Ep 50: Can Canada Survive the New Geopolitical Order? with MP Wayne Long

Taxes trigger anxiety for a lot of people, and it is often rooted in one assumption: if I file, I’ll owe, and if I mess up, I’ll get punished. We sit down with Wayne Long, Secretary of State for the CRA and financial institutions, to talk about what the Canada Revenue Agency actually does for Canadians and why rebuilding trust starts with better service, clearer answers, and a real human face.

We dig into the practical stakes of tax filing, especially for people who have avoided it for years. Long explains why many Canadians are due tax refunds and income-tested benefits when they file, and he calls out programs like the Canada Child Benefit, the GST/HST credit, the Canada Disability Credit, and worker benefits. We also get a concrete look at service standards, including how call pickup performance has improved, plus where My CRA fits when you want to manage your account online.

Then the conversation pivots to a bigger lens: the geopolitical shift, a strained Canada US relationship, tariffs, and the urgency of trade diversification. Long shares his political hot take that Canadians are moving past peak partisanship and toward leadership that can unite the country and execute, pointing to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s approach and global dealmaking across Europe and the Indo-Pacific. We close with a candid personal story about entering politics and a clear Atlantic Canada perspective on thinking bigger about energy security, nuclear, and nation-building projects.

Like, subscribe, leave a comment, or share with a friend — anything you do to spread the word really helps support the podcast.

Thanks for supporting independent female-led media!

Transcript

Putting A Face On The CRA

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Well, hello. My name is Wayne Long. I'm the Secretary of State for the CRA and financial institutions.

SPEAKER_00 0:07

You're the tax man.

SPEAKER_01 0:08

I'm the taxman.

SPEAKER_00 0:09

I thought the taxman would have, you know, a small monocle, a mustache.

SPEAKER_01 0:13

Well, it's funny you say that. I've just actually got back from a tour last week. We were in St. John's, then out to Kitchener Waterloo, Windsor, back to Toronto, and I did an interview in Windsor, and it kind of stuck with me to your point. The interviewer said, we're not used to seeing a face of the CRA. And, you know, most Canadians' perception, sadly, of the CRA is negative. And, you know, my message, and the reason that I've been going out from coast to coast to coast is the CRA is there to help. It's there to help you file your taxes. Most people get tax returns. They don't owe taxes. My message to put a face on the CRA is to say, look, we're there, we're available. Obviously, we've had some, I would say, service standard problems that we have, I think, made great strides in improving. But my message to Canadians is look, the CRA is there to help. If you need help, call them. Or go online to my CRA. If you have questions, ask them. If you need support, ask for it. And I think so far, I mean, knock on wood here, Canadians' experience with the CRA since I've started has done nothing but improve. The CRA agents, especially at the call centers, which would be the UTE, Unit of Taxation of Employees, they go to work, they want to give good service, they want to give accurate information. It disappoints me, it disappoints obviously Commissioner Hamilton, and it disappoints the people in the call centers when there's things out there saying they're giving inaccurate information or it's too long to answer the phone. But case in point, when I started, the call response after 30 minutes, like a pickup, was about 37%. Now we're at 96%. We want to kind of soften that hardened image of the CRA, know that the CRA is there to provide support and get people returns and benefits they deserve. Think about it the Canada Child Benefit, the workers' benefit, the Canada Disability Credit. Like there's a lot of programs that the CRA administers that are owed to Canadians. The the uh GSTHST, case in point, final uh word on this. We've had people come in our constituency office in St. John, Canada cases, and talk to our wonderful constituency office manager, Jeanette McLaughlin. And I could speak for you know MP offices across the country who haven't filed their taxes in five, ten, fifteen years that are owed like twenty thousand dollars in returns. Because again, people avoid the tax centers calling, filing their taxes because they think they owe taxes. Well, I'm here to tell you that most people don't. They're due returns. It's not government's money, it's their money, it's their benefits. So we want to make sure we get more people filing their returns and more benefits in the hands of people that uh need it the most.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Well, I appreciate that picture of it because I think you're right. There is that facelessness of it and the scariness of the anxiety of if I don't file my taxes correctly, someone's gonna come after me.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Well, you hear it. Our country, our democracy runs by collecting taxes that are owed. That's how we support provinces, that's how we build hospitals, that's how we pave roads. So we're there to obviously give people returns, we're there to collect taxes, and we're there to make sure people pay their taxes. So that's that's what the CRA does. Um, and we're gonna make the CRA the number one uh national revenue agency in the G7. That's my goal.

Canada’s Political Reset And Unity

SPEAKER_00 3:45

Wow, okay. Well, we'll hold you too, and yes, for sure. Can't wait. And you know, there's a lot happening in the world right now.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Sure is.

SPEAKER_00 3:52

So, what is your political hot take in this moment?

SPEAKER_01 3:54

The interesting question. My political hot take would be this it's no secret that there's been a geopolitical shift. There's turmoil really around the world. And I think it's a very, very challenging time for countries around the world, for democracies around the world, and for Canadians. I don't think it's any secret that our relationship with the states has been fractured, that it it poses major challenges for our country. And I would argue that there's probably no country at greater risk than Canada because of these geopolitical shifts. But I would also argue that there's no country that has greater potential than Canada. So the political hot take would be this. I think we've been through an era of extreme partisanship and divisiveness in our politics, whether it was Justin Trudeau on one side and Pierre Polyev on the other side. I think that era of divisiveness is over. I think Canadians are seized with the moment. I think Canadians are looking inward, they're proud, their pride's been hurt. Obviously, we know Canadians are immensely proud. And Canadians aren't looking for partisanship, they're looking for leadership. And I think that's where Prime Minister Mark Carney has shown that he's more of a centrist. His message appeals, as we're seeing, to all political spectrums, whether it's the NDP, the conservatives, progressive conservatives, liberals, green, what have you. And I think Canadians are looking for leadership. They're looking for somebody to represent this country that has economic and business credentials, world class with the prime minister. I think they're looking for a world-class statesman. We all seen the Prime Minister's speech in Davos. I don't think there was a Canadian who wasn't more proud of him and being Canadian at that point. So I think the hot take is we've been challenged. We've had a wake-up call. We've been surprised, I think, by the change in the relationship with the United States. But I think also that we've realized that we're resilient. We're one of the strongest economies in the G7. We're one of the fastest growing economies in the G7. Net debt, the GDP, is one of the best in the G7, one of the best credit credit ratings in the world. Wages are outpacing inflation. Despite the odd fear-mongering that we're headed for a disaster, you know, the economic strength and the economic signals of our country are strong. And, you know, just to circle back to the hot take, I think there's a unity, there's a resolve, and people are looking for world-class leadership. And I see that every day now in the House of Commons.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

And it's interesting that you mentioned the leadership piece because we've seen four floor crossings.

SPEAKER_01 6:34

We have.

SPEAKER_00 6:35

NDP, three conservatives who just need a block now and get that hat-trick.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

Yeah, I mean, they're gonna have to uh disavow uh leaving Canada to get a block member to come over. But yeah, I think it shows the appeal that Prime Minister Kearney's message is there and resounds with the people across the aisle. Again, I think his message is clear. We need to invest in each other. We need to stand together. We need to build our own economy, we need to invest in our economy. There's a lot of investment money on the sidelines that has been going, I would argue, to other countries that we need to refocus in our own country. We need to build nation-building projects, and we need to trade, obviously, not north to south, but east to west, and build. I think our economy has shown so far that it's amazingly resilient. We are getting growth in our economy despite the tariffs, despite the disruption or rupture in trade. And I think there's only uh one way to go, and that's up, and I think we're gonna continue to build and strengthen.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

Well, thank you for sharing that, and I I totally agree. And yeah, seeing Davos and seeing what the prime minister and you know the cabinet and the team have been going around strengthening relationships with Europe and Indo-Pacific, I have never been prouder and more patriotic to see that this again, world order. Like I feel like every interview I've been having, everyone's been citing world order rupture, like these are really iconic moments.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

Well, I mean, look at it this way. I mean, our prime minister has been traveling the world.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 8:05

And our prime minister has been building relationships and signing trade deals. And I mean, just take, for instance, last week he was in Indo-Pacific, meeting with world leaders, Australia, India, Japan, signing major economic deals with those countries.$70 billion two-way trade deal with India by 2030. Okay,$10 billion trade deal with Australia,$2.6 billion in Saskatchewan's uranium for India. Like, he is he is making deals across the world to strengthen our economy, to diversify our economy. And look, by fault, we've been too dependent on the states. We've done most of our commerce and trade with the states. Why? Because it's been easier. I mean, obviously, they're right below us. We have a goal to increase our trade by 50%, to double our trade over the next decade, and we will do that. One thing that's refreshingly obvious and abundantly clear is that other countries want to trade with Canada. They like our ideals, they like what we have: minerals, uranium, we have water, we have oil, we have natural resources, we have lumber, we have softwood. We have what the world wants. And I think we're seeing that in spades when we start to deal with other countries.

Wayne Long’s Path Into Politics

SPEAKER_00 9:28

Very well said. And I do want to lead into when you entered politics, I guess. Let's start from there. What inspired you to get into politics and did you think you would ever end up as Secretary of State?

SPEAKER_01 9:40

Well, I've always had lofty goals, as my friends um would always say. That being said, look, I was involved with student union at UNB. And that's when I got my first kind of bug for politics for representing, for making tough decisions. I know they're not always easy decisions. So I had that bug to run. And to be perfectly honest, I was approached by the conservatives back in the Bernard Lorde era in New Brunswick to run for the province. Our kids were young at that point. I decided against it. But again, kind of was always like, when's the best time? Obviously, got involved with the St. John Sea Dogs before that, had a wonderful career in aquaculture. Got to travel the world with the Sea Dogs. I was kind of in my ninth, tenth year, and I said, you know, I still would like to take a run at politics. This was around 2013, 2014. At that point, the Liberal Party was third in polls. They were a third place party in the House of Commons. Um, but I liked Justin Trudeau's message. It was a hopeful message, it was a progressive message. It talked about climate change, it talked about giving back to Canadians. As liberals, we believe that government can do good things. Like, government isn't a problem. Government is there to help the most vulnerable. Canada child benefits, child care programs, dental programs, workers' benefits, disability benefits. Like we should be judged as a government, and as far as I'm concerned, as a society, by how we treat our most vulnerable. And I really like Justin Trudeau's message. And there was an opening, obviously, for a liberal MP in St. John Rossi at that time. It's now St. John Kenneback Cases. So put my hat in the ring. I mean, obviously, I had a bit of a track record in the community with the St. John Sea Dogs. People knew who I was. I'll be honest. I mean, I'm an extrovert by nature, but I was nervous as hell knocking on doors. I was just like, oh my gosh, what to say they don't like me. Or even worse, what happens if they know me and they don't like me? So it took a little bit, even for an extrovert like me, to overcome knocking on doors, talking politics. Because you got to remember, in hockey, everybody loved me. And instantly in politics, as soon as I ran for the liberals, there was a group of people, like much to my surprise, that didn't like me. So obviously, I ran. I won. I loved it. I loved the opportunity. I loved being outspoken. I loved being a good advocate for the riding. I loved advocating for energy east. I loved speaking up and challenging my party at times. I love the work I did on committees, Huma Committee in particular. We went coast to coast to coast with an poverty reduction strategy. 2019, I would say I had headwinds. The prime minister was not popular in my riding, but what uh what saved me in my riding through it was my own brand, the go long, the riding first style MP. So I won in 19 by a much tighter margin. He decided to run again in 21, uh, won by a big margin, and obviously ran in 25 by a very, very big margin. I think I had 52% of the vote.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

But you weren't planning.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

I wasn't planning on running. I thought, you know, as politicians, we all have a candle. And every day we burn a little bit of that wick. And when that candle gets burned out, it's pretty much time to go. And to be perfectly honest, our prime minister at that point, I felt, his wick had burned out. Justin Trudeau did great things for the country. We had great programs, great policies. But people had turned away from the prime minister. So I said, you know, I've done everything in kind of 10-year increments. So for me, it was like 10 years. I think it might be time. Like I just feel I've gone as far as I can with this party. Enter Mark Kearney. The Prime Minister called me prior to him offering to run, wanted to know if I would reconsider. Um, you know, said, look, you know, I you're a former small business guy, you did bring a different perspective. You know, I think you could be a value to caucus. Um, would you reconsider? So obviously I reconsidered. Um, he won. And um, you know, for my candle, I got to add a little more wax to the top and extend that wick a little bit. I'm re-energized, rejuvenated. The prime minister has given me a wonderful opportunity. He's a wonderful leader. I have a great relationship with him. And um that's kind of my political history. I mean, you know, like Frank McKenna says, every screw has another turn. I'll never say when it's over, when it ends, but I'm really enjoying the privilege he's given me. I mean, obviously, it's great to sit around cabinet table, an advocate for the country and my riding. It's great to form great relationships with cabinet colleagues and caucus, and it's great to be in a leadership position. I feel I am a leader. I think I've had leadership positions through my whole career. I spend a lot of time in that back row with backbenchers talking to them, making sure that they're settled, because we're all one team. And everybody has a role, everybody contributes, anybody that's in that House of Commons, there's not a bad seat in that place. And what I love about Prime Minister Carney and his leadership is that everybody feels included. Our caucus meetings are lively, people speak their minds, we're united when we come out of that caucus room. Mark Carney's a natural leader. People gravitate to him, people like what he has to say. Sometimes less is more. You don't always have to dominate the room, but he is respected in our caucus. And um put it this way: I would say years six to ten. You know, I always attended caucus. Now I can't wait to get to caucus. I can't wait to be there with my colleagues. I can't wait to hear the debates, listen to the prime minister, hear his leadership, feel his energy, and he's focused. He's focused. You know, obviously, me sitting around a table with him and me listening to him in caucus. He has a plan, he wants to execute, he brings a business attitude to government, and he wants results, he wants accountability, and um I just love every day I'm up here.

