The public-sector union representing Canada Revenue Agency employees has struck a tentative deal with the federal government, ending a strike of 35,000 workers just after the tax season wrapped up.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Treasury Board covering more than 120,000 federal government workers across the country.
The Canada Revenue Agency has already shown it can file simple income tax returns for clients, essential for vulnerable populations like low-income Indigenous people to access benefits and credits.
Canada suspended consular services in Sudan on Sunday, April 23, 2023, amid reports of allied countries evacuating Canadian diplomats and as armed conflict escalated in the East-African country.
Limited trust in the federal agency has also led to many Indigenous Peoples having “a reluctance to interact, or being stressed when dealing with CRA and putting it off as a result,” the CRA report found.
The job action taken by members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada could amount to a complete halt of the tax season, slowdowns at the border and pauses to new EI, immigration and passport applications.
An access-to-information request filed by Canada's National Observer reveals that the CRA needs to do more to help engage Indigenous Peoples during tax season so they can access eligible benefits and credits.
The federal government now expects far more Canadians with long-overdue dental needs to sign up for its insurance plan, and the health minister says that's why the estimated cost has risen by $7 billion.