For Immediate Release
CRA GTA modernisation plan risks harming staff and service, says PIPSC
Ottawa, August 2, 2017 – Canada Revenue Agency’s plan to centre the expertise of its Greater Toronto Area (GTA) operations within four different locations risks harming staff recruitment and retention as well as taxpayer services, says the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC).
Given the size of the GTA, reporting to a different office will have a significant impact on the nearly one thousand professional government auditors who now work in the GTA. Many are understandably upset at a management decision taken without any input or consultation from staff or their union.
“The lack of sensitivity shown by the CRA towards its employees is disheartening,” said PIPSC President Debi Daviau. “The Canada Revenue Agency has operated successfully for decades using the current structure in the GTA. Not only will this change likely have a direct, negative impact on staff recruitment and retention, but many taxpayers will now have to travel substantial distances across the GTA to visit a specialized tax services office. They will incur the same frustration and lost time that our members will experience on a daily basis. If this is a cost savings measure, it’s happening at the expense of both employees and Canadians, and we oppose it.”
PIPSC is calling on the Agency to halt implementation of the plan and instead look at ways to improve services without causing unnecessary disruption to the lives of either employees or taxpayers.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada represents some 55,000 professionals across Canada’s federal and provincial public sectors.
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For further information:
Pierre Villon
(613) 228-6310 ext 4928 (office)
or (613) 794-9369 (cell.)
pvillon@pipsc.ca