Here's how the CRA strike will impact tax filing
Canada’s largest public service union announced late Tuesday it will be going on strike at midnight.
More than 155,000 workers at the Canada Revenue Agency and the Treasury Board will hit the picket line Wednesday as part of their push for better pay and flexibility around remote work.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is still hoping for a ‘fair deal.’
“We truly hoped we wouldn’t be forced to take strike action, but we’ve exhausted every other avenue to reach a fair contract for Canada’s Federal Public Service workers,” said Chris Aylward, the national president for PSAC, in a media release. “Now more than ever, workers need fair wages, good working conditions and inclusive workplaces. And it’s clear the only way we’ll achieve that is by taking strike action to show the government that workers can’t wait.”
PSAC said they aren’t walking away from the bargaining table.
“As we begin this historic strike, PSAC bargaining teams will remain at the table night and day as they have been for weeks,” Aylward said. “We’re ready to reach a fair deal as soon as the government is ready to come to the table with a fair offer.”
The union added that negotiations between PSAC and the Treasury Board began in June 2021 but reached an “impasse” in May 2022.
HOW WILL A CRA STRIKE AFFECT TAXES?
For many, the timing couldn’t be worse.
Employees with the Canada Revenue Agency are going on strike just two weeks before the tax deadline.
“It could mean that many people are left in limbo with their financial situation, never mind those who are waiting for a tax return,” said Laurie Campbell, the vice-president of client solutions and client financial wellness at Bromwich+Smith.
The CRA said access to online services will remain available during the strike, but there may be increased wait times for call centres. Delays are also possible for processing income tax and benefit returns – particularly those filed by paper.
A licensed insolvency trustee suggests filing online, but if you need to use mail, be sure to keep copies of everything.
“Get it in the mail with the proper postage and hope for the best, but my guess [is] it will be one of those ones sitting in a pile for a long period of time if we’re seeing a strike,” Campbell said.
A staggering increase in the number of people dealing with high debt levels is adding to the urgency this year.
Campbell said between February 2022 and February 2023 insolvencies across the country increased by 24 per cent.
She said strike or no strike, it’s important everyone files their taxes to avoid any penalties.
“That interest and penalties can really add up, especially if you have debt that you owe to CRA,” Campbell said. “Don’t fool yourself into thinking that there will be any forgiveness.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.