The Taxpayers' Ombudsperson opens systemic examination into issues expressed by certain Muslim-led charities

OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 5, 2021 /CNW/ - At the Government of Canada's recent National Summit on Islamophobia, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue, stated that systemic racism and discrimination are important issues that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) takes very seriously. As part of her commitment, the Minister has requested that the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson, François Boileau, examine concerns raised by certain Muslim-led charities and engage other charitable organizations led by racialized communities about their experiences with the CRA. In particular, the Office will focus on the concerns linked to the selection of audit files, the quality of the services offered and the efforts taken by the CRA to sensitize its employees to unconscious biases.

To determine the exact scope of the examination, the Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson (OTO) will start by listening and inviting Muslim-led charities, as well as other charitable organizations led by racialized communities, to share their experiences to better understand the service issues they encounter with the CRA. The OTO will also carefully review all the publicly reported documentation and the information obtained from the CRA.

Mr. Boileau is committed to examining the issues fairly and will provide the Minister with an update on his examination by January 1, 2022.

"Together with my Office, I commit to examining the concerns raised and will engage charitable organizations led by racialized communities to ensure that the service rights we so strongly represent are upheld by the CRA. But before we take action, we need to take the time to listen and deepen our knowledge of the issues."

François Boileau, Taxpayers' Ombudsperson

Background information

The OTO is functionally independent and operates without influence from the CRA. We are here to improve the service that the CRA provides to taxpayers by reviewing service-related complaints and hold it accountable in its service to, and treatment of, taxpayers through independent and objective reviews. We also look at issues that can affect more than one person, or a segment of the population.

The Taxpayers' Ombudsperson is mandated to ensure that the CRA respects eight of the service rights outlined in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights and that it remains accountable for its actions.

The Taxpayer's Ombudsperson must review any matter within the Ombudsperson's mandate at the request of the Minister, and can also open examinations on his own initiative.

To learn more about our open systemic examinations, go to: https://www.canada.ca/en/taxpayers-ombudsperson/programs/reports-publications/opened-systemic-examinations.html

Associated links

The media release is available on the OTO's website at: https://canada.ca/en/taxpayers-ombudsperson/news/2021/08/the-taxpayers-ombudsperson-opens-systemic-examination-into-issues-expressed-by-muslim-led-charities.html 

To learn more about our previous reports and requests for service improvement, go to: https://www.canada.ca/en/taxpayers-ombudsperson/programs/examining-systemic-issues/influencing-change.html

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SOURCE Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson