TAVA / CSC Canadian Federal Government Joint Alliance Engagement
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How is Y2K work being funded and how much will the Y2K bug cost the government?
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The total cost will likely exceed the $1 – 1.4 billion estimate. The Treasury Board Secretariat is currently reassessing the cost, given funding pressures related to embedded chips and interfaces.
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Don't know date of publication. (Guesstimated @ one month old.)
Info2000: Federal Government of Canada
info2000.gc.ca
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What is the federal government doing to prepare its own systems?
The federal government is taking the Y2K challenge very seriously. The Prime Minister has written to all members of Cabinet emphasizing that addressing the Year 2000 computer problem within government is a top priority.
In fact, the government of Canada began working on the Y2K challenge long before most other countries when the Treasury Board Secretariat recommended a four-digit year standard in 1988. In the spring of 1996, a Year 2000 Project Office was established in the Treasury Board Secretariat. This Project Office is monitoring progress across government every month, and making sure departments have the resources they need – human, technical and financial.
Our first priority is making sure that the services Canadians depend on the most – the ones affecting your health, safety, security and economic well-being, are ready for the Year 2000. These services – what we are calling ‘Government-Wide Mission-Critical functions – are services like food safety inspection, export and import controls, and payments to citizens such as Old Age Security and child tax benefits.
Each Minister has responsibility for Y2K preparedness in his or her area of responsibility. For example, Health Canada is fixing its own computer systems and addressing the issue of computer chips in medical devices. Government departments and agencies are repairing and replacing the computer systems and computer chips that support the services they deliver, testing them, and developing back up plans to make sure ‘Mission-Critical' services can continue if there are problems.
In spring of 1998, a stepped-up work plan, fully supported by all Ministers and departments, was put in place across government. This allows the Government of Canada to track departments on a monthly basis and prepare any backup plans that may be necessary.
Although a lot of work has been accomplished, much more remains to be done. All Ministers and Deputy Ministers are focused on the Year 2000 file. Specifically, the Prime Minister has asked Industry Canada, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Department of National Defence to take on special responsibilities. The President of the Treasury Board is responsible for the overall coordination of the government's activities; the Minister of Industry is ensuring that reasonable efforts are made to encourage the private sector to meet Year 2000 challenges; the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is ensuring that Canada's partners abroad are aware of our commitment to be ready for the Year 2000 and encouraging them to be ready as well; and, the Minister of National Defence is co-ordinating backup plans. All federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations remain responsible for making their own systems prepared for the Year 2000 and for communicating with their interested parties on Year 2000 issues.
When will the Canadian government be ready for the Year 2000?
The government of Canada has established a Year 2000 Government-wide action plan to make sure that the services Canadians depend on the most – the ones affecting health, safety, security and economic well-being, are ready for the Year 2000. These services – what we are calling ‘Government-Wide Mission-Critical functions – are services like food safety inspection, export and import controls, and payments to citizens such as Old Age Security and child tax benefits.
As part of its responsibility for co-ordinating and monitoring Year 2000 efforts across government, the Treasury Board Secretariat established target dates for Year 2000 work. Federal departments and agencies have agreed to the following dates of the Year 2000 Government-Wide action plan:
•June 30, 1998: Submit Year 2000 strategy to Treasury Board Secretariat •Monthly: Provide detailed progress reports to Treasury Board Secretariat •December 31, 1998: Submit business resumption plans to Treasury Board Secretariat •December 31, 1998: Complete repairs to mission critical systems and systems testing. •June 30, 1999: Complete of full testing of mission critical systems in a live environment and report results to Treasury Board Secretariat
Canada continues to be a world leader in Year 2000 preparedness, and the government's efforts to address the Year 2000 are progressing as planned. Our first priority is to repair and replace the ‘Government-Wide Mission-Critical functions'. It is expected that most of these functions will be ready for the Year 2000. To ensure key federal services can be delivered with minimal disruption, contingency plans will be developed by December 31, 1998 for any ‘Government-Wide Mission-Critical function' deemed at risk.
Does the government have business resumption and contingency (back up) plans in place?
Business resumption and contingency plans are prudent for any organization. Federal organizations already have general business resumption plans in place to work around failures of external systems. For example, Public Works and Government Services Canada had back-up generators and other contingency systems in place to keep government computers operating during the January 1998 ice storm.
A unique situation like the Year 2000 computer problem requires special back up plans. To ensure key federal services can be delivered with minimal disruption, departments have agreed to develop contingency plans by December 31, 1998 for any Government-Wide Mission Critical functions deemed at risk.
In addition, the Department of National Defence has begun contingency planning at the national level, in the event that some infrastructure services may face temporary disruption at the turn of the century.
How much of the Year 2000 work is complete?
Departments and agencies provide detailed progress reports on Government-Wide Mission Critical (GWMC) functions to the Treasury Board Secretariat on a monthly basis. From these reports, the percentage of work complete across government is determined.
As of November 1998, work on GWMC functions was 74% complete. The Treasury Board Secretariat Year 2000 Project Office has been following the GartnerGroup INSPECT methodology to measure what departments should be doing and when. The steps in the GartnerGroup methodology and the proportion of time each step takes include:
GartnerGroup StageGartnerGroup allotted timeAccumulated Time
Awareness 1%1%
Inventory 1%2%
Project Scoping 4%6%
Analysis and Design 20%26%
Repair 20%46%
Testing 45%91%
Implementation 9%100%
That 74% of the work on GWMC functions is complete means that many departments are well into their testing phase.
How is Y2K work being funded and how much will the Y2K bug cost the government?
The Government is committed that funding will not get in the way of getting this job done. The Government estimated that the total cost for repair and replacement work would be $1 - 1.4 billion.
Most of this money comes from existing departmental budgets. An additional loan fund of $450 million dollars was also set up and this has already used by departments.
A special Year 2000 contract with seven information technology firms for a minimum of $100 million dollars is another way the government is helping federal departments.
The total cost will likely exceed the $1 – 1.4 billion estimate. The Treasury Board Secretariat is currently reassessing the cost, given funding pressures related to embedded chips and interfaces.
Will the Y2K bug affect the economy?
Some international experts predict that the Year 2000 will have a global economic impact. Canada is among the world leaders in Year 2000 preparedness.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) is examining the potential risks related to the effects of the worldwide Year 2000 problem on the Canadian economy. DFAIT and other departments, including Transport Canada, have developed a plan to assess the risks of disruption to international trade. They are also taking appropriate measures to minimize risks of trade disruption wherever possible and develop back up plans in case of problems.
Is the government making sure its suppliers are ready for the Year 2000?
Yes. The government recognizes that it has a responsibility to determine whether its suppliers can demonstrate Year 2000 readiness with actual test data.
Government's communications activities with businesses have emphasized the importance of business partners' readiness and the vulnerability of the supply chain.
Departments and agencies are taking action on this issue. For example, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) has set up an Internet site that lists the Year 2000 compliance status of over 5000 commonly used software and hardware products within government. PWGSC has also written to government suppliers of other products, requesting that they provide information on their Year 2000 compliance status.
Is the federal government working with the provinces and municipalities on this issue?
Federal departments and agencies continue to work with other levels of government to discuss interdependencies and share information. For example, federal and provincial Ministers of Energy have agreed to work closely, as have Ministers of Health.
The Treasury Board Secretariat has held federal/provincial/territorial workshops to share information and best practices, and discussions are ongoing between federal departments and their provincial/territorial counterparts.
Other key federal/provincial venues are the Council of Public Sector CIOs and the Advisory Committee on Informatics in Government. The Year 2000 is a top priority for these groups.
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--Dennis |
