Departmental Plan 2017-18

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Internal Services

The CRA has in place a rigorous system of financial controls over planning and budgeting to support the efficient administration of the Government of Canada's tax and benefits system. Through an ongoing commitment to clear and well-defined accountabilities, and an efficient financial services delivery model, the CRA ensures the disbursement of its resources is done prudently and effectively, and is aligned with the strategic direction and priorities of the Agency and the Government.

We regularly review our finance and administration organizational and service delivery models to maximize efficiencies, simplify processes and procedures, and identify improvement and savings opportunities. As a first wave adopter of the new Policy on Results from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the CRA will use a new framework in 2017, the Departmental Results Framework, for all of its planning and reporting activities. Indicators and outcomes set out in this plan are fully aligned with this framework. This is in direct support of the Government of Canada's transition to a new results-based reporting framework, which will make sure key priorities are met and communicated to Canadians.

The CRA's strategic priorities of service, compliance, innovation, people, and integrity and security permeate all we do. While service and compliance are mainly outward-facing as we administer tax and benefits, internal activities and resources provide the support and oversight necessary to fulfill our organizational obligations and to ensure integrity and security, innovation, and the right people are in place to allow the Agency to deliver results.

Integrity and security

The CRA recognizes the importance of maintaining Canadians' trust and is committed to protecting the data we receive. The CRA has one of the largest and most sophisticated information technology environments within the Government of Canada. In the face of ever-evolving security threats, the protection of taxpayer information and the security of the Agency's electronic services are always paramount.

The CRA's Agency Security Plan outlines the way we will continue to enhance our protection of taxpayer data from inappropriate access and from increasingly complex security and cyber threats. Several multi-year projects are underway to continue to evolve the protection of the Agency's data, technology, and physical assets. For example, the Agency will continue to advance its Application Sustainability Program to make sure its systems remain stable and to protect the integrity of the tax base and the systems delivering benefit services.

Canadians expect CRA employees will perform their duties with the utmost integrity. The CRA's computer systems are designed to protect personal information. The Agency has in place, and is continually evolving and developing, tools and methodologies to prevent, detect, and mitigate unauthorized access and information misuse. To this end, the CRA will continue to enhance its audit trail monitoring process to track, identify, and quickly verify that taxpayer information is accessed by employees only as necessary.

Our integrity is also evident in the extent to which Canadians view the CRA as open and transparent. By making data available to other government agencies and departments, academics, and the public while protecting taxpayer information, we inform public debate and public policy. Where permitted by law, the CRA proactively makes information, such as a selection of its manuals, public. The Agency also participates in the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Online Request Portal to provide Canadians with timely access to their personal information held by government.

Planning highlights

The CRA will:

• centralize and standardize the provisioning and tracking of end-user and privileged-user accounts with the completion of Phase 4 of the Identity and Access Management project in June 2017
• improve proactive analysis of user actions on CRA systems in 2018
• complete the Data Security Initiative in 2019
• develop new capabilities in 2017, including the development of fraud risk test case scenarios, to proactively detect internal fraud and information misuse
• participate in consultations aimed at proposing legislative changes to the Access to Information Act

Expected results

• Stronger technological controls and processes related to identity and access management will improve assurance employees can access only the information they need to do their jobs
• Improved audit trails will provide greater assurance taxpayer information is accessed only as necessary
• Better protection of the Agency's data, technology, and physical assets keeps pace with emerging threats
• Identifying security weaknesses before they can be exploited protects information, data, and technology assets
• Informed enhancements to Canadians' access to information balances openness, transparency, and appropriate protection of sensitive information

Innovation

Tax administrations around the world are challenged to keep pace with technological changes, emerging threats, and rapid shifts in economic activity. The CRA fosters innovation to ensure it continuously improves services for Canadians and protects Canada's revenue base. From our information technology infrastructure, to our use of business intelligence, to how we manage our resources, we are committed to turning good ideas into successful solutions.

In fostering a culture of innovation at the Agency, employees are encouraged to offer new ideas, to take risks and experiment. It is recognized not all new ideas and approaches to the ways in  which we deliver our programs and services will be successful, but without taking risks, the CRA is unlikely to be able to adapt to social and technological changes as they occur and will then likely fall short in being able to respond adequately to the needs and expectations of Canadians. Intelligent risk taking involves having a process in place to clearly identify the problems or issues to be resolved, the outcomes desired, which takes stock of lessons learned from past successes and failures, and evaluates and reports on the results of any new ideas and processes implemented.

