Question Period Note: Tabling of Employment and Social Development Canada’s Supplementary Estimates (B) for Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2026

Why is Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) requesting $1.7 million for the
Registration and Authentication Call Centres in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for fiscal
year ending March 31, 2026?

The Registration and Authentication Call Centre provides critical support to Canadians
in accessing online government services, while mitigating the risk of intrusion, loss, or
fraud in a digital services environment.
• In Budget 2023, the Government proposed $30.3 million over two years, including
$4.4M from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, starting in 2023 to 2024, to maintain
service levels at the Registration and Authentication Call Centre. This funding allowed
the Government of Canada to significantly reduce wait times since 2023 to 2024. This
funding has sunset in March 2025.
• The Registration and Authentication Call Centre has a limited permanent source of
funds. The funds sought would allow the department to ensure service delivery
continuity by providing call handling capacity and maintaining a strong workforce to
address ongoing needs.
• Canadians rely on the Registration and Authentication Call Centre services to access
their benefits online, namely the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), the Old Age Security
(OAS) and the Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. Without access to funding, the
average call wait time will significantly increase, creating workload pressures in other
call centres and channels and considerably decrease adequate services to Canadians.

The Registration and Authentication Call Centre provides critical support to Canadians
in accessing online government services, while mitigating the risk of intrusion, loss, or
fraud in a digital services environment.
• In Budget 2023, the Government proposed $30.3 million over two years, including
$4.4M from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, starting in 2023 to 2024, to maintain
service levels at the Registration and Authentication Call Centre. This funding allowed
the Government of Canada to significantly reduce wait times since 2023 to 2024. This
funding has sunset in March 2025.
• The Registration and Authentication Call Centre has a limited permanent source of
funds. The funds sought would allow the department to ensure service delivery
continuity by providing call handling capacity and maintaining a strong workforce to
address ongoing needs.
• Canadians rely on the Registration and Authentication Call Centre services to access
their benefits online, namely the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), the Old Age Security
(OAS) and the Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. Without access to funding, the
average call wait time will significantly increase, creating workload pressures in other
call centres and channels and considerably decrease adequate services to Canadians.

The funding is needed to ensure that the Department has the resources to support client
demand namely in regard to My Service Canada Account (MSCA), including mainly the Old
Age Security but also Employment Insurance, Canada Pensions Plan, National Student
Loans Service Centre, and Job Bank applicants. Without funding, clients locked out of their
MSCA will experience significant delays in regaining access to their account and will not be
able to access the self-service options, which will create inefficiencies and result in
downstream effects on other core services and channels.
• Currently, the Registration and Authentication Call Centre source of funds is limited. The
Department experienced an approximate 90% drop in existing funding at the beginning of
fiscal year 2025 to 2026, after funding provided through Budget 2023 sunset on March 31,
2025. The program has limited permanent source of funds, which represents an
unmanageable liability for the Department. If the funding is not provided, this could result in
the implementation of workforce reduction strategies. This would translate in the loss of fully
trained (matured) officers and a drop in program performance and productivity, directly
impacting timely service delivery to Canadians.
• Given the breadth and importance of the programs supported by the Registration and
Authentication Call Centre, the inability to properly respond to clients during disruptions can
have a significant impact and delay the timely delivery of benefits that are essential for the
health, safety, security, and economic well-being of clients across the country.