Time’s Up: CRA’s 100 Day Mandate for Improvement

After years of frustration on the part of tax professionals and taxpayers alike, the Finance Minister ordered the Canada Revenue Agency to clean up its act in 100 days. Specifically, the improvement plan was to run from September 2 through December 11. Finance Minister and Minister of National Revenue, Francoise-Phillippe Champagne instructed CRA to fix “unacceptable wait times and service delays.” Time’s up this week and CRA has released an update on progress. What gets measured, gets done. Let’s see what CRA’s metrics show. 

Things have started to turn around for the Canadian dollar in the second quarter of 2025. It hit a 22 year low in January of 2025. Investors and property owners, who have been swooning at the high burn rate in their travel plans and property maintenance abroad, may wish to consider recent more positive trends and consider some risk mitigation opportunities now that the dollar is stabilizing somewhat.  

The days of financial planners touting Freedom 55 are decades behind us and we are at a point in our history when Financial Freedom in your 70s is more realistic. The retirement age in many countries, including the U.S. has been gradually rising to 67 and by 2040, it will be as high as 70 in Denmark.  Should Canada follow suit?

Prime Minister Mark Carney has borrowed heavily from U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s playbook in his fiscal framework. He plans to split Canada’s fiscal books into two categories: capital or public “investment” and day to day operations. Carney and Starmer may understand the mechanics of this strategy but there is confusion in financial circles, including in the Parliamentary Budget Office.  In advance of a federal budget this fall, understanding this change is important, especially for tax and financial advisors. 

For seasoned advisors and tax professionals, continuing education isn’t just a box to check—it’s a tool for leadership, specialization, and stronger client outcomes. That’s why Knowledge Bureau has introduced CE Master Micro-Credentials: curated, high-impact CE collections designed to help you sharpen your skills across financial disciplines—and stand out in a competitive, increasingly regulated space.  Consider the experience of recent grads and then try it yourself!  Enrol this July and receive a special introductory discount.

Since 2017, the adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) has surged in popularity. Our current government is poised to follow through on a mandate that will require that hybrids and EVs make up 20% of new car sales (passenger cars, SUVs and trucks) in 2026 with the goal of 100% by 2035.  There are some important tax issues to consider in this ambitious mandate, including, what this will do to the value of fuel-based autos, the CCA write-offs available and most important from an audit standpoint, how to track the receipting for the costs.

At the 2025 Acuity Conference for Distinguished Advisors November 23-26 in Puerto Vallarta, a multi-disciplinary audience of top advisors will have the opportunity to learn from one of Canada’s most experienced wealth strategists, author, and Head of BCV Private Client Group: Douglas V. Nelson, RWM™, MFA™, CFP®, CLU, TEP.  In a dynamic session built around real-world results, Doug will demonstrate how to build resilient, tax-efficient retirement portfolios, a necessary strategy in today’s volatile markets.