Federal union expands campaign denouncing cuts at Canada Revenue Agency

The Canada Revenue Agency national headquarters in Ottawa on June 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — The federal union representing workers at the Canada Revenue Agency has started the second phase of its online campaign denouncing staffing cuts.

The “Canada on Hold” campaign was launched last month with a focus on CRA call centres but has now been expanded to draw attention to staffing cuts across the agency.

Marc Brière, national president of the Union of Taxation Employees, says the CRA has cut almost 10,000 jobs since May 2024 and the campaign looks to highlight the impact of cuts on the delivery of services to taxpayers and businesses.

Brière says the union plans to hold a rally in front of the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday to call on the government to reinvest in the CRA.

After the union launched the first phase of its campaign, which denounced the loss of about 3,300 call centre workers, the Canada Revenue Agency announced that it had offered contract extensions to around 850 call centre employees.

Earlier this month, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne set a 100-day timeline for the CRA to fix call centre delays, even as Ottawa plans spending cuts across the public service.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2025.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press