Question Period Note: EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE ON BENEFITS DELIVERY MODERIZATION

What is EI on BDM?

Building on the recent success of Old Age Security on the Benefits delivery modernization programme, the Employment Insurance on Benefits delivery modernization project seeks to improve client access, to automate processing, and to strengthen integrity controls.

Employment Insurance service delivery modernization will roll out in phases from 2025 to 2028, starting with the first release of Self-Employed benefits in Fall 2025. Once the Self-Employed Cohort is fully deployed, we will move to Fishers, followed by Regular Employment Insurance. Additional features and enhancements will be introduced throughout the life of the project. This iterative, agile approach to deployment reduces risk and enables an improved user experience.

Client-centric service delivery is at the core of Employment Insurance on Benefits delivery modernization’s transformation goals.

SI ON INSISTE / IF PRESSED

In October 2024, the first Employment Insurance on Benefits delivery modernization release introduced the Employment Insurance benefits Estimator—a digital tool that helps clients estimate their potential EI benefits before applying.

This Estimator provides simplified, accessible information on Employment Insurance benefits, helping users navigate job loss or life events with greater confidence.

This tool reflects the Government's commitment to digital and client-centric by design.

Since launch, the Estimator has received over 1.2 million visits and generated over 1.1 million estimates as of August 2025.

ESDC is undertaking a major transformation through the Benefits Delivery Modernisation (BDM) Programme. By 2030-31, a modern common benefits delivery platform will be used to deliver OAS, EI, and CPP to Canadians.

Canada’s social services have evolved over the past half century. The Department continues to meet its service delivery mandate across a complex landscape of social programs, but aging systems limit policy agility and efficiency. Over the past decade, ESDC has spent over $1B maintaining legacy platforms with no measurable return. Without BDM, these costs will persist and grow.

Service Canada delivers the EI program, which has supported Canadians since 1940 with temporary income during job loss and specialized benefits —such as maternity, parental, family caregiver, compassionate care, illness, and benefits for the self-employed. EI is one of Canada’s three core “social safety net” benefit programs, offering regular, fishing, and special benefits.

EI on BDM is transforming benefit delivery to meet Canadians’ expectations for seamless service and real-time access to their benefit status.

EI on BDM is deploying benefits in three iterative cohorts—Self-Employed, Fishers, and Employees—through multiple releases. This phased approach will provide the opportunity to learn how a transformed service can be delivered in small, well-measured releases, while simultaneously reducing risks to the current service delivery.

The deployment model uses a “new on new, old on old” approach: new clients are served on the new platform if their benefit is onboarded; others remain on the legacy system until full migration in 2028.

BDM is the largest digital transformation initiative ever undertaken by the Government of Canada. Through a phased approach, the Programme is modernizing how the federal government delivers Old Age Security (OAS), Employment Insurance (EI) and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits, by replacing old systems with technology fit for the digital age.

At its core, the BDM Programme is replacing outdated systems that deliver over $160 billion annually in OAS, EI, and CPP benefits to Canadians. With an estimated cost of $6.6 billion over the 10-year life of BDM, the total investment represents less than 0.5% of the projected $1.6 trillion in benefit payouts—highlighting the programme’s cost-efficiency and critical role in ensuring reliable and accurate service delivery.

As outlined in the Prime Minister’s Mandate Letter, the government is committed to “[building] the strongest economy in the G7” by “spending less on government operations”, “[becoming] more productive by deploying [artificial intelligence] at scale”, and “removing barriers” to growth. Through strategic innovation and smarter service delivery, BDM ensures the long-term “sustainability of [Canada’s] social programs” while driving a commitment to a more efficient, responsive government that delivers real results for Canadians.

BDM is on track to modernize OAS, EI, and CPP over three phases, with an expected completion date of 2030. 

Over the past decade, ESDC has invested in maintaining legacy systems with no measurable return on that investment—costs that will continue to rise. These aging systems hinder timely policy implementation and contribute to a growing skills and knowledge gap as institutional expertise is lost.

The EI legacy IT system is over 50 years old and is comprised of over 150+ bespoke applications. Its complexity and rigidity hinder rapid policy and legislative updates, and it cannot meet modern digital service expectations.

EI on BDM will enhance client experience, strengthen integrity controls —to reduce errors, omissions, and fraud—, improve payment accuracy, and boost efficiency through a new case management platform.

BDM has implemented a new benefits delivery platform that will ultimately provide Canadians with a single point of access for OAS, EI, and CPP benefits. The platform's rollout began with the successful migration of OAS in March 2025.

Through this new foundational platform, BDM will scale technology solutions and help address critical risks, while also leveraging technological advancements to improve the client experience, drive productivity, and increase policy agility.