Restore CRA service access
Petitioners ask the Government to increase CRA call‑centre and MP problem resolution staffing, fix technical causes of dropped calls and lockouts, restore in‑person services in underserved areas, and ensure handling of complex cases. The government responds that the CRA launched a 100‑day Service Improvement Plan, rehired staff, added temporary resources and introduced self‑service account recovery.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would increase staffed phone support and MP problem‑resolution capacity, speeding help for callers who now face long waits or dropped calls.
- Fixing technical causes of dropped calls and account lockouts would let people regain access faster and reduce repeated transfers and delays.
- Restoring in‑person services in underserved areas would help seniors, people without internet and rural residents who cannot use digital options.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Hiring more staff and reopening in‑person sites requires significant cost and management; digital improvements may be more cost‑effective.
- Technical problems can be complex and temporary hires may not provide long‑term stability, so gains could be short‑lived without sustainable funding.
- The CRA says closures reflected low in‑person demand and high costs; reopening offices might not equitably improve access versus targeted outreach and self‑service.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED We, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons in Parliament Assembled to the following: Whereas: (i) Canadians are experiencing significant and ongoing difficulties in accessing timely service from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA); (ii) Many rural Canadians, including those in Courtenay-Alberni, have no in-person CRA service option; (iii) The CRA online portal is insufficient to resolve complex isues; (iv) Seniors, people without internet, and community organizations are being hit the hardest by the lack of service; (v) Canadians are spending hours on hold with the CRA, getting their calls dropped, and getting locked out of their accounts; (vi) Since the Harper Conservatives closed many in-person CRA offices and the Liberals cut more than 3,000 workers, many CRA calls are going unanswered; (vii) The CRA's chronic service failures are leaving people stranded for weeks or even months without help, and even MPs and their staff can't get through to support constituents; and (viii) CRA agents frequently transfer Canadians to other agents where the process is restarted. Therefore, we, the undersigned, Citizens and Residents of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to: Increase staffing and resources for CRA call centres and the MP Problems Resolution Program to restore service to previous standards; Review and address the technical issues preventing account access and causing call drops; Explore options for restoring in-person CRA service in underserved areas like Courtenay-Alberni; and Ensure that complex cases requiring CRA agent intervention are handled without prolonged delays or repeated transfers.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Finance and National Revenue Signed by the Honourable Wayne Long The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) extends its thanks to the petitioners for sharing their concerns about its services. The CRA remains committed to improving the service experience of all Canadians. Every Canadian deserves easy access to the support they need, including timely assistance from the CRA’s contact centres. On September 2, 2025, the CRA announced its 100-day Service Improvement Plan designed to strengthen services, improve access, and reduce delays. The CRA is committed to delivering results for Canadians by December 11, 2025, and beyond. The CRA committed to answering 70% of callers by mid-October 2025. Since September 8, 2025, the CRA has extended term contracts and rehired more employees in its contact centres. These additional resources are helping the CRA better meet demands for assistance and reduce wait times. As a result, the CRA is currently answering over 70% of callers, up from 35% in early July of this year. In August 2025, 40 temporary resources were added to the Service Feedback Program to restore the Problem Resolution Service to its service standard. It should be noted that the CRA traditionally has a fluctuating workforce due to annual seasonal hiring for tax season. Each year, the CRA hires temporary employees during busier periods on a term basis. This means that their start and end dates are set in advance and outlined in their offer of employment. These individuals are clearly informed that the employment is temporary. The CRA may extend some term employees beyond tax filing season, balancing service needs and fiscal responsibility. Further, in recent years, the CRA's workforce grew to support COVID-19 pandemic benefits, which was accompanied by temporary funding, but with these benefits coming to an end, the workforce has decreased in size accordingly. The CRA takes reports of dropped calls very seriously. In every instance, the CRA investigates, either internally or with partners (such as its telephony system provider) and immediately works to resolve any issues that may result in dropped calls. Further, the CRA has given contact centre service representatives the ability to phone callers back if their call is dropped prematurely, provided certain criteria are met. As of October 20, 2025, existing CRA account users are now able to self-serve and register for a new credential if they are locked out of their account or have forgotten their sign-in information. This will allow users to regain access to their account without needing to call the CRA for help. To register again, users can validate their identity and get immediate access to their CRA account using the document verification service. This new digital service enhancement is one way the CRA is offering flexible options to Canadians. It allows those who prefer self-service to resolve access issues independently, while ensuring that phone support remains available to those who need it most. With respect to in-person CRA services, the CRA's decision in 2013 to close its in-person payment and enquiries service counters was not made lightly. This decision was based on a number of factors, including significant decrease in in-person requests during the final year of operation, as well as the much higher costs associated with maintaining in-person services compared to telephone and digital services. Previously, tax service offices were only accessible to taxpayers who lived nearby, which created an inequity of service for rural taxpayers. The CRA remains committed to improving the accessibility and quality of its services to better meet the needs of all Canadians. Digital services offer a greater availability to more Canadians. For this reason, the CRA modified its in-person services to meet the increasing demand from taxpayers for electronic services. From April 1 to September 30, 2025, there were over 2,400 outreach activities conducted across the country, engaging diverse audiences including Indigenous Peoples, adults 65 and over, individuals with modest incomes, the housing insecure and homeless, students and youth, persons with disabilities, and newcomers to Canada. In addition, the Benefits Outreach Program provides support to more than 6,100 community organizations. With respect to repeated transfers, the CRA's goal is to ensure that all enquiries are addressed in a timely manner. The CRA's interactive voice response system allows callers to make selections to be routed to a service representative who is appropriately trained in the subject matter about which they are calling. Depending on the nature and complexity of an enquiry, it is sometimes necessary to transfer callers to a service representative with more specialized training. Having a tiered approach like this allows the CRA to be strategic in deploying resources, including the implementation of training, and allows service representatives to gain more experience in a select number of topics. The CRA again thanks the petitioners for sharing their concerns.