Can CRA take money directly out of my RRSP or RRIF to collect a tax debt, even though it's creditor-protected?

Yes, and this is a distinction people commonly get wrong. RRSPs and RRIFs are generally protected from many private creditors, meaning an ordinary person or business you owe money to typically can't reach these accounts to satisfy a judgment against you. That creditor protection does not extend to CRA in the same way, though - CRA can, in appropriate circumstances, take enforcement action that reaches your registered retirement accounts to collect a tax debt.

This special status reflects CRA's broader collection powers under the Income Tax Act, which are meaningfully different from an ordinary creditor's in several respects, including this one. It's easy to assume that because RRSPs and RRIFs are marketed and generally understood as protected, sheltered savings, they're simply off-limits to any creditor, including CRA, but that assumption doesn't hold up, and relying on it as a form of protection against an active tax debt would be a mistake. If you have significant retirement savings and an unresolved tax debt, understanding that these accounts aren't automatically shielded from CRA specifically is an important part of accurately assessing your actual financial exposure, rather than assuming your registered accounts are untouchable.