The mission of this centre of expertise will be to provide systems development, maintenance and integration services to Manulife and other CGI clients in the U.S. and Europe.

The memorandum of understanding, when finalized as a contract, would be valued at CDN$120 million for a five-year agreement. As part of the agreement, 300 Halifax-based technology professionals will join CGI in September 2004. Over time, CGI expects to grow employment at the centre to 500 technology professionals.

"We are committed to a substantial presence in Halifax following our recent acquisition of Maritime Life and this is a major step toward that goal," said Bruce Gordon, senior executive vice president and general manager of Manulife Financial's Canadian Operations.

"We see Halifax as a central part of our business and sought a leader in applications maintenance and development with a strong client service focus. In joining forces with CGI, we are collaborating with a global partner. CGI possesses deep skills in the insurance sector and has a proven track record in building and maintaining industry-specific centres."

The centre will become CMM and ISO 9001 quality certified. The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) describes the principles and practices underlying software process maturity. It covers practices for planning, engineering, and managing software development and maintenance. Quality processes have always been at the forefront of CGI's operations. In 1994, CGI became the first information technology company in North America to become ISO 9001 certified for its project management framework.

Michael Roach, CGI's president and chief operating officer added: "We are proud to be embarking on this initiative with Manulife and look forward to continued collaboration. As part of our commitment, we will be investing in our Halifax operations including the development and training of our professionals. In creating this and other such centres moving forward, we are clearly taking steps to further build our near-shore capabilities enabling us to better serve our North America and European clients via our global delivery model."

Manulife Financial Corporation and John Hancock Financial Services, Inc., including its Canadian subsidiary, The Maritime Life Assurance Company, completed their merger on April 28, after receiving all necessary regulatory and shareholder approvals.