Mandate

The mandate of the Minister’s Underground Economy Advisory Committee (the Committee) is to provide advice, input and recommendations to the Minister of National Revenue (the Minister) and to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) on the CRA's Underground Economy (UE) Strategy, and any other CRA policies or issues related to the UE.

The Committee will also seek opportunities for members to collaborate with the CRA on communication activities aimed at educating Canadians on their tax filing and income reporting obligations and reducing participation in the UE.

The Committee is consultative in nature. Its mandate does not include recommendations for specific legislative or tax policy proposals, but discussions of this nature may be referred to the Department of Finance for consideration.

Role of Committee Members

The role of each member is to share industry-specific approaches, initiatives or issues related to the UE, and provide advice on actions that the CRA can take to address it. Members are encouraged to seek opportunities to collaborate with the CRA as a group or on a bi-lateral basis to reduce participation in the UE. They are also expected to contribute actively to Committee discussions.

Parameters

The Chair

The Minister serves as Chair of the Committee, and may appoint a delegate as Chair.

Membership

The Minister is responsible for extending invitations to participate in the Committee. The membership includes individuals and organizations that are key industry stakeholders who are able to contribute to the discussion on reducing participation in the UE.

The list of member organizations will be published on the CRA’s external web site. Member organizations are responsible for selecting their representatives. Membership may be reviewed at any time by the Minister.

Terms of reference

The Terms of reference and mandate of the Committee may be re-evaluated as required to ensure the continued relevance and effectiveness of the Committee.

The Secretariat

As secretariat to the Advisory Committee, the CRA is responsible for planning and coordinating meetings, preparing agendas, creating records of discussion, and publishing final documents on the CRA external website (subsequent to approval by the Chair).

The secretariat is also responsible for approving travel requests by Committee members and ensuring that members’ allowed expenses are reimbursed in a timely, transparent and accountable manner.

Travel details

Meetings will normally be held in Ottawa, Ontario to accommodate the majority of members. In situations where travel is required by a Committee member, the CRA reimburses the member’s travel costs, subject to government guidelines and requirements.

Confidentiality

All participants will be encouraged to be open and candid in providing views related to tabled agenda items. Members, assigned delegates and meeting participants acknowledge their responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of all information that is not in the public domain or that is deemed ‘in confidence’. Discussions in confidence can only be shared publically once strategies and activities are made public.

Frequency of meetings

To maintain an ongoing dialogue and a consistent focus on reducing UE activity, the Committee meets at least once per year.