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Canada Revenue Agency overview

CRA key factsFootnote 1

 

43,324 full-time equivalent employees

 
 

3,025 employees working in a CRA buildingFootnote 2

Tax filing

 

More than 32 million individual and corporate returns filed

 
 

49 million calls received
(more than doubled due to COVID-19 relief measures)

 

90% of individual income tax and benefit returns filed electronically

 
 

94% of corporation
income tax returns filed electronically

 


46 million log-ins to My Account during this year's tax-filing season

Benefits and credits

Collections

 

Administered over $482 billion in revenue and pension contributions

 
 

Resolved just under
$74 billion in outstanding
tax debt

CRA's mandate

Issue

The Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) mandate is to ensure Canadians pay their appropriate share of taxes and receive the benefits they are entitled to. The CRA administers various acts, including the Income Tax Act, Excise Tax Act and Excise Act and has other administrative responsibilities. The CRA collects taxes on behalf of the Government of Canada, most provinces and territories, and some First Nations.

Key messages

Service commitment

Issue

The CRA is becoming a more client-centric, empathetic organization.

Key messages

Requests for taxpayer information (Section 241, Income Tax Act)

Issue

Section 241 of the Income Tax Act (ITA) sets out the confidentiality requirements surrounding taxpayer information – mainly prohibiting its disclosure; with exceptions existing in very limited, specific circumstances. As such, officials of the CRA are prohibited from providing taxpayer information to anyone unless specifically authorized by Section 241 of the ITA. A breach of Section 241 is an offence punishable by fine or imprisonment.

Key messages

Employment equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism at the CRA

Issue

Following a renewed global call to end systemic racism, inequality and all forms of discrimination, the CRA has renewed its commitment to building an inclusive work culture and an Agency that is representative of the country it serves, at all levels of the organization.

Key messages

Upcoming workplace and workforce changes

Issue

During the COVID-19 pandemic, CRA employees demonstrated their ability to effectively deliver tax and benefit programs with more than 90% of employees working remotely. Seizing the opportunity, the CRA is moving to a hybrid model of working that will balance its operational needs with accommodating employee preferences. This hybrid model will allow some employees to continue to work remotely full-time, others to work from CRA worksites full-time, or a combination of both remote and on-site work, depending on business requirements.

Key messages

Court cases

Issue

The CRA is frequently involved in court cases of people, corporations, and trusts charged with tax evasion or for failing to file tax returns when required. The CRA is also involved in several class-action law suits, including one as lead client on behalf of the Government of Canada related to credential stuffing cyber attacks in the summer of 2020.

Key message

As this matter is before the courts, I cannot comment on the details of this case.

Potential changes to tax policy

Issue

Various tax policy proposals were included in the Government's election platform. Matters of tax policy, including modifications to the legislation the CRA administers, fall under the purview of the Minister of Finance.

Key messages

Top issues

Benefits/programs

Pandemic response benefits

Issue

The CRA is striving to maintain a balance between making the COVID-19 emergency and recovery benefits and subsidies accessible to those who urgently need them while providing safeguards to protect Canadians' identities, the integrity of the programs and to prevent high-risk and/or fraudulent applications.

Key messages

Charitable sector

Issue

As registered charities receive significant fiscal advantages, the CRA's role in regulating the charitable sector is the subject of ongoing scrutiny and attention. Recently there were two main issues that garnered significant media attention:

  1. Two third-party reports alleging prejudicial behaviour by the CRA with respect to auditing Muslim charities and,
  2. Scrutiny of the CRA's role in regulating the charitable status of the Catholic church, in light of the discovery of unmarked graves in residential schools across Canada.
Key messages

Global tax on large multinationals

Issue

On October 8, 2021, following extensive discussions led by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 136 jurisdictions, including Canada, agreed on major reforms to the international tax system as it applies to large multinational enterprises. The reforms aim to address tax challenges that arise due to the digitalization of the economy.

Key messages

Service

Managing call volumes – Investments in contact centres

Issue

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, call volumes increased significantly. Canadians expressed concerns about long wait times and dropped calls. Temporary additional funding was allocated for contact centre (formally referred to as call centres) operations. [Redacted]

Key messages

Cyber and account security

Issue

Since the summer of 2020, the CRA has experienced an increase in suspicious activity on user accounts. These events have largely been driven by the CRA's key role in administering COVID-19 benefits and services, which have provided an impetus for bad actors to attempt to exploit the CRA's systems and procedures.

Key messages

ePayroll

Issue

The CRA is leading this large scale project for the Government of Canada to implement a near real-time ePayroll solution in partnership with Employment and Social Development Canada and Treasury Board Secretariat – Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Key messages

Tax compliance

Tax evasion and aggressive non-compliance

Issue

Combatting tax evasion, aggressive tax avoidance, tax fraud, and other financial crimes is important for the protection of Canada's tax base. The CRA's compliance efforts ensure that taxpayers maintain their confidence and trust in the Canadian tax system by fairly administering Canada's tax laws.

Key messages

Collections 2020-2022

Issue

The CRA anticipates more taxpayers will have a tax debt because of the pandemic. In the initial months of the pandemic, the CRA sought to lessen financial pressures on taxpayers by deferring tax obligations for individuals and businesses, and reducing its tax compliance and collections activities. The CRA's approach to collections is focussed on the unique circumstances of each taxpayer and a 'help first' stance.

Key messages

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