Yesterday, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, published a letter he sent to the Chair of the Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) of the House of Commons.
In this letter, the Minister acknowledges that the service delays and access challenges Canadians are experiencing from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) call centres are unacceptable. He says he takes this issue very seriously. He also indicates that he has directed the Agency to implement a 100-day plan to strengthen services, improve access, and reduce delays.
Regarding call centres, the Minister indicated that he has asked the Agency to take concrete steps to help Canadians get the assistance they need. This could include reallocating and adding personnel and making technological improvements.
Our union welcomes Minister Champagne’s initiative, and we are open to working with him and CRA senior management to find sustainable solutions to reduce service delays and improve access. We also appreciate the Minister’s recognition of the hard work and dedication of CRA employees, the majority of whom are members of our union, to the people and businesses of Canada.
That being said, we are expressing today our serious concerns about the viability of this future plan. We do not doubt the Minister's good intentions. However, the Minister of Finance has asked the Agency to make budget cuts over the next three (3) years. CRA Commissioner Bob Hamilton has already informed all Agency employees of further budget cuts coming this fall.
Given the CRA’s current budgets and the additional planned budget cuts, we find it very difficult to see how the Agency can succeed in meeting the Minister’s expectations.
In our opinion, it is absolutely necessary that Mr. Champagne, in his capacity as Minister of Finance, abandon the planned budget cuts to the CRA and reinvest significant amounts of money in the Agency in his fall budget if he wants to be able to restore acceptable service standards and significantly improve access to services for citizens and businesses. To finance these investments in the CRA, we are asking the Minister to include a budget envelope for hiring staff in areas that generate significant revenue. This new revenue would cover all the costs of hiring additional staff across the Agency but would also allow the government to use the surplus to fund other investments, whether in the federal public service or to support businesses and private sector workers affected by the tariffs imposed by the U.S. government.
In closing, we would like to reiterate our desire to work with Minister Champagne and the Canada Revenue Agency to find solutions together that will provide the quality public services that Canadians expect and deserve. Furthermore, our union is fully prepared and available to appear before the Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) to share our views and those of the thousands of CRA employees we represent and to propose possible solutions.
Respectfully,
Marc Brière
National President
Union of Taxation Employees