Message from the Minister

As world events unfold and international tension mounts, many Canadians share an increasing concern about public security and safety. The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) makes an important contribution to the Government of Canada's efforts to keep Canadians safe and secure in these uncertain times. Much of this work takes place through our Customs Services, where we work to secure our borders against threats to public safety, including terrorism, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel that is so vital to our economic livelihood, and respecting individuals’ rights to privacy.

To meet the challenge of September 11, we accelerated a number of initiatives under our Customs Action Plan to strengthen border security. With the implementation of the subsequent Manley-Ridge Smart Border Declaration and its aggressive 30-Point Action Plan, we are working to build a “smarter” border using state-of-the-art technology, new risk identification methods, and improved training and equipment for our customs staff. Later this year, for example, we plan to pilot NEXUS-Air at two international airports. Using biometric technology, this system will allow pre-approved travellers to clear customs by simply looking into a camera that recognizes the iris of their eyes as proof of identify. This is just one example of our efforts to innovate to improve our capacity to meet our mandate.

I hold a strong personal belief in continuous improvement and am proud to be Minister of a government organization that places innovation at the heart of its agenda. Through the CCRA’s Future Directions initiative launched last year and its extensive consultation process, we listened to our Tax Services and Benefit Programs clients—individuals, small enterprises, and large businesses alike—and have developed a coherent service vision for the future and a suite of innovations to better meet their needs, which we will implement as resources permit and at a pace and rate that ensures the right mix of core and innovation activities.

As we proceed with “smart border” management and an enhanced tax service vision, we must also ensure that our core operations run well and efficiently. Here, fairness in the tax system is particularly important. The CCRA must be able to show Canadians that most people are playing by the rules. We are doing a good job in promoting compliance with tax, trade, and border laws—overall levels of compliance in Canada are high. But there is always room for improvement. We will therefore continue to improve the ways in which we promote voluntary compliance, while strengthening our enforcement activities to identify and deter wilful non-compliance. We are committed to maintaining a level playing field, catching cheaters, and minimizing intrusion in the lives of the millions of Canadians who willingly comply with the laws we administer.

The commitments we have made in this business plan are ambitious. The resource investments needed to support them are significant, but so are the results we plan to deliver for Canadians. The CCRA will continue to adopt measures aimed at rigorous financial stewardship of the public funds placed in our hands.

Following the February 2003 Federal Budget, we recognize that our funding for the planning period may be subject to downward pressures, which would require us to adjust the scope and timing of some commitments laid out in this plan. We will work closely with our partners across government to manage the challenges associated with competing resource pressures and continue to contribute to overall government priorities. I am confident that this approach, combined with the commitment shown by the people at the CCRA, will ensure the Agency continues to evolve as a responsive, dedicated service organization, on the leading edge of innovation and operating at affordable cost to Canadians.

Elinor Caplan
Minister of National Revenue

Date modified:

2002-03-21