What we are doing

"On August 5, 2021, I announced this examination, which I opened at the request of the Minister of National Revenue.

The examination will look into the compliance activities and selection of charities for audit by the CRA’s Charities Directorate. I will remain cognisant of the Minister’s request of examining the quality of services provided by the CRA to registered charities and the training it provides to its employees on unconscious bias. I will also be taking on this examination with fairness at the top of mind. At the end of this examination one thing that I will be confident in will be in the fairness of our process.

To best understand the issues registered charities are facing with the CRA we need to hear from you, and your representatives. Therefore, please complete our questionnaire and rest assured the information you provide to us will remain confidential."

François Boileau 
Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson

• launching a questionnaire
• analyzing the questionnaire results
• conducting interviews
• requesting and reviewing relevant information from the CRA
• identifying possible areas for service improvement
• publishing our findings

Our examination’s main focus will be on the fairness of the CRA’s Charities Directorate's audit process. We created a Special Ombudsperson Response Team (SORT) to primarily look at:

• how the CRA selects registered charities for audit, and if the process is designed and applied fairly
• if there are areas in the audit process that may be inequitable
• the impact the audit process has on registered charities

We intend to answer:

• Are charities selected for audit fairly?
• How are audits carried out?
• Is the audit process equitable?