The Canadian government is grappling with a host of fiscal challenges. These range from the cost of new social programs and climate change initiatives to structural factors like an aging population, slowing growth and emerging geopolitical tensions. While these issues are undeniably important, the fiscal pressures they create pose a significant potential threat to Canadian employers as governments see business as an easy source of revenue.

We’ve seen multiple recent examples of federal policies that create uncertainty and raise concerns about policy cohesion and tax competitiveness — from new capital gains taxes to the Global Minimum Tax, surtaxes on financial businesses and the digital sales tax.

In this online panel, moderated by Means & Ways publisher Theo Argitis, we will explore recent tax measures and developments, place them into a global context, discuss public opinion on the matter and examine challenges and risks going forward around competitiveness.

Featuring:

• The Hon. Lisa Raitt, Vice-Chair, Global Investment Banking, CIBC

• Jack Mintz, The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary

• Jon Lieber, Head of Research and Managing Director, U.S., Eurasia Group

• Nik Nanos, Chief Data Scientist and Founder, Nanos Research

VFS Global, founded in 2001, has grown to become the world's largest visa outsourcing and technology services specialist, with 3,353 visa application centers in 149 countries. The company has processed over 278 million applications since its inception. We chat with Amit Kumar Sharma, Head of the Americas for VFS Global, about the company's culture of innovation and diversity.