Overview

• The Union of Taxation Employees and PSAC unveiled an online push urging Canadians to contact MPs, file complaints with the taxpayers’ ombudsperson and share videos about difficulties reaching the CRA.
• The union says nearly 3,300 call-centre jobs have been cut since May 2024, including about 1,300 in May, and claims fewer than five per cent of callers now reach a live agent.
• CRA staffing swelled to roughly 59,000 during the pandemic and has fallen to about 52,500 employees as temporary funding ends.
• The CRA’s 2025–26 departmental plan projects further declines from 50,804 FTEs in 2025–26 to 47,732 by 2027–28, citing sunsetting funds and savings measures from Budget 2023.
• Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson François Boileau reports an uptick in service complaints, with about 24 per cent tied to call centres, and says his small office is swamped.