Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that Heather Evans, executive director and chief executive of the Canadian Tax Foundation , will be the new head of the Canada Revenue Agency .

Evans will become the Commissioner of Revenue, effective July 13, taking the place of Jean-François Fortin, who has served as acting commissioner of the agency since March 31. She has led the Canadian Tax Foundation since 2016 and previously practised in two Toronto-based law firms before joining the Canadian arm of Deloitte LLP . She became a partner at the firm in 2000 and served as its national managing partner for tax between 2012 and 2016. She has also held roles at the C.D. Howe Institute think tank and McCain Foods Group Inc.

“Her appointment is a testament to her exemplary professionalism and leadership from which now all Canadians will benefit,” said Michael R. Smith, chair of the Canadian Tax Foundation, in a congratulatory note on the research organization’s website, adding that her leadership has been “instrumental in strengthening the Foundation’s role and impact.”

Alongside her work in taxation and law, Evans is a member of the Ontario Bar Association, the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, and has taught at Western Law School and York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School.

Evans graduated with a Master of Laws (Taxation) from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and received a Bachelor of Laws from Western University and Bachelor of Arts in political science and history from McMaster University.

“Tax law in Canada has become exponentially more complex, and the pace of change is also accelerating as we feel the influence of global trends, such as enhanced transparency and more detailed anti-avoidance provisions,” Evans said in a 2022 interview with Osgoode Hall Law School.

In March 2025, ahead of the federal election, Evans spoke on the Canadian Bar Association’s legal current affairs podcast, Verdicts and Voices, calling for income tax reforms to address complexities in Canada’s Income Tax Act and enhance the country’s productivity.

She said that many experts recommend modifying the tax mix, which would mean reduced reliance on income tax (personal and corporate) and increased reliance on value-added tax, such as the harmonized sales tax (HST).

“The cost of compliance has a negative impact on productivity,” said Evans, adding that there are individual taxpayers who struggle to understand and file their tax returns accurately, while the amount of time it takes for larger corporations to comply with their tax obligations is significant.

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“And I would say, equally, it’s a problem for the Canada Revenue Agency,” she said. “They struggle as much as taxpayers, and so, do we really want them focused on these issues, or more higher-value activity?”