Québec, Quebec, June 3, 2019 – The Quebec Technology Association (AQT) was in Quebec this morning for the unveiling the Québec government’s strategy for the digital transformation. Mr. Eric Caire, Minister Delegate for Government Digital Transformation, has clearly positioned the citizen at the middle of the transformations initiated by his government: “The raison d’être of the government is to provide services to the population. This strategy is made for the citizen. It will bring coherence to the collective action of the government, in partnership with the ecosystem.
“We welcome the ambition of the strategy announced today by Minister Eric Caire. This digital transformation has concrete targets to be reach by 2024. It also takes into account the human factor of this transformation. Of course, the AQT will ensure that the expertise and agility of SMEs in the industry can contribute to its implementation, “commented Nicole Martel, President and CEO of AQT.
In the morning, the Minister also reiterated his desire to collaborate with private companies in order to benefit from their expertise to encourage innovation and the creation of new solutions.
For each of the two main axes , the AQT welcomes the establishment of targets and performance indicators achievable by 2024. While the first axis of the strategy aims for rapid, intuitive and more accessible services for the population, the second axis puts the focus on mobilizing the 14,000 IT workers in the state, including through commitments to the ongoing development of digital skills, as well as environmental at work practices.
With this in mind, the AQT is pleased with the creation of the CQEN, the Quebec Center for Digital Excellence, an entity dedicated to support public organizations in the process of government digital transformation. Presented as a government innovation hub, this center will become the link between the government and the digital ecosystem in a perspective of expertise sharing and continuous collaboration. The AQT will ensure that the expertise of its members can be put to good use.
The strategy presented today is the outcome of a mandate launched by François Legault in 2014, at the origin of a first report “For an effective government”. Guided by this reflection, the government announced last February the consolidation of information processing centers. When the provincial budget was tabled on March 21, he also announced the reorganization of the CSPQ, including the creation of “Technological Infrastructures Quebec”, a center of expertise for government infrastructure projects. More recently, the government tabled Bill 14, an important piece of legislation to accelerate the digital transformation of government.
In this period of great turmoil, AQT actively participated in the evolution of government practices in public contract management and digital transformation management. Invited to a parliamentary committee, it recently presented a series of recommendations regarding Bill 14.
In recent months, the AQT has also participated in discussions to promote the accessibility of SMEs to the procurement process, in addition to following the evolution of its pre-budget recommendations. These recommendations aim to put in place measures and tools to promote the evolution of the economic and regulatory context in relation to the needs of SMEs in the industry.
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