I was pleased to learn about the recent request from the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, and the Honourable Wayne Long, Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions), to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The Minister and the Secretary of State have asked the CRA to implement a 100-day plan to strengthen its services, reduce delays, and improve accessibility for taxpayers.
Since the Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson (OTO) opened in 2007, we have been tasked with monitoring issues with the CRA's service and recommending possible improvements. Recently, a new surge in complaints to our Office as well as current media coverage have made it clear that the public is frustrated and disappointed with the level of service they have been receiving from the CRA, especially related to its contact centres.
Although I cannot comment on the CRA's staffing practices, I hope that any changes the CRA makes will improve services for the public.
In our Office's 2020-2021 annual report, we had recommended "that the CRA provide Canadians with the opportunity to request a callback, without the need to call the contact centre first." This practice would be similar to the one used by Service Canada, where taxpayers are able to schedule a call online and avoid waiting on hold to reach an agent. At the time, the CRA agreed with this recommendation. However, in its 2024 update to its response to this recommendation, the CRA told us that, because of technical limitations and the high cost of upgrading its telephone system, it would not be pursuing this solution.
With this in mind, I was pleasantly surprised that the 100-day plan includes a new call-scheduling system. I still believe that such a system would greatly benefit taxpayers.
I look forward to meeting with the Minister and the Secretary of State to discuss this plan in greater detail and to advocate for improved service for the public.
Mr. François Boileau
Taxpayers' Ombudsperson
Background information
The Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson works independently from the CRA. Canadians can submit complaints to the Office if they feel they are not receiving the appropriate service from the CRA. Our main objective is to improve the service the CRA provides to taxpayers and benefit recipients by reviewing individual service complaints and service issues that affect more than one person or a segment of the population.
The Taxpayers' Ombudsperson assists, advises and informs the Minister of Finance and National Revenue about matters relating to services provided by the CRA. The Ombudsperson ensures, in particular, that the CRA respects eight of the service rights outlined in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
