An Act to amend certain Acts in relation to financial institutions (S.C. 2005, c. 54)
Full Document:
- HTMLFull Document: An Act to amend certain Acts in relation to financial institutions (Accessibility Buttons available) |
- PDFFull Document: An Act to amend certain Acts in relation to financial institutions [1472 KB]
Assented to 2005-11-25
An Act to amend certain Acts in relation to financial institutions
S.C. 2005, c. 54
Assented to 2005-11-25
An Act to amend certain Acts in relation to financial institutions
SUMMARY
This enactment amends certain Acts governing federal financial institutions. It makes changes to the corporate governance framework of banks, bank holding companies, insurance companies, insurance holding companies, trust and loan companies and cooperative credit associations to bring the Acts governing those institutions up to the standards adopted in 2001 for business corporations in the Canada Business Corporations Act that are appropriate for financial institutions and adapted to the financial institutions context, and updates certain governance standards that are unique to financial institutions.
Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:
1991, c. 46BANK ACT
1. (1) The definitions “form of proxy” and “proxy” in section 2 of the Bank Act are replaced by the following:
“form of proxy”
« formulaire de procuration »
“form of proxy” means a form of proxy as defined in the regulations;
“proxy”
« procuration »
“proxy” means a proxy as defined in the regulations;
(2) Section 2 of the Act is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order:
“going-private transaction”
« transaction de fermeture »
“going-private transaction” means a going-private transaction as defined in the regulations;
“minor”
« mineur »
“minor” has the same meaning as in the applicable provincial law and in the absence of any such law has the same meaning as the word “child” in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted in the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989;
“squeeze-out transaction”
« transaction d’éviction »
“squeeze-out transaction” means a transaction by a bank that is not a distributing bank, or a bank holding company that is not a distributing bank holding company, that requires an amendment to a by-law referred to in subsection 217(1) and that would directly or indirectly result in the interest of a holder of shares of a class of shares being terminated without their consent and without substituting an interest of equivalent value in shares that are issued by the following persons and have rights and privileges equal to or greater than those of the shares of the affected class:
(a) in the case of a bank, the bank, and
(b) in the case of a bank holding company, the bank holding company;
(3) Section 2 of the French version of the Act is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order:
« banque n’ayant pas fait appel au public »
Marginal note:French version only
banque n’ayant pas fait appel au public S’entend d’une banque autre qu’une banque ayant fait appel au public.
« société de portefeuille bancaire n’ayant pas fait appel au public »
Marginal note:French version only
société de portefeuille bancaire n’ayant pas fait appel au public S’entend d’une société de portefeuille bancaire autre qu’une société de portefeuille bancaire ayant fait appel au public.
2. The Act is amended by adding the following after section 2.3:
Marginal note:Regulations — distributing bank or bank holding company
2.4 (1) The Governor in Council may make regulations respecting the determination of what constitutes a distributing bank or distributing bank holding company for the purposes of this Act.
Marginal note:Exemption — bank or bank holding company
(2) On the application of a bank or bank holding company, the Superintendent may determine that it is not or was not a distributing bank or distributing bank holding company, as the case may be, if the Superintendent is satisfied that the determination would not prejudice any security holder of that bank or bank holding company.
Marginal note:Exemption — class of banks or bank holding companies
(3) The Superintendent may determine that members of a class of banks or bank holding companies are not or were not distributing banks or distributing bank holding companies, as the case may be, if the Superintendent is satisfied that the determination would not prejudice any security holder of a member of the class.
Marginal note:1997, c. 15, s. 1; 2001, c. 9, s. 42
3. Section 11 of the Act is repealed.
Marginal note:2001, c. 9, s. 43
4. (1) Subparagraph 14(1)(a)(iii) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(iii) the province in which the head office of the bank is situated; and
Marginal note:2001, c. 9, s. 43
(2) Subparagraph 14(1)(b)(iii) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(iii) the province in which the head office of the bank is situated.
