IT World Canada
Canadian employers can now create and submit records of employment to the federal government online thanks to the newest application on the ePass Canada system.
The Record of Employment (ROE) Web project – which was unveiled during the recent Lac Carling 2003 congress in Saint-Sauveur, Que. – is a Human Resources Development Canada initiative available through the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s ePass system.
“It is a significant project because it is very important to HRDC and Canadian businesses,” Brenda Watkins, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat CIO Branch, told delegates at the congress.
By using the new ROE Web system, businesses can submit employment records individually or through bulk transfers. Individual online submissions will be assigned a serial number and saved into the HRDC database. All valid saved records can be retrieved for printing at a later time. Employers with a large number of records can extract data from their payroll systems and submit them to the HRDC in batches, using file transfer protocol, for bulk processing.
According to Watkins there are more than eight million records submitted to the HRDC each year by 1.4 million businesses.
“It is a paper process that has been consistently identified by businesses as one of the most cumbersome government programs,” she said. “They’ve streamlined it to be as easy to use online as possible.”
The Government of Canada’s ePass system was launched last September. By registering for an ePass, individuals can obtain a unique electronic credential that allows them access to online government programs and services that require enhanced security. The first ePass application allows citizens to change their home address, mailing address and phone numbers online with the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency.