That's correct.
What's even more abnormal is that, when Canada created the position of taxpayers' ombudsperson, the person who occupied a similar position in the United States was asked to come and meet with the people at the Canada Revenue Agency.
In the early 2000s, that person came and met with the CRA people and provided them with all the information he had about his position, in which he managed a budget of approximately $700 million a year. He had direct access to the files of all taxpayers in the United States.
He could also make recommendations and publish directives for the IRS to be used in modifying taxpayer files, a much more powerful role than we have here.
In Mexico, the situation is quite different in the case of the PRODECON, as it's called there, which also has much broader powers than here in Canada.
Ultimately, Canada's taxpayers' ombudsperson, though brimming with good will, is unfortunately bound hand and foot.