Marginal note:1999, c. 28, s. 5
5. Paragraph 14.1(1)(b) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(b) the province in which the principal office of the authorized foreign bank is situated; and
Marginal note:1999, c. 28, s. 8
6. Section 20 of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Authority of directors and officers
20. (1) No bank and no guarantor of an obligation of a bank may assert against a person dealing with the bank or against a person who has acquired rights from the bank that
(a) the bank’s incorporating instrument or any by-laws of the bank have not been complied with;
(b) the persons named as directors of the bank in the most recent return sent to the Superintendent under section 632 are not the directors of the bank;
(c) the place named in the incorporating instrument or by-laws of the bank is not the place where the head office of the bank is situated;
(d) a person held out by the bank as a director, officer or representative of the bank has not been duly appointed or has no authority to exercise the powers and perform the duties that are customary in the business of the bank or usual for a director, officer or representative; or
(e) a document issued by any director, officer or representative of the bank with actual or usual authority to issue the document is not valid or not genuine.
Marginal note:Exception — knowledge
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply in respect of a person who has or ought to have knowledge of a situation described in that subsection by virtue of their relationship to the bank.
7. Paragraph 28(1)(b) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(b) the province in which the head office of the bank is to be situated; and
8. (1) Subsection 62(1) of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Shares issued in series
62. (1) The by-laws of a bank may, subject to any limitations set out in them, authorize the issue of any class of shares in one or more series and may
(a) fix the maximum number of shares in each series and determine the designation, rights, privileges, restrictions and conditions attaching to them; and
(b) authorize the directors to do anything referred to in paragraph (a).
(2) Subsection 62(5) of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Material to Superintendent
(5) If the directors exercise their authority under paragraph (1)(b), the directors shall, before the issue of shares of the series, send to the Superintendent a copy of the by-law authorizing the directors to fix the rights, privileges, restrictions and conditions of those shares and shall provide the Superintendent with particulars of the proposed series of shares.
Marginal note:1997, c. 15, s. 7
9. Subsection 66(3) of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Exception
(3) Despite subsection (2), a bank may, subject to subsection (4), record in the stated capital account maintained for the shares of a class or series any part of the consideration it receives in an exchange if it issues shares
(a) in exchange for
(i) property of a person who immediately before the exchange did not deal with the bank at arm’s length within the meaning of that expression in the Income Tax Act,
(ii) shares of or another interest in a body corporate that immediately before the exchange or because of it did not deal with the bank at arm’s length within the meaning of that expression in the Income Tax Act, or
(iii) property of a person who immediately before the exchange dealt with the bank at arm’s length within the meaning of that expression in the Income Tax Act if the person, the bank and all of the holders of shares in the class or series of shares so issued consent to the exchange;
(b) under an agreement referred to in subsection 224(1); or
(c) to shareholders of an amalgamating body corporate who receive the shares in addition to or instead of securities of the amalgamated bank.
10. Subsection 72(1) of the French version of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Exception — représentant personnel
72. (1) La banque — ainsi que ses filiales si elle le leur permet — peut, en qualité de représentant personnel, mais à condition de ne pas en avoir la propriété effective, détenir soit des actions de la banque ou d’une personne morale qui la contrôle, soit des titres de participation d’une entité non constituée en personne morale qui la contrôle.
11. The Act is amended by adding the following after section 72:
Marginal note:Exception — conditions before acquisition
72.1 (1) A bank may permit its subsidiary to acquire shares of the bank, shares of an entity that controls the bank or any ownership interests of any unincorporated entity that controls the bank if before the subsidiary acquires them the conditions prescribed for the purposes of this subsection are met.
Marginal note:Conditions after acquisition
(2) After a subsidiary has acquired shares or ownership interests in accordance with subsection (1), the conditions prescribed for the purposes of this subsection are to be met.
Marginal note:Non-compliance with conditions
(3) Despite section 16 and subsection 66(2), the issue and acquisition of the shares or ownership interests are subject to the prescribed requirements if
(a) the bank permits the subsidiary to acquire the shares or ownership interests; and
(b) either
(i) a condition prescribed for the purposes of subsection (1) was not met, or
(ii) a condition prescribed for the purposes of subsection (2) was not met or ceased to be met.
12. Section 86 of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Signatures
86. (1) A security certificate shall be signed by or bear the printed or otherwise mechanically reproduced signature of at least one of the following:
(a) a director or officer of the bank;
(b) a registrar or transfer agent of the bank or a branch transfer agent or a natural person on their behalf; or
(c) a trustee who certifies it in accordance with a trust indenture.
