Statement from the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson welcoming the new minister of national revenue

OTTAWA, July 26, 2023 – I would like to welcome the new Minister of National Revenue, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, as the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier is moving to a new portfolio as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.

I look forward to working with Ms. Bibeau to identify areas for improvement in the services of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), to make sure that Canadians are treated fairly, and to help our country’s most vulnerable get the financial support they are entitled to. Ms. Bibeau is an experienced minister, having worked as minister of agriculture and agri-food, international development, and La Francophonie. I am confident that her skills and experience will be an excellent contribution to the CRA.

As Ms. Lebouthillier moves on to a new portfolio, I wish her the best. She brought a level of compassion to her role as minister of national revenue. And while such a level of empathy can often be overwhelming when working for a massive organization like the CRA, she has been the second longest-serving minister of national revenue in the history of the position—impressively, nearly eight years total.

Serving as Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson, I had a unique position to view her work. As her special advisor, I was tasked to point out where there was room for service improvement at the CRA, and Ms. Lebouthillier would welcome this feedback. It was a pleasure working with her, and I am sure her new colleagues will feel the same.

Background information

The Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson works independently from the CRA. Canadians can submit complaints to the Office if they feel they are not receiving the appropriate service from the CRA. Our main objective is to improve the service the CRA provides to taxpayers and benefit recipients by reviewing individual service complaints and service issues that affect more than one person or a segment of the population.

The Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson assists, advises and informs the Minister of National Revenue about matters relating to services provided by the CRA. The Ombudsperson ensures, in particular, that the CRA respects eight of the service rights outlined in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

Mr. François Boileau, Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson