Canadian Taxpayers' Ombudsman Reappointed

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

14 February 2011

On February 9, 2011 it was announced that the Canadian Taxpayer's Ombudsman, J. Paul Dubé, had been reappointed for a second term in office.

Mr Dubé became Canada's first Taxpayers's Ombudsman in February 2008 and, according to the Canadian Revenue Agency, serves as "an independent and impartial officer who is appointed to investigate complaints from people who believe they have been treated unfairly or unprofessionally by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)."

Speaking on the occasion of his reappointment, Mr Dubé declared his intention to "continue to work to uphold the service rights in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights and to help the CRA provide the highest level of service to Canadians."

Keith Ashfield, Minister of National Revenue, announced Dubé's reappointment, and strongly endorsed the work of the Ombudsman. He said that the "government shares the same goals as the Taxpayers' Ombudsman, which are to enhance the Agency's accountability and service to the public, and to provide fair treatment to all Canadians."

During his first period in office, Mr Dubé produced two special reports, titled The Right to Know and Proving Your Status. These have since been reviewed by the Canada Revenue Agency, which states that it "has already taken steps to address many of the issues" raised by Dubé.

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