Ottawa Launches Digital Transformation Canada to Improve Government Services

On 3 September 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney launched Digital Transformation Canada, a new federal organisation charged with making government services faster, more secure, and more reliable for Canadians.

The organisation brings together Shared Services Canada with selected functions from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and Employment and Social Development Canada, including the Canadian Digital Service. Patrick Pichette has been appointed chief executive officer. The work sits under the Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, Joël Lightbound. It builds on the federal AI for All strategy announced earlier this year, which committed Ottawa to responsible use of artificial intelligence and to strengthening Canada’s digital sovereignty.

New tools can help people get answers, pay bills, and resolve service requests without unnecessary delay. They can also create real risk if we adopt them without care. When government systems handle personal information, residency details, tax accounts, and service histories, we must ask where data is stored, who can access it, how it is transmitted, and whether Canadian institutions remain accountable for the result. Digital sovereignty is not a slogan. It is the practical duty to keep public data under rules that protect residents and keep decision-making in Canadian hands.

What this means for our community

• Clearer federal service pathways. Digital Transformation Canada’s priorities include shared solutions across departments, modern secure tools for public servants, and more strategic purchasing so Canadian digital and AI firms can test and scale at home. Residents should feel that difference as fewer duplicated systems and more reliable online service.
• Careful local adoption. In Markham we already offer online portals for property tax, permits, and authenticated City services, along with the Access Markham mobile app for schedules and problem reporting. As we improve those tools, we should favour solutions that keep transmission secure, limit unnecessary data sharing, and remain understandable to the people who use them.
• Sovereignty and trust. The federal release names digital sovereignty and security among the organisation’s aims. That matches what I hear from residents: they want services that work, and they want confidence that their information is not treated as a commodity to be moved without accountability.
• Answering the Prime Minister’s call. Better, faster, more reliable government service is a shared goal across orders of government. Markham will keep investing in digital channels that residents can count on, while staying mindful about how we buy, deploy, and oversee technology.

My office will continue to report on federal, regional, and City service changes that affect daily life here. If a digital service is hard to use, or if you have a question about how your information is handled in a City process, contact my office and we will help you find a clear answer.