Ottawa, ON – The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has announced a sweeping 100-day action plan to tackle long-standing service delays, including hiring hundreds of new call centre employees and expanding its use of artificial intelligence to better assist Canadians. The plan aims to significantly improve call wait times and client support by December 11.
In a statement Friday, the CRA said it is taking “immediate and decisive” steps to enhance service delivery after Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne directed the agency earlier this month to address mounting complaints about wait times and accessibility.
Since September 8, the CRA has increased hiring for its call centres, bringing on at least 400 new staff members according to Marc Brière, national president of the Union of Taxation Employees. As a result, the agency has already improved its call response rate from 37 per cent in late June to 57 per cent in early September, with a target of 70 per cent by mid-October.
In addition to new hires, the CRA is extending hours for its online chat service, expanding the range of questions its AI-powered chatbot can answer, and piloting a call-scheduling system recommended by the taxpayers’ ombudsperson. The agency is also working to reduce a backlog of tax adjustments that has caused frustration for many Canadians.
The push comes amid public criticism from the Union of Taxation Employees, which has warned that nearly 10,000 CRA jobs — including 3,300 call centre positions — have been cut since May 2024 as part of federal cost-saving measures. While the CRA has offered contract extensions to 850 call centre employees, Brière says more hires are urgently needed. “If they think that the AI will compensate the missing workers, they are wrong. They need more workers, there’s no question about it,” he said.
The CRA workforce peaked at around 59,000 during the pandemic but has since been reduced to approximately 52,500 employees following the conclusion of COVID-19 programs and government-wide budget reviews.