Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne on Sept. 2 launched a
on his X account acknowledging considerations concerning the
’s (CRA) service requirements, saying the “service delays and entry challenges Canadians are experiencing from CRA name centres are unacceptable.”
Canadians deserve dependable service, and the present difficulties at Canada Income Company name centres are unacceptable. I’ve due to this fact directed the Company to implement a 100-day motion plan.
Right here’s my letter to the FINA Committee: pic.twitter.com/btE0rhe9AD
— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) 🇨🇦 (@FP_Champagne) September 2, 2025
He went on to say he has directed the CRA to implement a 100-day plan “to strengthen companies, enhance entry and scale back delays.” Such a plan will apparently embrace “reallocating and including personnel, piloting a brand new call-scheduling system and increasing digital companies, amongst different measures.”
The CRA’s challenges are
, nicely documented and embrace poorly educated auditors, issuing reassessments to taxpayers which are missing in technical substance, sluggish adoption of digital platforms, poor entry and the challenges of a workforce largely “working from house.”
Its large development in headcount lately has actually not solved these points. In 2015, the yr the Liberal Celebration got here to energy, the CRA had 40,059 workers. In 2024, the CRA’s
was 59,155. That’s a staggering 47.7 per cent enhance in staffing in lower than a decade. Not too long ago, it has decreased barely, however not materially.
Within the Parliamentary Price range Officer’s not too long ago launched
of the federal government’s 2025–26 departmental plans, it stated the federal public service is projected to hit 445,000 full-time equivalents (FTEs) in 2024–25, a rise of greater than 13,000 FTEs in comparison with the earlier yr’s plans. Of that bump, the CRA alone was chargeable for about one third.
The CRA stated it’ll slowly trim its FTE headcount right down to about 47,700 by 2027–28, however even when that aim is met, that may be a 19 per cent enhance over a 12-month interval, with little or no to point out by way of higher service for Canadians.
Sure, digital companies offered by the CRA have actually improved through the years, however there’s far more to do. As well as, the CRA has added a number of useful info to its web site to help with technical and administrative issues that deserve kudos. It additionally not too long ago added an AI chatbot that performs OK with fundamental questions.
However, probably the most seen challenges to the typical Canadian and tax professionals is the CRA’s name centres. The CRA acknowledges such challenges on its web site and even has a
about such calls with the next remarks:
Fantasy: The CRA doesn’t reply the cellphone.
Reality: We perceive how irritating it may be to attend for assist. The CRA solutions between 36,000 and 38,000 calls every single day to help Canadians with their wants. When wait occasions transcend a median of half-hour, we redirect calls to automated companies to offer you safe, easy-to-use choices.
Fantasy: Letting extra individuals be a part of the cellphone queue would imply extra calls get answered.
Reality: Name volumes at the moment exceed our capability to reply. After we attain full capability, we redirect calls to automated companies. Consider it like a full glass of water: including extra doesn’t assist, it simply overflows. Letting extra callers into the queue wouldn’t make it attainable to reply extra calls, it might solely enhance wait time and frustration.
So, basically, throughout high-volume occasions, it admits it received’t take your name. As an alternative of making an attempt to deal with the systemic difficulty about why its name volumes are so excessive, it gives an instance of a full water glass. Not good.
The challenges with CRA name centres aren’t new. I’ve been practising tax for nearly 35 years and it has at all times been tough to get by means of. Recently, although, it has been noticeably worse. Is it as a result of the CRA doesn’t have sufficient workers or, because the finance minister hinted, is “including personnel” obligatory? Extra personnel just isn’t the only resolution because the expertise of the previous decade has proven.
Given the above, the minister’s 100-day plan dangers being little greater than politics dressed up as progress. The decision centre downside is systemic and complicated, and no quantity of headcount shuffling or additions will repair it. That stated, acknowledging the difficulty is a begin, however Canadians deserve greater than obscure guarantees.
If the federal government is critical, listed below are 5 apparent sensible steps that would kind the spine of a 100-day plan:
Implement callback queues and a scheduling system
: Finish the “full glass of water” excuse. Enable taxpayers to maintain their spot in line and obtain a callback as an alternative of being dropped even when the callback happens on a distinct day (give the taxpayer the choice for that). And get that scheduling system pilot nicely underway. Direct routine inquiries to automation solely when taxpayers consent.
Set onerous service requirements
: For instance, set an ordinary of answering a excessive share of calls inside the shortest interval, with the choice of getting the callback or scheduled name as per above.
Broaden the devoted phone service for earnings tax professionals
: Presently, the devoted phone service for professionals is just for technical issues and isn’t in a position to take care of account or different administrative points for professionals’ purchasers. There must be a devoted service for this. Together with this, make the “signify a shopper” course of extra environment friendly and faster.
Unbiased oversight
: Set up a name centre ombudsperson to evaluate complaints and publicly report on efficiency and systemic failures.
Prepare new hires higher
: Sadly, it’s been too obvious that new hires of the CRA aren’t educated nicely. That wants quick enchancment.
On the one centesimal day of the minister’s motion plan — Dec. 11 — the CRA’s name centre issues received’t magically vanish. However Canadians ought to no less than see a practical plan that features the above and a complete define of expanded digital companies that may be acted on rapidly, however be empathetic to those that won’t ever undertake digital instruments.
Taxpayers don’t want extra “full glass of water” excuses, and we actually don’t want this train to be extra political theatre.
Progress, not perfection, is what’s anticipated on day 100. Canadians are bored with getting soaked.
Kim Moody, FCPA, FCA, TEP, is the founding father of Moodys Tax/Moodys Non-public Shopper, a former chair of the Canadian Tax Basis, former chair of the Society of Property Practitioners (Canada) and has held many different management positions within the Canadian tax group. He may be reached at [email protected] and his LinkedIn profile is https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimgcmoody.
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