Good evening,

Since last week, we all have been adapting to a rapidly changing environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that many of you across the organization and specifically on the front lines, have remained hard at work, in exceptional circumstances since the beginning of this crisis. We know that the last several weeks have meant long hours and constant efforts for those of you who, either remotely or on site, have been working to ensure that we can continue to deliver critical services for Canadians. We are deeply grateful for your ongoing dedication, understanding that it is stressful for both you and your families.

As a follow-up to our March 17, 2020 message, today we are sharing the Agency's National COVID-19 Business Continuity Plan, which has been created to provide national direction for coordinated implementation at the local level to ensure the continuity of:

• Activities associated with the CRA's internal management of the organization's response to the pandemic as it relates to the health, safety, and security of our workforce;
• Benefits payments to recipients, and associated functions, including, processing of returns, and responding to calls received in CRA's call centres in the hope of facilitating greater financial relief to Canadians;
• Activities associated with the CRA's contribution to the Government of Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as it relates to supporting Canada's economic resilience during the pandemic; and
• Agency leadership through the mobilization of our key teams and stakeholders to oversee, manage and deliver the Agency's critical services and to support the Government of Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are continuing to implement an ambitious roll-out of measures and equipment to enable as many employees as possible to work remotely, including call centre agents. Nevertheless, as we prepare to launch the newly announced economic initiatives in early April, and as we continue to deliver benefits that are critical to many Canadians, we know that many of our clients will require our support, now more than ever. As a result, we anticipate that it will continue to be necessary for some of you to perform some work onsite, including in our call centres. The government and the Agency very much appreciate the efforts of employees who continue to deliver critical and important services from our office locations. Due to the current situation and as continued measures are taken to reduce exposure to the virus, the Agency will reimburse transportation costs (parking, taxis) for employees who provide critical services and who must report to their work location.

In collaboration with our union partners, managers at all levels continue to assess the situation as new information and guidance from public health authorities becomes available. We are continuing to implement measures to ensure the health and safety of all employees who support critical services in the workplace, including more stringent disinfection protocols and arrangements to enable social distancing.

Please visit the National COVID-19 Business Continuity Plan for more information on the critical services provided by each branch.

Our commitment is to be as agile and responsive as possible to issues that develop, and to always strive for clear communication. As we continue to navigate these unprecedented times, priorities will be reassessed and some activities currently not deemed critical may become critical. We will continue to share updates with you, and your manager will be in touch should these changes affect you directly.

As more critical services are brought online in our effort to deliver services to Canadians, we remind you that it is essential that all other employees not performing critical services stay home and respect the current guidance when logging into the CRA’s network using secure remote access.

Again we recognize this situation is stressful for you and your families, friends and communities. If you need support, please remember you and your family members can connect with the Employee Assistance Program.

We are working through this together with the best interest of Canadians and our employees at heart. Thank you for your continued efforts that are contributing to the Government of Canada’s wider pandemic effort.