.1 The development of Service
Canada has been informed by service improvement initiatives in other governments,
including its counterparts in Canada’s provinces (e.g. Service New Brunswick, Service
Ontario) and Australia’s Centrelink. However, unlike Centrelink, which focuses primarily
on the delivery of human and social services, Service Canada is designed to deliver
programmes and services on a government-wide basis across several policy fields.
Service Canada aims not only to foster efficient, effective and accountable service
delivery, but also to fulfil the public service’s traditional role of helping to sustain and
strengthen democratic institutions. The Citizens First national surveys (Erin Research,
2003; Phase 5 Consulting Group, 2005) have found that Canadians’ level of service
satisfaction appears to have a strong influence on their trust and confidence in
government.
This article assesses the possibilities that the Service Canada model presents for
service transformation through integrated service delivery, and discusses challenges to
its implementation. The first section provides a brief overview of the new service
delivery model, including its origins, purposes and governance. The second section
examines the governance barriers faced by Service Canada and the measures that
have been taken, are in progress, or are planned to overcome these challenges. Finally,
the third section outlines lessons that Service Canada’s experience may provide for
other ISD initiatives and looks to the future development of Service Canada.
Flumian et al. The Service Canada model 559
Origins, objectives and governance of Service Canada
Origins and objectives
Service Canada is building on over a decade of efforts, including extensive research
and planning, to improve service in the Government of Canada. Among these efforts
was Government On-Line (GOL), a six-year initiative (2000–06) aimed at promoting
electronic service delivery by federal departments. In its final report, GOL announced
that it had ‘succeeded in making the Canadian government the world’s most con-
nected country to its citizens’ (Canada, Government On-Line, 2006: 1). GOL delivered
a number of on-line services and increased the confidence of Canadians in trans-
acting on-line. It was a first step towards meeting the needs and expectations of
Canadians and highlighted the need for more integrated and seamless service across
all channels.
In its 2005 Budget, the federal government announced its intention to create
Service Canada and to give it responsibility for providing one-stop service through
in-person, telephone, Internet and mail delivery channels. The Budget noted that
implementing this new model would involve ‘one of the biggest single reforms ever
in federal operations’ (Canada, Department of Finance, 2005: 13; emphasis added.).
In May 2005, the Treasury Board of Canada (a Cabinet committee) approved the
initial phase of an overall strategy for implementation and Service Canada officially
opened its doors to the public on 14 September 2005.
Service Canada employs over 22,000 employees to serve the country’s 32 million
citizens. It operates over 580 in-person points of service across the country and has
taken over responsibility for the Government of Canada’s one-stop telephone
call centre (1–800-O CANADA) and the Government of Canada’s Internet Portal
(www.canada.gc.ca). On an annual basis, Service Canada answers more than 56
million telephone calls (over 80 percent of all calls to the federal government, exclud-
ing the Canada Revenue Agency) and handles more than 14 million unique visits to
its website. The pursuit of ISD requires effective cross-agency and cross-jurisdictional
collaboration. Thus, Service Canada is working with a growing number of federal
departments,2 the majority of provinces and community partners to bring services
and benefits together in a single service delivery network.
In its first three years (2005–06 to 2007–08), Service Canada aims to achieve the
following service transformation objectives:
1 Deliver seamless citizen-centred service by providing integrated, one-stop
service based on citizen needs and helping to deliver better policy outcomes.
2 Enhance the integrity of programmes by building public trust and confidence in
the integrity of...
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