Good evening Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
We're here today to talk about some proposed amendments to the Department of Employment and Social Development Act to promote better service delivery to Canadians.
As you know, the Department of Employment and Social Development is responsible for delivery of many social programs to Canadians, including the Canada pension plan, old age security, employment insurance, to name a few.
The department has an extensive network of service delivery, including online, on the phone, and in person presence of up to 150 points of service across the country.
Like other departments, this department has the mandate to deliver its own services, but not deliver services for partners. Over the years, the department has been granted authorities to assist other partners, including other federal departments, in the delivery of their programs. It's achieved those authorities on a case-by-case basis. A machinery of decisions culminating in orders in council has, for instance, provided the department with the authority for the 1 800 O-Canada, the Canada.ca, and the delivery of domestic passport services.
The case-by-case approach can be time consuming. Once a mandate for a service delivery partnership authority is in place, then the department needs to go and get cost recovery authorities from Treasury Board. This case-by-case approach can be time consuming, and prevent nimble response to partnerships, service delivery, that can assist Canadians.
The proposed amendments today to the departmental statute are to broaden the minister's mandate to provide authorities for service delivery partnerships. The partners that we're envisioning in this legislation are other federal partners, provincial, municipal, for instance, and also some indigenous communities.
The provisions will allow the department to provide services using the service delivery infrastructure. They'll also clarify the responsibility for personal information collected in the service delivery partnership.
Finally, they'll also permit the department to cost recover for the services that it provides to its partners.
Another amendment proposed is to allow the department to use CRA's business number under the Income Tax Act when it works with businesses to identify the validity of the businesses.
This is really a proposal that is machinery in nature. It does not seek funding. It is permissive. It's not a mandatory mandate. Partners who would like to avail themselves of ESDC's service delivery network and expertise could come to the table and negotiate a partnership.
The service delivery authorities are not directly related to any budget initiative. However, they could facilitate some initiatives, such as responsibility to improve access in indigenous communities on reserves and in the north.
I'll stop with that.