:
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
We've circulated a deck in advance that I'll be referencing throughout the course of my opening remarks.
HRSDC was created in 2006 to bring together the Government of Canada's social and labour market strategies in recognition of the linkages between labour market success and the various social elements of Canadian society, including poverty, low income, and social inclusion.
While it is a large and diverse department, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada's mission provides a focal point to build a stronger, more competitive Canada; to support Canadians in making choices that help them live productive and rewarding lives; and to improve Canadians' quality of life. The department is responsible for some of the most well-known and significant programs provided by the federal government, including the Canada pension plan, employment insurance, old age security, children's benefits, and student loans, programs that span the lifetime of Canadians.
Service Canada, as the face of the government across the country, has proven to be both an effective and popular organization. It brings related services and program benefits to citizens from coast to coast.
We will move to slide 4.
The department includes the labour program as well as Service Canada. The labour program is responsible for overseeing federal labour responsibilities. These include labour laws, mediation services, and representing Canada in international organizations and international labour negotiations. HRSDC also provides funding to other levels of government, provinces, and organizations to support labour market and social development.
Given the extent of our programming, reaching all parts of the country requires a large workforce. We have approximately 26,000 employees currently in place.
I will now reference slide 5.
As I mentioned, HRSDC, through Service Canada, has offices from coast to coast to coast. Of the department's approximately 26,000 employees, two-thirds work in the regions. The department's responsibilities include the development of the labour market and labour force; reducing barriers to post-secondary education and skills development; overseeing federal labour regulations; and providing income support to seniors, families with children, and EI recipients.
The broader HRSDC portfolio includes several other organizations, including the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the National Seniors Council and, as of May 18 of this year, Status of Women Canada, each of which provides additional services and policy and program support across a range of areas for the federal government.
I am now referencing slides 6 and 7.
HRSDC operates under the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and the Department of Social Development Act. It also has the primary responsibility for legislation relating to its programs, such as the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code. These acts provide for the appointment of both the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada as well as the Minister of Labour. The Minister for the Status of Women is appointed under the Ministries and Ministers of States Act and is not covered by the departmental legislation.
I will now go to slide 8.
This slide shows the department's program activity architecture, or PAA. All departments are required to use a PAA to show the strategic outcomes or goals of the department, and how programs are organized to support the achievement of those outcomes. The PAA forms the basis of financial reporting and funding votes in Parliament.
I will now go to slide 9.
The department administers approximately $100 billion in spending each year. This slide provides a budget breakdown for the department's expenditures as they appear in the report on plans and priorities, which was tabled in Parliament in June.
I will now go to slide 10.
As a large organization we continually adapt to an ever-changing environment for Canadians, our partners, and the Government of Canada as a whole. We see demographic changes under way in Canadian society, the profound effect of technology and trade on social and economic opportunities, and a need to meet Canadians' rising service expectations, tempered by the need to contain costs.
To adapt to these changes and contribute to the Government of Canada's plan to return to balanced budgets, we need to modernize how we do business. HRSDC is working to become a more focused, efficient, and modern organization.
This change agenda has three major components: first is implementing the strategic review decisions contained in Budget 2011; next is a Service Canada business transformation; and the final point is the enabling services renewal program, that is, modernizing the way the department handles its HR, finance, and IT services and systems.
These changes are about getting government right, allowing us to achieve better results for Canadians, and providing better value for money while positioning our department for the future.
I will now go to slide 11.
There are six priorities in the department's report on plans and priorities. At the end of the year, we will report our progress on supporting these priorities in the departmental performance report.
In conclusion, we are a large department with offices and employees across Canada. In very tangible ways, we are the face of the federal government for many Canadians. This broad mandate and reach puts us at the forefront of the Government of Canada's labour market and social policy agenda. It gives us an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to appear before you today. We'll be pleased to take your questions.
Mr. McGovern, I would like to thank you so much for being here and for your presentation.
In your presentation, you spoke about modernization. I come from the union world. When there is modernization, there is centralization. Things will now be done by telephone and computer. You know that Canadians are not all skilled at using computers. Even I have trouble adjusting to these changes.
