Message from the Minister

As Minister of National Revenue, it is my privilege and honour to table the Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) fifth Annual Report to Parliament, which demonstrates how we fulfilled our mandate over the past year.

The responsibility for administering taxes and benefits on behalf of governments and government institutions in our country, brings with it two important obligations. First, we must maintain public confidence in the integrity of the tax system by being fair and diligent in enforcing the law. We also place a high priority on the security of our facilities, information privacy, respect for citizens and employee ethics. As a result, the Agency is recognized and respected for its integrity, fairness and innovation in administering high-quality, yet affordable, programs.

Second, we must be efficient in how we administer our budget. Our agency status has provided a foundation from which we can administer our core program activities in a productive and innovative manner. The CRA has done this by managing expenditures, raising productivity and reallocating resources to the most essential program activities, while maximizing the use of existing resources. Our Board of Management, composed of individuals from the private sector across the country, has imposed on the Agency an additional level of rigour. This enables us to maintain a strong core business, advance our governance, develop business and ensure growth, and maintain program efficiencies.

Our services, such as ‘My Account', use cutting-edge technology to provide Canadians with a secure option for viewing and managing their personal income tax accounts from their own home or office. By providing services like this and others, we are offering Canadians more convenient and accessible ways to voluntarily comply with their tax obligations.

In the past year, we increased co-operation with other federal departments and agencies. New services were also provided to provinces, territories and First Nations governments. We participated in discussions with the Government of Ontario on leveraging our systems to collect provincial corporate tax, we created the First Nations Advisory Committee, and we concluded agreements with First Nations governments to collect taxes on their behalf. These measures illustrate our willingness and desire to work collaboratively in designing services that meet the needs of various client governments.

We have made great progress since becoming an agency only six years ago, and we are well positioned to continue delivering the best value in our services. I am proud to be responsible for such a dynamic and professional organization.

The Honourable John McCallum, P.C., M.P.
Minister of National Revenue

Date modified:

2005-10-26