Joining forces for Canada
In launching the Canadian Digital Service (CDS), we were lucky to stand on the shoulders of giants who had gone before us. We learned from other jurisdictions like the U.K., the U.S. and Australia who paved the way for digital service organizations. At home, we looked at Vancouver and Calgary’s focused digital strategies, and at the newly-minted Ontario Digital Service (ODS).
What was clear when we met with people across Canada last year, is that governments at every level are working hard to deliver user-centered digital services for citizens, and that there are many opportunities for us to work together and learn from each other. While we collectively face a big challenge, we don’t have to do it alone. We shouldn’t do it alone.
This is what made our first joint team meeting with the ODS in October so exciting. The ODS is both ready and eager to join forces. We talked about project work, measuring impact, recruitment and other issues of common interest. Not surprisingly, we are working on similar projects and trying to solve common problems — often for the same users. Working together has the obvious benefit of not re-inventing the wheel, but also offers the potential to collectively roll up our sleeves to tackle interjurisdictional problems like homelessness.
And it’s not just about partnering with other government organizations. Both ODS and CDS welcomed the first cohort of Code for Canada fellows earlier this month. The program places digital practitioners inside government, where they can help solve the country’s greatest service delivery problems. Building partnerships with organizations like Code for Canada at both the federal and provincial level is helping to foster an ecosystem that connects government, innovators and the tech community. It’s testing new models of injecting new talent into the system and laying the groundwork for other organizations to do the same.
Across Canada, a thriving digital community is taking shape. Success stories at both the municipal and provincial levels are raising the bar for digital service delivery in Canada. People do not distinguish between levels of government, nor should we. Only by joining forces will we yield digital services that are coordinated, inclusive and reflective of Canadian diversity.
