Canada places first in e-government development

The Canadian government is on top when it comes to developing e-government service, says a recent study conducted by Accenture.

The study, e-Government Leadership: Engaging the Customer, was released Tuesday and explores the status of 22 e-governments across the globe, from Canada and the United States to Singapore and Australia. This is the third year in a row Canada has assumed the number one position, placing ahead of both Singapore and the United States.

Graeme Gordon, Accenture Canada’s e-government partner in Ottawa, says he isn’t surprised to see Canada leading the survey.

“E-government isn’t just about offering services online, which a lot of countries still focus on,” Gordon said. “E-government is more about transforming government services to provide more effective and more efficient services and also coming to the realization that those services have to be customer-centric.”

Not only has the Canadian government accomplished this through such online services as e-file with Revenue Canada and major benefits programs such as pension plans and old age security, but Gordon says Canada’s Government online strategy (GOL) understands that e-government is more than just an Internet channel.

In a nutshell, the reason Canada is ranked number one is because it has recognized the need for making services available to Canadians, he said.

The study ranked each of the 22 countries by researching the sophistication of the online services being offered. Various researchers conducted online tests of the government Web sites to survey the services being offered. Such factors as publication of information, electronic interaction and transaction quality between the government and customers were all considered as part of the overall Web site. Accenture also conducted interviews with 143 executive representatives within governments.

Once the research was complete, each GOL was categorized into a plateau, or level of online maturity. The first plateau is the lowest overall maturity, which means the government has a little more than just an online presence. Canada’s GOL just moved into the fifth and highest plateau

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now