Minister of State (Digital Government) Designated

Summary#

The government issued the Order Designating the Minister of State (Digital Government) to be the Minister for the purposes of that Act: SI/2019-128. It repeals a 2012 order and names the Minister of State (Digital Government) as the responsible minister under the Shared Services Canada Act. The order-in-council is P.C. 2019-1366 (dated November 20, 2019) and was registered in the Canada Gazette on December 11, 2019.

What it does#

• Repeals the previous appointment made by P.C. 2012-959 of June 29, 2012.
• Assigns the role of "the Minister" under the Shared Services Canada Act to the Minister of State (Digital Government).
• Records the government decision as P.C. 2019-1366 (dated November 20, 2019) and registers it as SI/2019-128 on December 11, 2019.

Who's affected#

• Shared Services Canada, the federal agency created under the Shared Services Canada Act, because the order identifies which minister is responsible for matters under the Act.
• Federal departments and agencies that use central IT services from Shared Services Canada, since their formal point of ministerial responsibility is set by this order.
• The general public is not directly affected day-to-day; this is an administrative designation. The practical operational impact (if any) is not detailed in the order.

Why it matters#

• It clarifies which Cabinet member is formally responsible for overseeing Shared Services Canada under the law.
• That affects who answers questions in Parliament, who makes certain policy decisions, and who has statutory responsibility for the agency’s duties.
• For most people, this is a routine administrative step. For government IT staff, partner departments, and vendors, it can matter because it identifies the minister with authority over Shared Services Canada.