I have a concern. I have a question for you, but then another one after that. The wait time to speak to someone at Service Canada to ask about employment insurance has increased. I've been told that the wait is longer than it should be.
You know that when someone presses 1 or 2, they often hear "your call is important to us". Now, callers aren't even getting an answer. They're told that the lines are busy. People are having difficulty responding to them.
Questions are being raised, and we are quite concerned about people who want to receive employment insurance benefits. Some of them are receiving benefits currently because of a lack of work. When they get sick and want to change their claim, they get no answer, even after 60 days. The timeframe has really increased since we started speaking about centralization and modernization.
A 58-year-old man like me who wants to make a claim and who must put an X in the boxes can sometimes make a mistake on the computer without even knowing it, and the system can block him. It can take days before he gets an answer.
I am an advocate for centres because contact with people is important. The type of people who are going to come and meet you in person at the service centres are going to be more comfortable.
According to the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec, it takes 100 days to process an employment insurance claim, instead of 28. There are 30,000 delayed files in Quebec alone. Service Canada has already lost control of its service offer and says that these cuts of over 600 positions will have no considerable impact. Canadians will be the first victims of inappropriate budget cuts.
In the case of a file review, which must not exceed 21 days, it's taking 181 days under the current system. For the control investigation service, instead of taking 21 days, it's taking 532. What will the average wait time be to process an employment insurance claim after services are centralized?
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I am pleased to appear before you today to give you a brief description of Service Canada and its role in the delivery of federal government services and its commitment to delivering the best service possible to all Canadians in a way that's efficient, effective, and focused on the changing needs.
I'm accompanied by my colleague, Mr. Paul Thompson, who is the assistant deputy minister of the Processing and Payment Services Branch; and Mrs. Cheryl Fisher, who's the acting assistant deputy minister for the Citizen Service Branch.
[Translation]
The purpose of today's presentation is to provide an overview of Service Canada, who we are and what we do. I will also talk briefly about our future plans, based on the ongoing improvement of the service.
We'll now move on to the presentation. I'd be happy to answer your questions afterwards.
Service Canada aims to offer one-stop, easy-access to government information, programs and services to meet the needs of Canadians. Our integrated national service delivery network makes it easier for Canadians to get what they want or need from the government, how and when they choose, by Internet, by telephone, in person or by mail.
[English]
As the operational service delivery arm for HRSDC, Service Canada supports the achievement of policy and program priorities through the delivery of core programs, including employment insurance, the Canada Pension Plan, old age security, the guaranteed income supplement, the social insurance number, and the wage earner protection program.
In addition to delivering core services, Service Canada also works with a range of federal partners to provide Canadians with help or information on such life events as finding a job, getting an education, applying for a passport, having credentials recognized, raising a family, retiring, living with a disability, starting a business, and much more. I will speak more on this later in the presentation.
[Translation]
Service Canada has strongly prioritized collaboration and intergovernmental partnerships, for example with the agreements on life events.
Within HRSDC's portfolio, Service Canada comprises a national headquarters and four regional management structures: West, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic.
Service Canada is one of the largest and most regionally diversified organizations within the government. In fact, in a workforce of 16,000, almost 9 out of 10 employees do not work in the National Capital Region.
Service Canada has on four key business lines.
[English]
Our citizen services business line is responsible for Service Canada's client service strategies and offerings, as well as our integrated approach to managing key service channels. It captures the views of and perspectives of Canadians through such initiatives as our office for client satisfaction and the voice of the client initiative, as well as the insights of employees on how to continually improve services through our newly launched voice of the employee.
Our processing and payment service business line is responsible for the operational delivery of the department's core programs, including employment insurance, the Canada pension plan, old age security, and the guaranteed income supplement.
Our integrity services business line helps us to ensure that the right individual receives the right benefit payment at the right time through a comprehensive risk-based program to improve the accuracy of processing and payments, ensure compliance, and ensure the security and accuracy of personal information.
Our labour market and social development program is delivered at the regional level and is responsible for the delivery of a diverse range of programs to Canadians, such as youth, seniors, persons with disabilities, and aboriginal peoples.
