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Results: 1 - 15 of 29
View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
Good afternoon, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for this invitation to tell you about the work of the Canada Revenue Agency in supporting Canadians during this unprecedented time. The work you are undertaking on government measures to support Canadians in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is very important.
I am pleased to be accompanied today by the commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency, Bob Hamilton, and three members of the agency's senior management: Frank Vermaeten, assistant commissioner, assessment, benefit and service branch; Geoff Trueman, assistant commissioner, legislative policy and regulatory affairs branch; and Ted Gallivan, assistant commissioner, compliance programs branch.
Since 2015, I have focused on improving the service delivery that is offered to Canadians. This means the agency and I place Canadians at the centre of all our priorities. We recently launched our People First philosophy and it is the pillar of our new service model. This philosophy is a key element in the agency's response to implementing the emergency economic measures.
Driven by the People First philosophy, agency employees have been working hard to support Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to taking part in an impressive mobilization of human resources in the field, we are also seeing a significant increase in the technology being used every day to serve Canadians in an even more accessible, efficient and rapid manner.
Allow me to give you an overview of the CRA's work over the past eight weeks. The agency started by realigning its efforts in order to be more efficient during this crisis. Then, on March 18, it announced it was pushing back the tax filing deadline for individuals, corporations and trusts, thereby relieving Canadians of that burden.
In the same spirit, the agency also announced the temporary suspension of the vast majority of audits. The agency then worked quickly to implement the government's various economic measures. First and foremost: the Canada emergency response benefit.
As I am sure you know, the agency is responsible for a significant part of administering the CERB, and the CRA is fully responsible for administering the Canada emergency wage subsidy, CEWS, as well as the Canada emergency student benefit, the CESB.
Regarding the CERB and the CEWS, I am especially proud of how quick and easy the application process is for Canadians. And I must emphasize that the amounts are paid promptly. In fact, most people receive their payment by direct deposit within three business days—sometimes even two days.
We have also demonstrated significant technological capacity, which is very impressive when you consider the online services were set up in just a few weeks. When the CERB was launched, the agency's system registered 30,000 applications in 12 minutes. Since April 6, the agency has reviewed and processed nearly 7.5 million CERB applications, for more than 4.45 million individuals.
I am very proud of the agency's incredible work under these circumstances. In fact, the media described the technological implementation of the CERB as a “small miracle.” This miracle would have been impossible without the exceptional cooperation between the agency's public servants and those from Employment and Social Development Canada.
On April 27, the agency deployed a new economic measure, namely, the Canada emergency wage subsidy. Again, everyone pitched in to make this application process a success. To date, the agency has received over 128,000 applications for the wage subsidy.
Finally, the agency will soon be able to launch the Canada emergency student benefit, the CESB. Students will soon be able to submit their application through the agency portal and the My Account service.
The CRA was able to mobilize a lot of people in the blink of an eye, starting with the agents at its call centres. To keep up the pace, the agency also reassigned many employees to new duties. A total of 7,500 employees answered a call to lend a hand to the call centres. Of course, while all this work took place, the CRA also made sure that appropriate compliance measures were put in place for all applications for emergency financial assistance.
Ensuring compliance is an essential part of the agency's mission. We are committed to preserving the integrity of our Canadian tax system. In this regard, the agency developed strict auditing measures—electronic and manual—and several safeguards for claimant eligibility, refund terms, and even tax loopholes. You can rest assured that offenders will face severe consequences, up to and including imprisonment.
Mr. Chair, this pandemic continues to have a terrible impact on many of our fellow citizens—not only on their health, but also on their economic well-being. However, I am proud of the efficiency with which the entire government has mobilized in recent weeks to support Canadians. As the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” I can proudly tell you that agency employees have shown that they are, indeed, very tough.
I am now ready to take your questions. Thank you.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
Thank you for your question, Mr. Morantz.
The Canada Revenue Agency's priority was to ensure that Canada emergency benefit payments would be delivered quickly and efficiently to eligible Canadians. As with all other benefits administered by the agency, we may undertake audit activities at a later date.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
I'm sorry, Mr. Morantz, I didn't quite understand your question.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
We are currently experiencing a historical situation like we haven't seen since the Second World War. As I was saying, the important thing for the Canada Revenue Agency was to ensure that Canadians receive benefits to help them get through the current crisis. I can assure you that the agency has mechanisms in place to recover the money that will need to be recovered.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
Our government understands that Canadians are going through a very difficult time. We are here to support them. That is why we have announced a series of measures, including extending the deadline for filing income tax returns to June 1, 2020. We continue to monitor the situation and developments very closely and are currently working on solutions that will be communicated to you shortly.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
Mr. Chair, all of the agency's teams are mobilized to give effect to the emergency measures that need to be made available to Canadians. As I mentioned, the agency reached nearly 7.5 million Canadians.
We continue to process tax returns, whether paper or electronic, so that people receive their benefits and the money they are owed as quickly as possible.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
As I mentioned, we know this is a very difficult time for Canadian companies and their employees. Our government is doing everything it can to support Canadians.
The application process was launched two weeks ago. We have received over 127,000 applications since the launch. The majority of the companies are small and medium-sized enterprises.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
I would like to say to my colleague that the companies that apply find the process simple. Indeed, the objective of our programs was to have simple and fast processes to be able to support all our companies.
If you'd like a little more technical detail, I could let the officials respond, either Mr. Gallivan or Mr. Vermaeten.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
You're absolutely right when you say that the agency employees did an incredible job.
In order to be able to deliver benefits to people, whether the Canada emergency response benefit or the Canada emergency wage subsidy, all employees had to focus on the emergency measures we had to implement for Canadians. In addition, we need to ensure the safety of our employees. So many of our employees are working from home. We had to organize telephone services at home, while at the same time maintaining data privacy for all Canadians. That's why we're saying that they did an incredible job.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
I can tell you that these investigations are ongoing. When we talk about audits, we're talking about the regular work that is done on a daily basis. It's part of the agency's work.
With regard to the audits, if you want more technical details, one of the officials in charge could answer your question.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
Thank you. Initially, the money invested was also used for organization, to put in place and consolidate the tools our public servants use. This made it possible to hire auditors and rebuild an expertise that had been taken away from us by the previous government, for which this was not a priority.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
Investigations are ongoing and cases will be litigated. Requests have been made in this regard, as per regulations. Mr. Gallivan, who really is the expert on tax evasion, will be able to answer you very well.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
I would say that your question is too complex to be answered with a yes or no answer. What I can say, though, is that all the programs we put in place really serve to protect the workers and employees of companies, regardless of who their employer is. I can assure you that we continue to fight against companies that use these stratagems.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
I'm sorry, Mr. Chair.
As I was telling you, Mr. Green, this type of case is complex because people use very sophisticated schemes. We will continue to protect employees, no matter who they work for. My goal is really to make sure that Canadians have money to pay for their groceries and their housing. Companies that use schemes will be prosecuted and held accountable. That could go as far as jail time.
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View Diane Lebouthillier Profile
Lib. (QC)
Among other measures we've taken in recent years, we have been working with the OECD. We assess four countries a year and exchange information. Our goal remains the same: to have everyone pays their fair share.
The Agency is only responsible for administering the programs. With respect to the creation of the programs and their eligibility criteria, Minister Morneau will be in a much better position to answer you. We have listened to the concerns of our colleagues and Canadians and we will continue to work to find solutions.
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