Gowling partner named to Canadian chamber’s tax review commission

By John Chunn

Law360 Canada (August 12, 2020, 3:07 PM EDT) -- Gowling WLG announced that Ottawa tax partner Carole Chouinard has been named among eight Canadian business and academic leaders who will serve as special commissioners on an independent tax review assembled by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

According to Gowling’s press release, the commission, announced on July 30, will oversee a national consultation on an overhaul of Canada’s tax system to spur the economy’s growth in the post-COVID era. As an advocate for Canadian businesses of all sizes, the chamber sees a “more competitive, simpler and fairer tax system as a critical driver of Canada’s recovery from the economic crater of COVID-19.”

A tax lawyer, Chouinard advises Canadian and international clients on share and asset sales and reorganizations of corporations, as well as on the formation and structuring of corporations, trusts, partnerships and tax-exempt entities. She serves as co-leader of Gowling WLG’s national charities & not-for-profits group.

“It’s an honour and privilege to be selected to serve as one of eight special commissioners to lead the public consultation process launched by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce to reassess our country’s tax regime and solicit potential ideas for tax reform,” said Chouinard. “As our national economy strives to recover from the effects of the pandemic, it will be more important than ever to foster growth, investment and job creation within a framework that streamlines our tax system and makes it more competitive.”

The first step in the Canadian chamber’s review process involves public consultations on how to harness Canada’s tax system to nurture investment. The special commissioners will lead the consultation process by engaging Canadian businesses and economic experts in events across the country in August and September 2020.

Experts and business leaders are encouraged to participate by contacting the Canadian Chamber at lcheng@chamber.ca. The consultations will be captured in a preliminary report, to be released in early October 2020. The report will form the foundational document for the tax review process.