The CRA undertakes complex research, trend analysis, and compliance risk analysis. To continue doing this, the Agency will renew its business intelligence environment by 2020. Similarly, by 2018, we will have the foundation in place to re-engineer the secure online portals My Account, My Business Account, and Represent a Client. We will ensure the portals are fast, secure, and easy to use for taxpayers and their representatives, while allowing capacity for future program growth and advances in technology.

How we work is also changing, enabled largely by technology, and driven by the need for collaboration and innovation. The workplace of the future must be flexible to allow employees to collaborate more efficiently, and to work differently, choosing the environment in which they can be most productive, based on the actual tasks they have to do at any given moment. The traditional workplace design of providing a dedicated, one-size-fits-all workstation is obsolete. Increasingly workstations sit idle, while meeting and collaborative spaces are at a premium. In 2017, the CRA will pilot a more efficient activity-based workplace design with unassigned workspaces. This will give employees the flexibility to choose where, how, and with whom they work, which will, in turn, increase employee satisfaction, collaboration and innovation, and save space.

Innovation is ensuring the CRA's IT infrastructure remains robust, secure, and adaptable. Through incorporating efficient, modern technologies and processes, the CRA is in the process of reengineering its T1, benefits, and various business systems, including the business number (BN) system, providing these systems with flexible and resilient foundations and enabling future program growth.

Planning highlights

The CRA will:

• renew the business intelligence computing platform, tools, and processes by 2020
• re-engineer the T1, benefits, and various business systems in 2019
• pilot an activity-based work environment in order to provide an increased number and variety of reservable, collaborative, and individual workspaces best-suited to employees' immediate tasks

Expected results

• A renewed business intelligence environment will ensure the CRA has the ability to do advanced research, trend analysis, and compliance-risk analysis
• Redesign and renewal of our core systems will enable the CRA to quickly detect and correct errors, validate data, and direct enforcement resources to the highest-risk accounts
• Creating innovative workspaces will help to foster innovation through collaboration, increase productivity and employee satisfaction, and achieve cost savings through space savings by reducing daily vacancies associated with traditional dedicated workstations

People

The more than 40,000 individuals employed by the CRA comprise a diverse, experienced, and highly qualified workforce who administer Canada's tax and benefit programs with proficiency and integrity. The Agency continues to develop and implement strategies to sustain a healthy, productive, and high‐performing workforce in order to deliver on Government of Canada priorities, meet current and future business needs, and strive at providing the best possible service to all Canadians.

Leadership development, recruiting for specialized skills, and enhancing the workplace environment are three key priorities for the Agency over the next three years. Regarding the first priority, focusing on talent management and building the Agency's leadership capacity will be essential to maintaining the Agency's success now and in the future. Meanwhile, the Agency's workforce strategies are designed to focus on identifying areas with existing or emerging workforce gaps, and targeting recruitment efforts towards specialized professionals the CRA will need in the years ahead, such as auditors and data analysts. The Agency also recognizes talent thrives in a healthy environment and recognizes the importance and value of workplace well-being to a high-performing workforce. Accordingly, the CRA is implementing a comprehensive Respectful Workplace and Well-being, which will foster respectfulness, health, and employee empowerment.

Planning highlights

The CRA will:

• modernize our online presence and expand our use of social media for recruitment purposes in 2017
• conduct targeted national recruitment campaigns in 2018 and 2019, working in partnership with public and private stakeholders
• implement the three-year Respectful Workplace and Well-being Strategy by 2019
• launch a pilot of a national succession planning approach for CRA leadership development in 2018

Expected results

• Targeted recruitment efforts ensure there are no gaps in our current and potential future workforce and the Agency's specialized business requirements are met
• CRA employees have the technical knowledge and skills to keep pace with evolving business methods and to lead the Agency in the future
• The work environment at the CRA shows respect for employees and supports their well-being

Internal Services

Budgetary financial (in dollars)
Human resources (full-time equivalents)

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