Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne speaks to reporters on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in June. Champagne says he has asked the CRA to take concrete steps to address service delays.PATRICK DOYLE/The Canadian Press
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne says he wants to address headaches at the Canada Revenue Agency in 100 days.
Champagne said in a letter to the chair of Parliament’s finance committee that it’s clear the CRA is not meeting Canadians’ standards amid complaints of service delays at the agency’s call centres.
He said he asked the CRA to take concrete steps to address the issues, which could mean reallocating or adding personnel and expanding digital options for Canadians.
CRA’s persistent call-centre delays raise staffing concerns
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The letter comes as Ottawa plans broad spending cuts in the public service over the coming years.
The Union of Taxation Employees said more than 3,000 jobs have been lost at the CRA since May of last year and warns services will only get worse if the planned cuts materialize.
Champagne said he and other tax agency officials will appear at the finance committee to update parliamentarians on the work to get the CRA back up to speed.