J. Scott Wilkie, a partner who practises in the area of tax law at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, has been appointed a Distinguished Professor of Practice at Osgoode. The Professor of Practice program is hosted by Osgoode Professional Development (OPD), and Wilkie will teach both in Osgoode’s JD program and OPD programs. Wilkie has also been appointed the James L. Lewtas Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School for the 2017/18 academic year.
He is one of the most high-profile tax practitioners in Canada, with expertise in international taxation, corporate taxation, taxation of financial transactions, transfer pricing and tax policy. He has written numerous publications and speaks frequently on these subjects. Wilkie is the Vice-Chair, Permanent Scientific Committee, International Fiscal Association, and formerly has served as the Chair and a Governor of the Canadian Tax Foundation, Co-Editor of the Canadian Tax Foundation’s Canadian Tax Journal, Co-Chair and Tax Section Liaison of the Tax Committee of the American Bar Association International Law Section, Chair of the Canadian Bar Association National Tax Section and in that role Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Taxation of the Canadian Bar Association and the Chartered (Professional) Accountants Canada.
Wilkie has taught most recently until 2016 as an Adjunct Professor (international taxation), Faculty of Law University of Toronto and before that McGill University, and has taught or lectured also at McMaster University in its graduate economics program, the University of Western Ontario and New York University in its international tax program and as well as been invited to lecture at other universities. He has for many years been an Adjunct Professor (international taxation) and also a Co-Director Professional LLM in Tax Law, at Osgoode. Wilkie also is an adjunct faculty member of the Vienna University of Economics and Business where he teaches a course in trade and tax policy entitled WTO and Tax Policy. He is an Executive Fellow, University of Calgary School of Public Policy. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation in the Netherlands.
Wilkie also served as a public policy adviser for the Canadian E-Business Opportunities Roundtable and the Canadian E-Business Initiative, as well as participating in the work of the Minister of National Revenue’s E-Commerce Advisory Panel on the international tax aspects of e-commerce. He participated as a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Business Advisory Group for Business Restructurings and additionally for many years has made contributions to various international tax and tax policy discussions in relation to project work conducted by the OECD and, as well very recently, the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters. Wilkie continues to be highly rated as a leading practitioner by various professional publications. In 2012, he was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal to recognize his significant contributions to the work of the Canadian Tax Foundation. He has also received a 2003 Arbor Award for outstanding voluntary service to the University of Toronto, was awarded lifetime membership for service to the Canadian Tax Foundation and led his committee to receive the 2006-2007 American Bar Association Most Improved Committee Award for assisting to rebuild the Tax Committee of the International Law Section.