Piercing the Corporate Veil in Canada: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

This paper discusses the approach of Canadian courts in piercing the corporate veil on the basis of agency/alter ego and instrumentality principles. The paper examines the application of key several Supreme Court of Canada decisions over recent years and compares this approach with the law in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The paper concludes that Canadian veil piercing has moved away from its British roots and now adopts a more liberal approach by following the tendency of US courts to pierce the veil on quasi-agency grounds.