A P.E.I. senator is raising concerns about the federal government's plans to centralize services under one roof in an initiative called Service Canada.
Charlottetown Senator Percy Downe has been a long- time advocate of decentralizing federal government services but he fears Service Canada may simply relocate the lowest-paying jobs to the regions.

In a letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin , Downe urged the prime minister to ensure that whole departments, like Veterans Affairs, are relocated out of Ottawa.

"I believe it is important to examine the idea of relocating full departments to the regions - not just components," Downe writes.

"I am concerned that the Service Canada announcement on decentralization in the 2005 federal budget revolves solely around support services. We have to be very careful that the positions being relocated are not the lowest-paid jobs but also include senior bureaucrats who would bring significant and beneficial impact to the receiving community."

As reported in The Guardian last week, Canadians looking to access federal government services will soon be able to do it under one roof.

While in Charlottetown, Treasury Board President Reg Alcock provided details of a new initiative called Service Canada.

The goal is the provide easy-to-access, one-stop shopping for Canadians - not unlike what the province does through its Access P.E.I. sites.

"You want to be as efficient as you can, you want to deliver high-quality services for the lowest possible cost," Alcock said in an interview.

"But if you only drive it to save money then you tend not to focus on what you're really trying to do which is to deliver high-quality services."

Downe said there is growing support for the idea of relocating federal government departments outside of Ottawa.

It's the second time Downe has written the prime minister on the matter.

He has also raised the issue in the Senate where it has received strong support, he said.

During that debate, Senator Fernand Robichaud of Saint-Louis-de-Kent, N.B., said regions of the country that depend on seasonal employment see the potential for new federal government jobs like "manna from heaven."

"Federal jobs are rightly considered to be permanent, stable and well-paid, compared to the jobs normally available in these regions," he said.

"As you know, Canada's regions are overflowing with qualified, available people who can be trained to meet job requirements."

The federal government has already taken steps to decentralize the bureaucracy.

It has announced that the Canadian Tourism Commission will be moved to Vancouver.

Downe said the prime minister only has to look to Charlottetown to see the success story of decentralization.

The senator is referring to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the only full-fledged federal government headquarters not located in Ottawa.

It was relocated to Charlottetown in 1983.

"The decision to move the Department of Veterans Affairs to Charlottetown had a profound and lasting impact on my home community," he said.

"Those benefits include 1,200 full-time jobs, an annual payroll of $68 million, student jobs during the summer and a potential career path for future generations who want a rewarding life in the public service - in their home region."