Question Period Note: SERVING CANADIANS BETTER REPORT

Can the Minister of National Revenue comment on the feedback received from Canadians as part of its Serving Canadians Better public consultations?

• The Canada Revenue Agency (Agency) is listening to Canadians, changing how it works, and improving services. The CRA’s goal is to put people first, increase Canadians’ trust in the CRA, and help them meet their tax obligations more easily.

• The CRA held public consultations with Canadians in Spring 2019 to gather feedback on how to provide a better service experience and in Fall 2019 released its “Serving Canadians Better” Report.

• Canadians have told the Agency that they valued the opportunity to be heard through the Serving Canadians Better consultations.

• Canadians have told the CRA that they would like the CRA to make taxes easier to understand, to make their programs and services more accessible and to strive to always provide accurate information consistently.

• Canadians now want to see action. While the Agency continues listening to Canadians, the Agency will begin announcing new initiatives, focussing on:

o making information more helpful and easier to understand;

o providing more convenient access to services and support; and

o ensuring that Canadians feel understood, respected, and valued.

In October 2018, when the Canada Revenue Agency (Agency) announced its commitment to transform how it serves Canadians through an integrated, client-focused approach, it announced that it would conduct a series of consultations with Canadians, including public consultations during tax-filing season to consult individuals on service improvements.

In support of this commitment, the Agency held a series of in-person and online Serving Canadians Better consultations from April 23 to June 18, 2019. The purpose of these consultations was to listen to and learn from Canadians about their service experience with the Agency, and their expectations for the future to inform the Agency transformation agenda over the coming year. These consultations were the Agency’s first of its kind, allowing people from across the country to highlight opportunities for the Agency to improve.

In December 2019, the Agency released its Serving Canadians Better consultation report highlighting what it heard from Canadians. During the consultations, Canadians made it clear that they would like the Agency to make its programs and services more accessible and to strive to always provide accurate information. They want services that are personal and tailored to their individual needs, easy to understand, and modern.

Engaging with clients to understand their needs and expectations is an important part of the Agency’s journey to become a more people-centric organization. Canadians want to see action and that is why, starting this upcoming tax season, the Agency will begin announcing some new initiatives that will show Canadians its commitment to making information more helpful and easier to understand, providing more convenient access to services and support, and ensuring that Canadians feel understood, respected, and valued.

The long-term goal is to enable a seamless experience, regardless of how, when, or with whom in the Agency the client is interacting. This will allow the Agency to address clients’ needs in a more timely way, making it easy for them to get it right, while remaining transparent and accountable for its decisions, and trustworthy and fair at every turn.

Service Canadians Better report published in December 2019