Marginal note:Continuation of validity of signature
(2) If a security certificate contains a person’s printed or mechanically reproduced signature, the bank may issue the security certificate even if the person has ceased to be a director or officer of the bank. The security certificate is as valid as if the person were a director or officer at the date of its issue.
13. Section 88 of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Restrictions and charges
88. (1) No charge in favour of a bank and no restriction on transfer other than a constraint under Part VII is effective against a transferee of a security issued by the bank if the transferee has no actual knowledge of the charge or restriction unless it or a reference to it is noted conspicuously on the security certificate.
Marginal note:No restriction
(2) If any of the issued shares of a distributing bank remain outstanding and are held by more than one person, the bank may not restrict the transfer or ownership of its shares except by way of a constraint under Part VII.
Marginal note:Continuance
(3) If a body corporate that is continued as a bank under this Act has outstanding security certificates and the words “private company” or “private corporation” appear on the certificates, those words are deemed to be a notice of a charge or restriction for the purposes of subsection (1).
Marginal note:2001, c. 9, s. 62(F)
14. (1) Subsection 93(1) of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Dealings with registered owner
93. (1) A bank or a trustee within the meaning of section 294 may, subject to subsections 137(5) to (7) and sections 138 to 141 and 145, treat the registered owner of a security as the person exclusively entitled to vote, to receive notices, to receive any interest, dividend or other payment in respect of the security and to exercise all of the rights and powers of an owner of the security.
Marginal note:2001, c. 9, s. 62(F)
(2) Paragraph 93(2)(b) of the English version of the Act is replaced by the following:
(b) the personal representative of a registered security holder who is a minor, an incompetent person or a missing person; or
15. Section 94 of the English version of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Minors
94. If a minor exercises any rights of ownership in the securities of a bank, no subsequent repudiation or avoidance is effective against the bank.
16. Section 136 of the Act is renumbered as subsection 136(1) and is amended by adding the following:
Marginal note:Participation by electronic means
(2) Unless the by-laws provide otherwise, any person who is entitled to attend a meeting of shareholders may participate in the meeting by means of a telephonic, electronic or other communication facility that permits all participants to communicate adequately with each other during the meeting if the bank makes one available. A person who is participating in a meeting by one of those means is deemed for the purposes of this Act to be present at the meeting.
Marginal note:Regulations
(3) The Governor in Council may make regulations respecting the manner of and conditions for participating in a meeting by means of a telephonic, electronic or other communication facility that permits all participants to communicate adequately with each other during the meeting.
17. Subsections 137(2) to (5) of the Act are replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Order to delay calling annual meeting
(2) Despite subsection (1), the bank may apply to the court for an order extending the time for calling an annual meeting.
Marginal note:Obligation to notify Superintendent
(3) The bank shall give notice of the application to the Superintendent before any hearing concerning the application and shall provide the Superintendent with a copy of any order that is issued.
Marginal note:Superintendent’s right to appear
(4) The Superintendent is entitled to appear and be heard in person or by counsel at any hearing concerning the application.
Marginal note:Authority to fix record date
(5) The directors may in advance fix a record date, that is within the prescribed period, for the determination of shareholders for any purpose, including for a determination of which shareholders are entitled to
(a) receive payment of a dividend;
(b) participate in a liquidation distribution;
(c) receive notice of a meeting of shareholders; or
(d) vote at a meeting of shareholders.
Marginal note:Determination of record date
(6) If no record date is fixed,
(a) the record date for the determination of shareholders who are entitled to receive notice of a meeting of shareholders is
(i) at the close of business on the day immediately preceding the day on which the notice is given, or
(ii) if no notice is given, the day on which the meeting is held; and
(b) the record date for the determination of shareholders for any other purpose, other than to establish a shareholder’s right to vote, is at the close of business on the day on which the directors pass a resolution in respect of that purpose.
Marginal note:Notice of record date
(7) If a record date is fixed and unless notice of the record date is waived in writing by every holder of a share of the class or series affected whose name is set out in the securities register at the close of business on the day on which the directors fix the record date, notice of the record date shall be given within the prescribed period by
(a) advertisement in a newspaper in general circulation in the place where the bank’s head office is situated and in each place in Canada where the bank has a transfer agent or where a transfer of its shares may be recorded; and
(b) written notice to each stock exchange in Canada on which the bank’s shares are listed for trading.
Page Details
- Date modified: