Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House tonight and speak about the service improvements that our government has brought forward and will continue to bring forward to the Canada Revenue Agency.
I would like to note the important role the CRA plays in distributing the benefits on which Canadians rely. I am happy my colleague brought up the Canada child benefit, one of the most important policies our government has put in place, raising hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. In the 2016-17 benefit year, in my colleague's riding of Calgary Rocky Ridge alone, we supported over 24,000 children with payments totalling over $67 million. That is almost 25,000 children in his own riding whom the member opposite chose not to support when he voted against this historic measure.
Let us now talk about some of the important service improvements we have made at the CRA to ensure that families across our country have access to important credits and benefits, such as the Canada child benefit.
Through our historic investments in the community volunteer income tax program, we help to support community organizations hosting free tax clinics for eligible individuals. I am proud to tell members that last year, through the CVITP, approximately 17,000 volunteers helped file approximately 768,000 tax returns all across Canada. This year we expect to surpass those numbers.
With more and more Canadians filing their taxes online, improved digital services are more important than ever before. Last year, nearly 90% of the 25 million returns filed were completed online. This is why we have improved and implemented programs such as the “Auto-fill my return” and ReFILE. The express notice of assessment service is now available in certified tax software and allows Canadians to receive and print their notice of assessment right after filing.
Despite a high number of Canadians who filed their taxes using digital services, it is also important to our government that we meet the needs of people who file their taxes using traditional methods. In February, Canadians who filed their individual income taxes using paper forms in previous years received a tax return package directly by mail.
File my Return, a new service introduced this year, lets eligible Canadians with low and fixed incomes whose situations remain unchanged from year to year file their income tax and benefits return through a dedicated automated phone service. Furthermore, to make tax payments more convenient for Canadians, people can now make their payment in person with cash or by debit card at Canada Post outlets. This new in-person payment service helps people living in remote and northern areas who may not live close to a bank or have easy access to Internet service.
We are extremely proud of the work that we have done, and we are committed to doing even more to make life easier for all Canadians.