The Canada Revenue Agency said it aims to be able to answer 70 per cent of calls by mid-October.Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
The Canada Revenue Agency said on Friday it is boosting call-centre staff, extending operating hours and rolling out more help for taxpayers locked out of their online accounts, as part of a push to reduce delays and other longstanding issues.
The initiatives are part of the 100-day plan to improve CRA service standards that Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced earlier this month. In a letter to the parliamentary finance committee published on the social media site X, Mr. Champagne had called the agency’s shortcomings in assisting taxpayers “unacceptable.”
But the Carney government still expects the CRA to come up with spending cuts, according to Luca Bonifacio-Proietto, press secretary for Wayne Long, the secretary of state for the CRA.
“This is not an exercise in eliminating jobs or shrinking the public service. This is about making the government more efficient,” Mr. Bonifacio-Proietto said in an e-mailed statement.
In July, Mr. Champagne asked federal cabinet ministers to trim program spending by 7.5 per cent in the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2026, and find cuts for another 10 per cent and, later, 15 per cent in savings in the following two fiscal years.
Mr. Bonifacio-Proietto said Ottawa is conducting a government-wide spending review, adding that the CRA is expected to meet the targets outlined in that review.
Despite the mandate to cut costs, the CRA has extended the contracts of around 850 call centre workers whose employment was set to end this fall, according to Mr. Bonifacio-Proietto. Another 400 service representatives will join their ranks in coming weeks, he added.
The hiring represents a sharp reversal after the CRA had announced cuts to call centre jobs in recent months.
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The CRA said it is now answering 57 per cent of taxpayers’ calls, up from 37 per cent in late June and early July, according to a statement on the federal government’s website. It added the agency aims to answer 70 per cent of calls by mid-October.
The agency also said that, starting on Oct. 20, individuals and businesses that are locked out of their online CRA accounts will be able to register for new log-in credentials on their own, without having to speak to a call centre agent.
Trouble in accessing CRA phone lines has been particularly frustrating for taxpayers who lost access to their online accounts, according to social media posts.
The agency is also extending service hours for its online chat for taxpayers registered on its web portal. The chat, which allows users to discuss account-specific issues with a CRA representative, is currently available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET during the work week. Starting on Sept. 29, though, the service will operate for three additional hours a day, until 8 p.m. ET.
Among other steps it’s taking to fix well-known delays, the agency said it’s investing in new technology and working on reducing processing times for tax adjustments, including for personal income tax returns.
Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson François Boileau praised the CRA for the new initiatives, including the creation of a new call-scheduling system that will allow taxpayers to request for a call back from agents through the CRA website, without having to pick up the phone to do so.
But Mr. Boileau also urged the agency to conduct a thorough review of its website architecture and content to make it easier for taxpayers to find the information they need without having to call in. The CRA estimates that a quarter of the calls it receives could be resolved without speaking to an agent.
“We asked the CRA to complete this review by spring 2026 and start implementing changes by fall 2026,” Mr. Boileau said. “Although we understand that such a project will take much longer than 100 days, we hope to see the CRA work concurrently on long-term systemic solutions.”
