The federal government has instructed the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to devise a 100-day plan to improve service at its call centres so more Canadians can get through by phone.
The demand follows a CBC News story last month about mounting frustration by Canadians to reach a CRA agent to deal with pressing tax matters. Several told CBC News they had been trying for weeks or months to get through but instead were greeted with an automated message, and no opportunity to wait on hold or leave a callback number.
In a letter sent Tuesday to the chair of the standing committee on finance, the National Revenue Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Canadians deserve better.
“The service delays and access challenges Canadians are experiencing from CRA call centres are unacceptable,” wrote Champagne.
He said the government has asked the agency to “take concrete steps” to fix the problem.
The CRA didn’t acknowledge any problems at its call centres when it responded to a CBC News inquiry last month about the issue.
But following Champagne’s announcement, CRA spokesperson Etienne Biram told CBC in an email that the agency has “been falling short of Canadians’ expectations.”
To address the problem, Biram said the CRA is reallocating and adding resources to ensure more calls are answered. He also said the CRA will pilot new scheduling tools and “enhance efforts to promote digital services,” such as the agency’s AI-enabled chat bot.
“We understand that it is our responsibility to adapt and enhance our service delivery,” said Biram.
Canadians deserve reliable service, and the current difficulties at Canada Revenue Agency call centres are unacceptable. I’ve therefore directed the Agency to implement a 100-day action plan.
Here’s my letter to the FINA Committee: pic.twitter.com/btE0rhe9AD
—@FP_Champagne
The workers’ union responds
The Union of Taxation Employees, which represents CRA workers, blames the call centre problems on job cuts. It says nearly 3,300 call centre employees have lost their jobs since May 2024. Consequently, says the union, fewer than five per cent of callers on average reach an agent.
The union said that percentage comes directly from the CRA. However, the Department of Finance provided CBC News with different data. It said that from January through July, the CRA received about 21.5 million calls, and roughly 14 per cent were handled by agents.
The CRA also challenged the union’s job cuts data, stating that 1,300 call centre workers let go in May were seasonal workers whose contract had ended.
Regardless of the exact data, Champagne, the CRA and the union all agree that Canadians should have easier access to CRA agents by phone.
“I think that we reached a state of crisis,” said Marc Brière, the union’s national president.
The union launched a social media campaign last month to raise awareness about the call centre problem. Brière says it also met with CRA officials this summer.
“We had discussions with the CRA, but they said their budgets were cut,” he said. “I said, ‘I understand, but we feel that it’s unacceptable both for the taxpayers and for our members that are having a real hard time out there.'”
Not only do most incoming calls go unanswered, said Brière, but the staff is struggling with the workload.
“People are absolutely exhausted and they’re crying for help.”
Several taxpayers interviewed by CBC News say they’ve been trying for months to get a hold of a live agent at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to resolve their issues.
Brière says he’s pleased the government is now taking steps to improve the call centre situation, but adds he’s not celebrating yet as “the devil’s in the details.”
Brière wants the CRA to hire more call centre employees and, so far, Champagne hasn’t promised added funding.
“If there’s no additional funds in the next budget, then it’s going to be very difficult to accomplish something meaningful,” said Brière.
He says he will meet with the CRA on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the 100-day plan.
Brière says his union will also campaign for reinvestment and additional staff in other parts of the CRA where they believe service is also compromised due to job cuts.
