Canada Revenue Agency extending contracts for 850 call centre workers additional 7 months

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) national headquarters in Ottawa on Friday, June 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The union representing employees at the Canada Revenue Agency is calling on the government to hire more call centre agents to handle the high volume of calls, despite the federal government extending the contracts for hundreds of employees.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) confirmed to CTV News Ottawa the contracts for 850 employees that were set to expire on Sept. 5 have been extended until March 31, 2026.

Workers were informed two weeks ago that their contracts would be extended.

“To manage taxpayer dollars responsibly, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) traditionally has a fluctuating workforce. Many employees are hired on a term basis, with their employment timeline defined in their letter of offer,” the CRA said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

“Employees are made aware that the duration of their contract may be lengthened or shortened based on fiscal realities as well as operational demands. The CRA considers service outcomes, employee well-being and fiscal responsibility in making its decisions with respect to whether, and for how long, extensions of term employees take place. Given these considerations, a decision was made to provide extensions to around 850 contact centre employees past their existing end dates.”

The president of the Union of Taxation Employees, which represents employees at the Canada Revenue Agency, said the union is pleased with CRA’s decision “to finally renew the contracts.”

“We are pleased that the agency has listened to the serious concerns we raised. However, there is still a shortage of call centre agents to handle the high volume of calls from citizens, businesses and accounting firms,” Marc Brière said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa on Aug. 26.

“Our union is calling on the CRA and the Carney government to rehire a sufficient number of agents so that we can offer Canadians the much better accessibility and high-quality service to which they are entitled.”

The Union of Taxation Employees has said over 3,000 jobs had been cut at the Canada Revenue Agency since last fall, including a decision not to renew the contracts for 1,300 call centre employees.

“The non-renewal of these contracts worsens an already critical situation, with wait times to speak with a customer service agent already widely deemed unacceptable by users,” the union said in May.

In May, the CRA cut up to 280 employees, mostly in the Ottawa-Gatineau area

Last week, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Union of Taxation Employees launched a campaign to “save Canada Revenue Agency call centre service.”

“Under Prime Minister Carney’s government, Canada Revenue Agency call centres are facing mass job cuts,” the unions said. “Instead of investing in the services that people across the country depend on the federal government is cutting jobs and weakening critical services already under pressure.”

According to the Treasury Board Secretariat, 52,499 employees worked at the Canada Revenue Agency in March, down from 59,155 employees in 2024.