The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is being forced to create a 100-day plan to fix “unacceptable” levels of services for Canadians, the federal finance minister says.
In a letter sent to the chair of the House of Commons standing committee on finance, Finance and National Revenue Minister François-Philippe Champagne outlined key issues with the CRA as he said Canadians “expect and deserve reliable and timely service.”
“Despite the dedication of hardworking CRA employees, it is increasingly apparent that the Agency is not meeting that standard. The service delays and access challenges Canadians are experiencing from CRA call centres are unacceptable,” Champagne said in the letter, which was posted on X.
“We take this issue very seriously. That is why we have directed the Agency to implement a 100-day plan to strengthen services, improve access, and reduce delays.”
In June, a federal watchdog filed the latest of several reports on the CRA, which concluded the tax agency needs to provide information that is more “relevant, clear, concise and easy to find.”
With call centres specifically, the federal ombudsperson described how many taxpayers reported being unable to reach an agent at the CRA due to long wait times or connections.
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In cases where they could get through to an agent, they were provided with information that was “incomplete, inaccurate, or unclear,” the report said.
The report also described information the CRA provides on its website as often “redundant” or “unclear.”
The CRA has shed thousands of jobs within the past year, and the agency said of its past layoffs that it expected “some internal services will be impacted, with some services being eliminated entirely.”
Champagne said his team has visited the CRA’s call centres and met with leadership to “gain first-hand insights into these challenges,” and adds specific ways these issues may be addressed.
“The Agency has been asked to take concrete steps to help Canadians get the assistance they need,” Champagne said in the letter.
“This will include reallocating and adding personnel, piloting a new call-scheduling system, and expanding digital services, among other measures.”
The letter goes on to say the CRA, along with its board of management, will be focusing on these improvements while also collaborating with the private sector and unions.
Global News has sent a request for information to Champagne’s office asking if any of these proposed changes will affect the CRA’s operating budget, and if such changes would be reflected in the upcoming fall budget. A response was not received by publication time.
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