Atlantic Canada’s Big Economic Asks

SPEAKER_00 16:21

I'm glad to hear that. And you know, my very last question for you, because you talked about being around the cabinet table. Yeah. We've seen, you know, federal policies historically, it's not unique to liberals, but to all different governments that policies tend to be Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal-centric.

SPEAKER_01 16:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:38

How have you brought an Atlantic lens to the table and maybe made some colleagues realize these are issues within my riding and you know, Atlantic Canada more broadly? Like, how have you been able to bring that lens to the table?

SPEAKER_01 16:51

Sure. I mean, look, I think we need to punch above our weight in Atlantic Canada. I think in Atlantic Canada, one of the problems with us is a couple things. We don't think big enough, we don't have big enough asks, and we don't have scale. Why? Well, we're just not big enough. I mean, New Brunswick.

SPEAKER_00 17:06

Oh, like actually.

SPEAKER_01 17:08

I mean, no, but I mean, even population-wise. Okay. I mean, New Brunswick's the size of Etobicoke. Like, we need to band together. We need projects that unite Atlantic Canada. Energy East is one thing. But I mean, look at uh Tim Houston with Wind West. We have nuclear that we want to expand in New Brunswick. We need uh enter ties to strengthen our electrical grid. I always joke with our wonderful premier in New Brunswick, uh Premier Holt that we need to add an extra zero to some of our ass. Because you got to remember, again, we don't have the population at times. And you know, do I think sometimes we we have a little bit of a concern that things are Ontario or Quebec or Toronto or Vancouver Centric? Sure. That comes with, I think, kind of a natural place in Atlantic Canada where we come from. But we have wonderful ministers in Atlantic Canada. I mean, obviously the king of them all would be Dominic LeBlanc, um, Sean Frazier, uh Joanne uh Thompson. Like we have wonderful, wonderful ministers in uh in Atlantic Canada. I'm proud to be a part of that team. We just need to recognize that we are smaller. We need to make sure our voices are heard, but we need to be specific in asks for what we want in Atlantic Canada. You know, again with New Brunswick, like we have Port St. John, which is one of the fastest growing ports, I would argue, in North America, if not the world. Our TEUs, the equivalent of containers, continues to grow exponentially. We have a big ask in through the Trade Diversification Fund. We want to build another nuclear reactor in New Brunswick. You know, maybe that's a can do reactor, that's maybe it's an SMR. But you know, we need to think big. I mean, energy and energy security is a big, big deal in Atlantic Canada. We need to make sure we have what we need so we're competitive and we're not passed by. I mean, for example, AI data centers that are popping up all over North America now. Well, REAC currently, as we said, we don't have enough electricity to supply them in New Brunswick. We're working on solutions for that, you know, whether it's nuclear, a refurbishment of uh Mac de Quack, what have you. But it's incumbent on the four premiers in Lake Hunt to work together, to kind of have united ass. And I think like an energy east partnership with the four provinces, New Brunswick supplying nuclear, Nova Scotia supplying wind. I mean, obviously we have Bay Denir now and Newfoundland. You know, we have wonderful opportunities in PEI. The four premiers need to act and ask for big ass together. So for me to be a part of the Atlantic Ministers team, we meet regularly, we talk about Atlantic Canada, and we want to make sure Atlantic Canada's voice is well represented, and it is.

The Future Of Canada

SPEAKER_00 19:57

Very well said, and I appreciate that perspective. Oh, no problem. Um, and just one last thing. I just want to ask you if you can finish the sentence for me.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

The future of Canada is.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

Um, the future of Canada is amazingly bright. We are just, I think, starting to realize our potential. And I think everything happens for a reason, and I think this kind of shock or fracture with the United States has really caused us to look inward and say, okay, we just took a body blow. Are we okay? Yeah, we're okay. Is our economy going to be okay? Sure. A few speed bumps may need to buckle up a little bit here and there. But if we focus on our country, if we trade east to west, if we develop other strategic trading partnerships with other countries around the world, we will be the envy of the world. We will be the strongest economy in the G seven. And I still believe that the United States will regret the day that they've gone down this road with us because it's caused us to really look inward and become stronger, more resilient.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

Very well said. Well, thank you so much, Secretary of State. Appreciate it. I would love to keep talking more about it. Well, maybe some other time. Yes, absolutely. And maybe in New Brunswick.