Saskatchewan’s next opportunity in digital government is to build on its progress toward more connected services focused on the outcomes citizens need. Citizens experience government not through its systems or structure, but through whether help is accessible, decisions are clear and services respond as circumstances change. Digital change has meaning when it improves those experiences while enabling government to advance the province’s priorities.
Saskatchewan has laid a foundation for this shift. The Ministry of SaskBuilds and Procurement’s 2025–26 annual report sets a goal of coordinating client services through a One Government approach in support of Growth Plan outcomes. It describes closer integration of information technology and information management, alongside early work on AI and government-wide cybersecurity. The report also identifies opportunities to reduce duplication in IT services. Together, these initiatives create opportunities to improve efficiency, strengthen service consistency, and free up capacity for priority services. Building on this foundation, government leaders can continue translating digital investments into meaningful, measurable benefits for citizens and public servants.
Start with an outcome
Public value is often shaped at the seams, where a person’s need crosses programs and organizational boundaries. An effective approach starts with the outcome government wants to improve, not the system to buy or channel to launch. What should become easier, fairer or more dependable? A person’s need rarely fits one ministry; a connected approach can help ensure that citizens receive the support they need, regardless of how government services are organized. A Government-as-a-Platform approach can support this objective by aligning shared capabilities and standards across ministries, reducing duplication, and helping people receive more consistent service across government. Beyond replacing aging technology or making services available online, modernization offers an opportunity to simplify the overall service experience. Public value comes from redesigning around the whole need: reducing handoffs, connecting expertise, and giving public servants the context to resolve issues and earn trust. Outcome-focused delivery turns this principle into investment discipline: deliver in stages, learn from stakeholders using the service and expand what works. This manages risk while keeping investment tied to evidence of public benefit.
AI in service of better outcomes
AI makes this shift increasingly achievable. Its public-sector promise is not only to automate routine work, but to make government’s accumulated knowledge more usable when needed. AI can help staff bring policy and relevant information together, recognize patterns and respond with context. Used strategically, it can free capacity for work requiring human judgment and empathy, support greater collaboration across government and help services evolve from processing requests to anticipating stakeholder needs.
AI’s results depend on the quality of the service and the processes and governance around it. Strong information management and well-defined processes help ensure that AI supports consistent, reliable outcomes. The aim is not simply to introduce AI into existing processes, but to improve the judgment and outcomes that process is meant to support. Its value lies in better service, more capacity for complex work and decisions that remain fair and accountable. Human judgment and clear responsibility are conditions for trust and lasting benefit.
Achieving measurable outcomes and public value
Digital change creates value when citizens benefit from it. Ensuring that digital services remain accessible, preserve essential service channels and protect personal information is central to delivering that value. Accessibility, privacy, security, and continuity are integral to service quality and public trust. Tools must also fit public servants’ work and strengthen their ability to serve, rather than add effort or complexity. Partners can bring capacity and lessons from other jurisdictions, but their value depends on government achieving and sustaining its outcomes. Government remains accountable for public value; partners should be accountable for delivery and help strengthen long-term capabilities. CGI combines a Saskatchewan presence with public-sector experience across Canada. We work with government to define outcomes before delivery begins, keep them at the centre of decisions and build local capability to sustain results.
Saskatchewan can continue advancing its One Government approach by putting public needs at the centre of service design and delivery. That means decisions informed by the full context of people’s circumstances and services that are easier to navigate and more consistent across government. By building on its existing foundations and focusing on the experiences of citizens and public servants, Saskatchewan has an opportunity to strengthen service delivery, demonstrate the value of digital investments and create lasting public value.