[Translation]
Service Canada is responsible for delivering over $95 million in benefits for some of the most basic programs that touch the lives of Canadians: employment insurance, the Canada pension plan, old age security, the guaranteed income supplement and the wage protection program.
[English]
This represents approximately 4.3 million payments annually, with the vast majority—nearly 85%—deposited directly into client bank accounts, greatly simplifying the client service experience.
In addition to making payment processes more timely, Service Canada is also achieving higher levels of payment benefit accuracy through more automated processes, generally meeting or exceeding the 95% accuracy target for all major programs.
[Translation]
Ensuring that Service Canada and its employees are focused on the needs and wants of Canadians when it comes to priority services is at the heart of our vision.
[English]
Our mission statement is based on what Canadians have told governments they want from a service organization: timely, single-window access to the full range of government service offerings, supported by knowledgeable service professionals.
[Translation]
Under our mandate, we are committed to continuous improvement by deepening the level of cooperation in services to offer Canadians a wider range of government services in the delivery method of their choice. Service Canada's national multimode network ensures that Canadians can click, call or visit to get the government information, programs or services they need.
[English]
To provide you with a bit of detail on our more than 600 points of in-person service, we have 331 Service Canada centres, 274 scheduled outreach sites in rural and remote locations, and 28 Service Canada community offices.
On slide 7 you will see a map showing shows that we have over 600 points of service across Canada. Service Canada provides over 90% of Canadians with access to services within 50 kilometres of their homes.
[Translation]
This extremely detailed map of points of service shows the wide range of locations offering services in person to Canadians. As you can also see, the map very clearly illustrates that it is a priority for our organization to provide an efficient presence in urban and rural areas across the country.
[English]
At the present time, the vast majority of our in-person sites, nearly three-quarters, are located in rural and remote areas of the country.
[Translation]
Since it was created, Service Canada has made it an ongoing priority to create solid and sustained partnerships and to engage in intergovernmental cooperation.
[English]
We have more than 70 service offerings, and they're now delivered on behalf of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and 12 other government departments and partners.
[Translation]
These partnerships increase our ability to attain more complex and convergent results when it comes to providing services to Canadians.
[English]
We enhance existing services, for example, sharing information relevant to social insurance number issuance. We deliver new services such as the passport receiving agent service, and we implement new cross-government service offerings such as the joint CPP disability and disability tax credit.
[Translation]
I'm now on slide 9.
There are four key challenges before Service Canada for the future, and these challenges have an impact on our ability to serve Canadians.
The first challenge is the changing demographic.
[English]
Our aging population will increase the pressure on Service Canada to deliver the pension and other services that Canada's seniors rely upon. Canada's senior population is expected to more than double by 2036, increasing service demands for pension programs. And as more people retire, we know we will need to turn our focus increasingly to supporting the skilled workforce we will need in the future.
[Translation]
The second challenge is the rising citizen service delivery expectations.
[English]
Canadians expect government services to compete with the levels of service they receive from the private sector. This means 24-hour, online, easy-to-use self-service. They want one-stop government services that are organized and offered to meet their individual needs. And in this digital age, as citizens are increasingly empowered to self-serve online, they expect 24/7 access to fully transactional government e-services.
[Translation]
New technologies present the third challenge.
[English]
Around the world, public and private sector service delivery organizations are leveraging new technologies to integrate and simplify the delivery of services, streamline transactional services, and make better use of online communication.
[Translation]
Lastly, fiscal restraint is also a challenge.
[English]
In a period of fiscal restraint, Service Canada needs to be efficient and as effective as possible.
[Translation]
To meet these challenges, Service Canada remains committed to delivering service to Canadians in a way that is modern, efficient and sustainable.
In the coming years, our service improvement plan will reflect the following priorities.
[English]
We want to enhance our service delivery through an improved Service Canada website and the My Service Canada Account, so that citizens can take advantage of greater electronic services and self-service options when they are seeking information and conducting service transactions.
[Translation]
This service improvement plan will also focus on the continued progress of a general modernization program by moving ahead with the possibility of automating, regrouping and further standardizing our administrative processes to attain better operational performance and cut costs in this period of fiscal restraint.
Thank you very much. I would now be pleased to answer your questions.