OTTAWA — The federal finance minister announced a plan to resolve service delays at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) within 100 days. François-Philippe Champagne made this commitment in a letter to Liberal MP Karina Gould, who chairs Parliament's finance committee. The letter was shared on his X account on Tuesday morning.

Champagne stated that it is "increasingly apparent" that the CRA is failing to meet the expectations of Canadians. He described the current service delays and access issues as "unacceptable." In his letter, he outlined a 100-day action plan that includes potential measures such as reallocating or adding staff, testing a call-scheduling system, and enhancing digital filing options for taxpayers.

This announcement comes amid broader spending cuts planned by the government across various public service sectors. In July, Champagne had requested that most ministers identify savings of 15 percent over three years in their departments' operational budgets.

The Union of Taxation Employees reported that wait times for Canadians trying to reach CRA agents have surged to as long as three and a half hours. The union also noted that over 3,000 jobs have been eliminated at the CRA since May of the previous year, raising concerns that service quality will deteriorate further if the proposed budget cuts are implemented.

Recently, the CRA confirmed it had offered contract extensions to 850 call center employees whose positions were set to expire in September. The agency's workforce had expanded during the pandemic, growing from just under 44,000 employees in 2019 to approximately 59,000 in 2024. However, by 2025, the number of employees had decreased to around 52,500.

François Boileau, the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson, indicated that his office is currently overwhelmed with complaints related to CRA services. His office's latest annual report, released in June, revealed that about 24 percent of complaints pertained to call center issues.

Champagne also mentioned that he and other CRA officials will appear before the finance committee to provide updates on efforts to improve the agency's performance. Parliament is scheduled to reconvene on September 15.