Transforming Service to Canadians: The Service Canada Model’, International Review of Administrative Sciences 73(4): 557–68

Over the past decade, the pursuit of citizen-centred service, combined with rapid advances in information and communication technologies, has stimulated innova-tive approaches to the organizational design of governments ’ service delivery systems. Service delivery organizations in Canada and elsewhere have taken a variety of organizational forms, thereby providing a range of models for adoption or adaptation. Service Canada offers Canadians a new model for the delivery of government services. It is a one-stop, multi-channel and multi-jurisdictional initia-tive that is dedicated to delivering seamless citizen-centred service. It brings together a wide range of government programmes and services from across federal departments and other levels of government to provide citizens with integrated, easy-to-access, personalized service. This article assesses the possibili-ties that the Service Canada model presents for service transformation through integrated service delivery (ISD) and discusses political, structural, operational, managerial and cultural barriers to its implementation