AFTER TAX OMBUDSMAN TESTIMONY, CANADA’S GOVERNMENT MUST DO MORE TO ADDRESS SYSTEMIC RACISM AT THE CRA

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and dozens of leading community organizations across Canada have released an open letter to the Prime Minister to express concerns about the review currently underway of systemic racism and Islamophobia at the CRA.   

After the publication of a report by NCCM and U of T, and months of community advocacy, the government called for a review into the problem at the National Summit on Islamophobia last year.

However, the promise by the Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Lebouthillier to conduct a meaningful review of systemic racism and bias at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is facing barriers.   

Last week at the Senate Committee on Human Rights, the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman, Mr. François Boileau made it clear that he is facing significant barriers in accessing the necessary documentation and information from the CRA for a meaningful review to take place.   

“A review of the CRA without proper access and transparency is of no real use,” said Dr. Nadia Hasan, COO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims. “These are barriers we must overcome if we have any hope of addressing systemic problems that unfairly harm marginalized communities.”   

Our community had long asked for a thorough review of the agency’s Risk-based Assessment model —and its unfair targeting of Muslim charities across Canada.    

In our open letter, we ask that the Prime Minister to establish a review body, along with the Ombudsman, to conduct a fulsome review of this issue, to make sure that nothing gets in the way, and to suspend the CRA’s Research and Analysis Division (RAD) until such a review is completed.