Bank Act

Marginal note:Proposals

• 143 (1) Subject to subsections (1.1) and (1.2), a registered holder or beneficial owner of shares of a bank that is not a federal credit union that may be voted at an annual meeting of shareholders may

  • (a) submit to the bank notice of any matter that they propose to raise at the meeting (in this section and section 144 referred to as a “proposal”); and

  • (b) discuss at the meeting any matter in respect of which they would have been entitled to submit a proposal.

• Marginal note:Eligibility to submit proposal

  (1.1) To be eligible to submit a proposal a person shall

  • (a) for at least the prescribed period be the registered holder or beneficial owner of at least the prescribed number of the bank’s outstanding shares; or

  • (b) have the support of persons who, in the aggregate and including or not including the person who submits the proposal, have for at least the prescribed period been the registered holders or beneficial owners of at least the prescribed number of the bank’s outstanding shares.

• Marginal note:Information to be provided

  (1.2) A proposal is to be accompanied by the following information:

  • (a) the name and address of the person submitting the proposal and the names and addresses of their supporters, if any; and

  • (b) the number of shares held or owned by the person and their supporters, if any, and the date that the shares were acquired.

• Marginal note:Information not part of proposal

  (1.3) The information provided under subsection (1.2) does not form part of a proposal or of the supporting statement referred to in subsection (3) and is not to be included for the purpose of the prescribed maximum number of words referred to in subsection (3).

• Marginal note:Proof may be required

  (1.4) If the bank requests within the prescribed period that a person provide proof that they are eligible to submit a proposal, the person shall within the prescribed period provide proof that they meet the requirements of subsection (1.1).

• Marginal note:Management proxy

  (2) A bank that solicits proxies shall, in the management proxy circular required by subsection 156.05(1), set out any proposal of a shareholder submitted for consideration at a meeting of shareholders or attach the proposal to the management proxy circular.

• Marginal note:Supporting statement

  (3) At the request of the person who submits a proposal, the bank shall set out in the management proxy circular or attach to it the person’s statement in support of the proposal and their name and address. The statement and proposal together are not to exceed the prescribed maximum number of words.

• Marginal note:Nomination of directors

  (4) A proposal may include nominations for the election of directors if it is signed by one or more registered holders or beneficial owners of shares representing in the aggregate not less than 5% of the shares of the bank or 5% of the shares of a class of its shares entitled to vote at the meeting at which the proposal is to be presented.

• Marginal note:Exemption

  (5) A bank is not required to comply with subsections (2) and (3) if

  • (a) the proposal is not submitted to the bank at least the prescribed number of days before the anniversary date of the notice of meeting that was sent to shareholders in respect of the previous annual meeting of shareholders;

  • (b) it clearly appears that the primary purpose of the proposal is to enforce a personal claim or redress a personal griev­ance against the bank or its directors, officers or security holders;

  • (b.1) it clearly appears that the proposal does not relate in a significant way to the business or affairs of the bank;

  • (c) the person submitting the proposal failed within the prescribed period before the bank receives their proposal to present, in person or by proxy, at a meeting of shareholders a proposal that at their request had been set out in or attached to a management proxy circular;

  • (d) substantially the same proposal was set out in or attached to a management proxy circular or dissident’s proxy circular relating to, and presented to shareholders at, a meeting of shareholders held within the prescribed period before the receipt of the proposal and did not receive the prescribed minimum amount of support at the meeting; or

  • (e) the rights conferred by subsections (1) to (4) are being abused to secure publicity.

• Marginal note:Bank may refuse to include proposal

  (5.1) If a person who submits a proposal fails to continue to hold or own shares in accordance with paragraph (1.1)(a) or, as the case may be, does not continue to have the support of persons who are in the aggregate the registered holders or beneficial owners of the prescribed number of shares in accordance with paragraph (1.1)(b) until the end of the meeting, the bank is not required to set out any proposal submitted by that person in or attach it to a management proxy circular for any meeting held within the prescribed period after the day of the meeting.

• Marginal note:Immunity for proposal and statement

  (6) No bank or person acting on behalf of a bank incurs any liability by reason only of circulating a proposal or statement in compliance with subsections (2) and (3).