Many Canadians would like to see government services made available online permanently

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Published May 18, 2021 at 3:56 pm

service_ontario

With vaccines opening to more and more Canadians, many are starting to look towards the end of the pandemic.

However, while most are anticipating a return to normalcy, some feel certain changes introduced due to the pandemic should become permanent.

With in-person services having been shuttered for much of the last 14 months, many government services had to pivot to provide digital alternatives.

Many Canadians would like to see these changes made permanent.

A recent survey commissioned by ServiceNow found that 69 per cent of Canadians would like to be able to access federal services digitally, while 70 per cent feel this way about provincial services, and 65 per cent about municipal services.

Additionally, 74 per cent of Canadians said the pandemic has made them more receptive to accessing government services online.

However, not everyone wants to see in-person services replaced with digital counterparts. Forty-six per cent of respondents said they rely on someone else helping them navigate government systems—28 per cent of these said they require help because they find the process too complicated.

“One outcome of the pandemic is that it has increased citizens’ appetite for digital services and their expectation for being able to access services quickly and easily. This extends to public services offered by the government, like the vaccine rollout,” Marc LeCuyer, vice president and general manager of ServiceNow’s Canada division, said in a news release.

“People want simple, easy citizen experiences just like they have in their consumer lives. Meeting the evolving digital needs of Canadians builds trust and confidence in our public institutions, which has never been more important as we navigate the pandemic and plan for a successful recovery,” he continued.

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