TORONTO, May 10, 2023 — Should Canada impose a wealth tax on its richest one per cent?

One of the country’s best-known journalists and a leading tax expert will debate that question May 25 at an event celebrating the 30th anniversary of Canada’s foremost graduate program in tax law.

Journalist Linda McQuaig and tax lawyer John Tobin of Torys LLP will go face to face to argue for and against a wealth tax as they join in marking the three-decade milestone for the Professional LLM in Taxation Law program offered by Osgoode Professional Development (OsgoodePD), the continuous learning division of Osgoode Hall Law School at 91ŃÇÉ«.

The special anniversary event is slated for May 25, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at Osgoode’s downtown Toronto campus, 1 Dundas St. W. on the 26th floor.

It will also include a panel discussion featuring Chief Justice Marc NoŃ‘l of the Federal Court of Appeal, Justice Siobhan Monaghan of the Federal Court of Appeal and Heather Evans, CEO and executive director of the Canadian Tax Foundation. They will be joined by program co-director and Osgoode tax law professor Jinyan Li, as well as Osgoode tax law Professor Emeritus Neil Brooks. 

“Our offline and online offerings in the program are unparalleled in the country,” said Li. “The program prepares people to become better tax practitioners. And on the instructor side, we have some of the top people in the country.”

Originally developed by Neil Brooks and Scott Wilkie, a tax law senior counsel with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP and a distinguished professor of practice at Osgoode, the Professional LLM in Taxation Law filled a need for concentrated, systematic instruction in the area of tax law, accessible notably to students who had already begun practising in tax.

Over three decades, several graduates have gone on to judgeships with the Tax Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal. And numerous students have won awards for papers they have written.

“In ways we think are different from other universities, Osgoode has made a real effort to create a focus on taxation as a core law school discipline,” said Wilkie, “and one of the consequences of that is it’s been able to draw on a rich adjunct pool with not only academic depth but deep practice experience.”

The program’s part-time and full-time options make it available to students from across Canada – both lawyers and professionals in the field. 

“It’s a program that works for a lot of people,” said OsgoodePD’s Director, Professional Graduate and International Programs Meghan Thomas. “It has a lot of flexibility and makes for a rich environment in learning.”

The full-time program tends to attract many internationally trained lawyers and junior lawyers who are already practicing in Canada, said Thomas. By contrast, the part-time program draws more experienced Canadian lawyers and non-legal professionals working in the taxation field.

John Sorensen, a graduate of the Professional LLM in Taxation Law who now teaches in it, said the experience gave his career a significant boost. He currently serves as the Toronto-based co-leader for tax dispute resolution with Gowling WLG.

Sorensen said the program provides a special opportunity to dive deeply into tax law with like-minded professionals – and its unique combination of academic and policy analysis with practical and vocational training sets it apart.

“What it offers the tax bar is the chance for practitioners to up their game both academically and practically,” he added.

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TORONTO, February 4, 2016 – Osgoode Professional Development (OsgoodePD) is proudly celebrating 20 years as Canada’s leading legal educator for professionals with the launch this month of a three-part speaker series on some of the most pressing, and sometimes controversial, legal topics affecting Canadians.

“As I think back on the last 20 years, OsgoodePD has really been at the forefront of leading legal education in Canada for both legal and non-legal professionals,” said OsgoodePD Executive Director Victoria Watkins. “This speaker series offers a glimpse of what our programs cover – high-quality, timely and relevant content from the experts. We wanted to bring some of that thought-provoking discussion to a wider audience and hope that this will be the first of a continuing series of events designed for that purpose.”

The series of three panel discussions will be held in February and April, and cover topics in energy, healthcare and advocacy. Each event will be held at OsgoodePD’s downtown Toronto location and is available over webcast for viewers across Canada. Registration is $25 per event.

Full details about the presentations (listed below) and the panelists as well as OsgoodePD’s 20th Anniversary celebrations can be found .

Thursday, February 18, 2016, 6 p.m.

State of the (Oil) Nation: What’s in the Pipeline?

With oil prices plummeting and Keystone dead, panelists reflecting Aboriginal and industry perspectives discuss the outlook for energy and infrastructure development, and key challenges and opportunities ahead.

Monday, February 29, 2016, 6 p.m.

Physician-Assisted Dying in Canada: Where do we stand one year after Carter?

February 6, 2016 marks the anniversary of Carter v. Canada, yet the way forward is unclear. This panel discussion will be led by the people who are shaping the debate.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016, 7 p.m.

Advocacy and Political Dissent: How do we safeguard the independence of Canada’s watchdog institutions?

Hear from three distinguished speakers who have held very public, and sometimes acrimonious, roles as “public watchdogs”. What have they learned that can help us protect the independence of these roles? What are the risks going forward?

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About Osgoode Professional Development

Osgoode Professional Development (OsgoodePD) is part of 91ŃÇɫ’s Osgoode Hall Law School, and is Canada’s leading provider of legal education to professionals. OsgoodePD offers a wide range of Continuing Legal Education courses as well as a Professional Master of Laws degree for working professionals. OsgoodePD programs are conveniently located at Yonge and Dundas in downtown Toronto, and are also available via videoconferencing and webcast for participants across Canada.

About 91ŃÇÉ«

is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our 52,000 students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91ŃÇÉ« students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91ŃÇÉ« U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 24 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide.

Media Contact:
Virginia Corner, Manager, Communications, Osgoode Hall Law School of 91ŃÇÉ«, 416-736-5820, vcorner@osgoode.yorku.ca

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