Many are feeling the impact as thousands of Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) workers, including Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) employees, go on strike after contract talks with the government fell through.
Tax learning specialist from H & R Block says this will impact those filing their taxes especially because the CRA is not extending the deadline past May 1st.
“If you’re one of those people that haven’t filed your taxes yet, we do encourage you to file as soon as possible, to make sure you are not impacted by the delays that may be the consequence we see with the CRA and their strike,” said Yannick Lemay.
According to an H & R block survey, more than one-third of Canadians have not filed their taxes yet.
In a statement, H&R Block Canada stated as of April 16, 63 per cent of Canadians report having already filed their taxes, with 37 per cent who have yet to file.
However, the question that many Canadian taxpayers who filed their taxes before deadline, it is unknown if a refund will be delayed due to the strike.
“It is very hard to speculate at this point of how this series strike will impact the delay on the refunds, because most a lot of series process are automated by computers,” said Lemay.
“We don’t know exactly for sure how it’s going to impact the mailing of the checks, for example, for people that are waiting on some refunds.”
In Wednesday’s question period, opposition leaders criticized the federal government for letting the situation get to the point where public service workers, including CRA employees, go on strike.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insists he’s ready to negotiate at the bargaining table.
“We ensured that the work is done at the bargaining table,” Trudeau said. “We know that there is progress being made.”