Imagine a single secure session with access to all public services, from hospitals to transportation and taxes. This would relieve pressure on our public system and significantly reduce stress in people's lives.
The global economy and public services are rapidly migrating towards secure digital environments. According to the OECD, "The global digital economy is expected to reach $25 trillion within five years,” which is 25% of the global economy.
The benefits for citizens are numerous: access to employment, knowledge, promotion of regional development, and more resilient public administrations. According to the OECD, Europe is leading the way, particularly the United Kingdom and Scandinavian countries.
In Canada and Quebec, according to the IDC report, "An Informed Approach to Digital Transformation: Critical Considerations for Canadian Government," 92% of public agencies are considering or have started their digital transition. This is excellent news, but important questions remain unanswered, and we want to shed light on them.
How long will it take, how quickly will citizens adopt it, and will it be consistent across all levels of government?
Too often, out of concern for security or for political reasons, our public institutions have not considered the experience of citizens when migrating their services. The portals are numerous, usage is complex, and there is rarely consistency in the processes and user experience when navigating between portals.
For many citizens, the dissonance is significant. On the one hand, they can buy a plane ticket in five minutes, and on the other hand, it is difficult to sign a document for a government service. In addition, why invest heavily in construction when municipalities lack the technology to evaluate projects and issue permits efficiently?
Trust in our public services is tarnished. Yet, offering user-centred digital services can be done securely while protecting privacy. People want a simple, consistent and secure user experience. It is no coincidence that 56% of organizations are transforming their business models to offer a better online experience.
There is an urgent need to act. According to the same study by IDC, more than half of those surveyed (51%) believe that the technological debt of government agencies limits their ability to provide needed digital services. Furthermore, more than 31% of government agencies believe that technological debt is delaying work by 25% to 50%.
The main issues with this debt are integrating new technologies into old systems (44%) and technology planning (46%).
Here, for nearly 30 years, our organizations and many similar companies have been inventing trusted technological solutions that work on both modern and legacy systems. Canadian companies can provide governments and regulated sectors with trusted solutions—solutions that can help Canadians obtain better services right now and facilitate the economic development of our country without leaving any demographics behind.
As directors of technology companies, we invite you to think collaboratively and adopt unified and secure Canadian-based solutions for the population.
Imagine a single secure session where you get access to all public services, from hospitals and transportation, to tax information, and more. This would relieve pressure on our public system and significantly reduce stress in people's lives.
Our international competitiveness and public trust are at stake.
It is time to take this step forward to preserve our international competitiveness and maintain public trust, which will be put to the test if we do not take action now.
This article was originally posted on The Hill Times, written by Portage CyberTech
