Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 3120 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION OF CANADA ASSOCIATION CANADIENNE DE LA TECHNOLOGIE DE L’INFORMATION ITAC on Digital Government | Page 3 THE VOICE OF THE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) SECTOR IN CANADA | www.itac.ca Mind the government talent gap The ICT skills shortage is increasingly becoming a challenge for Canada. In fact, according to a recent report by the Information Communications Technology Council (ICTC), “the growth in digital jobs has outpaced the overall economy in the last two years by over 4 to 1, leading to a strong demand of 182,000 skilled ICT workers by 2019.”10 As such, we are seeing all levels of government worldwide doing things like encouraging greater involvement in STEM education, and making investments in post-secondary institutions and technology-focused management programs. But while these investments are certainly generous, one other critical investment is markedly absent: funding to help develop governments’ own internal ICT workforces. The Government of Canada has approximately 17,385 people employed within the computer systems (CS) group of the federal public service. The average age of CS employees is 45, and these individuals have been working for the federal public service for approximately 15 years.11 As the pace of technology continues to change, workforce development becomes mission-critical. The workforce development issue was further substantiated in May 2016 at the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. Former SSC president Liseanne Forand stated that when SSC started its mandate, IT staff inherited from other departments were able to maintain current systems—but had not been trained in transformation. Ms. Forand added: “If I had known then what I learned later on, I would have launched a staff recruitment program much earlier, in 2012.”12 The University of Ottawa recognized this need and created the CIO Institute of Professional Development, which was recently endorsed by the Chief Information Officer of the Government of Canada. This skills-building school prepares CIOs within government and agencies to take on enhanced leadership responsibilities in a dynamic and complex work environment. Mr. Messina has encouraged leaders’ need to deepen and expand their skills, capabilities and perspectives.13 Unfortunately, there is no one source of information currently available that clearly articulates workforce development requirements of ICT workers across the Government of Canada. Knowing more would help leaders address the issue, and so this data is needed to make the right policy and program investments. Modernize Procurement Government procurement accounts for the largest-single share of all ICT procurement in the Canadian economy. Indeed, the government’s buying power has a profound impact on the overall prosperity, productivity and investment decisions in the ICT industry. The sheer size of what it buys has the ability to shift markets, fuel partnerships, launch businesses, employ Canadians, and innovate public service delivery. In other words, government procurement is a powerful instrument of public policy—both economic and social. ITAC commends the Government of Canada for indicating its desire to update its procurement practices so they: • are simpler and less administratively burdensome, • deploy modern comptrollership, and • include practices that support ICT’s economic policy goals (including green and social procurement). With this in mind, ITAC recommends two ways to move forward in modernizing procurement. Create one procurement playbook In June 2015, ITAC provided Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and SSC a whitepaper titled “Smart and Collaborative Procurement Recommendations.” The paper provided solutions to issues found in both organizations’ disparate procurement practices: PWGSC’s Smart Procurement Process, and SSC’s Collaborative Procurement Process.14 At the time, the ICT sector asked both entities to strengthen their respective processes. However, as the Government moves into new technology frontiers, vehicles under both 10 http://www.ictc-ctic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ICTC_DigitalTalent2020_ ENGLISH_FINAL_March2016.pdf 11 See the CS Population infographic, prepared by the Service and GC2.0 Policy and Community Enablement Division, Chief Information Officer Branch, Treasury Board Secretariat 12 http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=e&Mode=1&Pa rl=42&Ses=1&DocId=8312045 13 https://continue.uottawa.ca/en/course-category-13 14 http://itac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Smart-Collaborative-Procurement- Recomendations-for-PWGSC-and-SSC-ITAC-white-paper.pdf ITAC asks the Government of Canada to (1) better understand the upskilling requirements of its ICT workers; and (2) leverage this data to develop the right policies and programs, which will better prepare its current workforce to support 21st century requirements. Therefore, ITAC asks the Government of Canada to create to create Digital Service Canada with a centralized digital mandate. This will help departments innovate public service delivery; support Canada’s single-window mandate; and provide Canadians and businesses with the most accessible, efficient and cost- effective tools for communicating with and receiving services from government.