We are proud to announce that the Supplementary Parental Insurance Benefit (SPIB) has been revamped.

The result of a collaborative effort by members of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and the Talent and Culture team, the enhanced SPIB reflects the values of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) that are important to us by recognizing that parenthood is very diverse in an era of multiple family configurations

What are the main changes in the SPIB?

Previously, only regular female employees who had completed one year of continuous service at the time of going on maternity leave were eligible. Fathers taking paternity leave, shared parental leave, parents wishing to adopt or foster a child or have a child through a surrogate mother, or a parent who is not a biological parent were excluded from the SPIB.

Beginning June 1, 2022, the SPIB will provide up to 23 weeks to all regular employees who have completed at least one year of continuous service who become parents, whether biological or not, regardless of the type of leave they wish to take.

“Having a thriving family is truly a core value at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton: a new era begins today, this new program will make a real difference in the lives of ALL parents-to-be, in ALL their diversity! I am so proud of our accomplishment!” Gautier Péchadre, Senior Manager, Recovery & Reorganization

When crossing borders to do business or manage assets, there are specific tax measures to consider.

Highly specialized knowledge is required and this is where mobility and international business tax specialists, like Mylène Tétreault, come in.

How would you describe your tax specialty?

Mobility is a component of international taxation. Whenever companies do business abroad or have subsidiaries in another country, they need experts to deal with tax compliance, financial statements, tax planning or reorganization, etc.

Many companies today have mobile employees. It could be workers who are permanently deployed overseas or those who are on short or long-term assignments in another country. It can also be employees who decide to telework outside the country.

Our goal is to ensure that companies or employees meet their international tax filing and payment obligations, while managing tax risks and costs for both Canadian companies locating outside the country and foreign companies coming to Canada.

How did you get here?

I started in Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton’s tax department in Sherbrooke in 2007. Because I had a particular interest in this field, I was given the resources to develop my skills in American and international taxation.

Three years later, I moved to Québec City and joined the International Tax team that specializes in U.S. corporate tax, international mobility and tax reorganization.

Our department evolved and I chose to specialize in mobility. It was something that really interested me and I could see the demand for it increasing due to business globalization and worker mobility. It was this niche that I wanted to grow. We developed an exceptional international mobility service, in both Québec City and Montréal. I am very proud of this.

What is a typical assignment like?

The focus of our work is to assist companies in their foreign assignment process. We offer them consulting and compliance services that cover all tax matters.

We also support employees by providing tax advice in their home and new country and with preparing tax returns.

Because each country has its own laws and regulations, it gets complicated. You have to be very familiar with what applies in each context to make sure you’re optimizing the company’s or employees’ situation. Otherwise, they could be fined or penalized.

We also have other types of assignments for individuals, such as someone who inherits a property or wants to invest abroad. What happens? What is taxable, what isn’t? Or it could be for the purchase of property in the U.S., in Florida, for example.

What is most motivating about your work?

We cover a very broad range of assignments. Working with the laws and regulations of different countries is very challenging. You learn something new every day.

I’m a team player, so I appreciate the opportunity to work with my colleagues across the province and those in the Grant Thornton International network.

I also really value the openness to new projects. Management never hesitates to say yes to an employee, to say: go ahead, we trust you!

How does the firm stand out as an employer?

Here, anyone who wants to get involved can participate in a variety of projects and innovative committees. Employees’ ideas are taken into account. The firm listens to its clients as well as its employees. Several committees and projects have been set up to help the next generation of employees progress.

Are you involved in the community as a tax expert?

Yes, I often give conferences to individuals, businesses or banking institutions to clarify the concepts of my field of expertise. I also write articles to inform our clients and share my knowledge and that of my colleagues on international taxation and mobility. This is a side of my work that I really enjoy.

International tax is complex for organizations and requires the contribution of experts who master the various aspects.

Thanks to e-commerce, it has never been easier to do business internationally and more and more companies are deciding to open up to new markets.

This is often the time when they need advice on the tax consequences of their cross-border operations. Let’s talk with Maryse Janelle, Partner, International and Commodity Taxes.

What is your path?

I started my career as a lawyer in youth justice, family law, matrimonial law and prison law. At a certain point, I decided to make a career change and decided to do a Master of Taxation. It was a field that had interested me for a long time. I was then hired by a firm where I worked for 10 years and after that I joined Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton in 2005. I have been a commodity tax partner since 2013.

What is your tax specialty?

I manage the Commodity Tax Practice Group, which assists foreign businesses with their projects on the Canadian market and supports Canadian companies wishing to develop their market outside Canada.

By implementing commodity tax control processes and systems, we help companies meet their indirect tax obligations (GST, HST, QST, provincial sales taxes, U.S. sales and use taxes, European value-added taxes, etc.). We must also ensure that we take advantage of all tax refund possibilities and capitalize on opportunities to limit the impact of indirect taxes on the company’s operations.

What is special about our practice is that we ask a lot of questions! Sometimes clients want things to move faster, but we really do need all the information to verify that the tax treatment is correct, that applicable taxes are collected and remitted, and that all taxes payable have been paid. Details that may seem irrelevant at times are of critical importance when it comes to tax treatment.

What kind of assignments do you have?

We work with companies from different industries: finance, information technology, manufacturing, import-export, public sector (cities, charities, schools, etc.).

Growing businesses targeting the international market are keeping us busy. Online sales make it easier to do business abroad, but this brings about its own set of tax requirements. Companies must comply with the tax laws of other jurisdictions. It’s important to ensure that the processes are adequate so there are no surprises.

But tax is not just about numbers. We have to research the businesses that contact us. I’ve even visited factories to understand the production process, among other things. Being curious about our clients’ businesses is the key to becoming a good commodity tax practitioner.

How is work organized within your teams?

We work a lot with the different departments in the firm. For example, we could work with the transactional team, with regard to financing, to see if the value of an acquired company is truly what the company is claiming.

We also assist our assurance partners to ensure that financial statements reflect the value of the business and that no material risks relating to the application of sales taxes are omitted from the financial statements.

We can also collaborate with our corporate tax colleagues when a company is reorganizing to ensure that the proposed transactions do not have an impact on sales taxes or that the impact is minimal and handled.

We also work with our Grant Thornton International colleagues who have clients doing business here. These clients may be required to register and collect various Canadian sales taxes.

On the other hand, network experts support us when our local entrepreneurs develop new markets outside North America. It’s an enriching sharing of resources and an opportunity for some experts. Recently, a colleague who had worked in the Paris office joined the Québec indirect tax team. One of our resources went to work for a year in the Sydney, Australia office.

What do you think sets Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton apart from the competition?

Our firm is focused on the economic development of Québec, with management in Québec, decisions made in Québec, for Québec entrepreneurs. This hits home to me.

What motivates you the most in your work?

One of the great things about being a tax specialist is that, because of the variety of assignments we get, we learn something new every day. Some professionals choose to specialize in certain areas, such as U.S. sales taxes, the public sector, technology, cryptocurrencies, etc. There is something for everyone.

Are you involved as an expert in the community?

I am Vice-Chair of the Commodity Tax, Customs and Trade Section of the Canadian Bar Association. I have taught taxation in several universities and I participate in the International Trade Acceleration Program of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. I also give many conferences to different professional associations. I am passionate about communication. I loved to plead!

Which professional achievement are you most proud of?

One of my proudest accomplishments is my team. It is to enable professionals to evolve, develop and grow. If everyone goes further within the team, it helps the team to go further.