Which assets are exempt from departure tax when I leave Canada?

Not everything you own is swept into the deemed disposition when you leave Canada. Canadian real estate, including a house you keep after you go, Canadian resource property, and property used in a business you carry on through a permanent establishment in Canada are excluded, because Canada keeps the right to tax those assets directly if you sell them later, so there's no need to tax them again on the way out. Registered accounts — RRSPs, RRIFs, TFSAs, RESPs, and RDSPs — are also excluded, along with most pension entitlements.

Certain employee stock options and similar rights get special timing rather than a flat exemption: instead of being valued and taxed immediately on departure, the tax on any benefit is generally deferred until you actually deal with the option later. If you've lived in Canada only briefly, a separate short-term residency exemption can also remove property you owned before you arrived, or inherited while here, from the deemed disposition altogether.

Because the exempt categories are specific and the rest of your property isn't, working through what you actually own against this list, rather than assuming everything or nothing is exempt, is the practical first step before any departure.