The Canadian government is actively developing a long-term strategy to tackle issues at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as the agency’s 100-day initiative to enhance its services nears completion next week. Wayne Long, the Secretary of State for the Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions, stated during a session with the House of Commons public accounts committee that the government is formulating a comprehensive three-to-five-year plan for the agency and is confident in its progress.
Long emphasized that the current 100-day plan, which primarily aimed to address call center delays, is merely a temporary fix, and he is committed to ongoing efforts to enhance services beyond the immediate timeframe. Following an extensive investigation where calls were made to CRA contact centers over a four-month period this year, the Office of the Auditor General Karen Hogan revealed in October that only 17% of individual tax inquiries were answered accurately by CRA staff.
Melanie Serjak, an assistant commissioner at the CRA, informed Members of Parliament that the agency intends to introduce a more advanced and standardized training program and implement artificial intelligence to boost the accuracy of advice provided by CRA agents to the public. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne had set a 100-day deadline, concluding on December 11, for the CRA to resolve call center delays.
Overall, the government is committed to a long-term vision for the improvement of CRA services, building on the initial 100-day plan to address pressing issues within the agency’s operations.