Insurance Companies Act

Marginal note:Qualification of auditor

• 634 (1) A natural person or firm of accountants is qualified to be an auditor of a foreign company if

  • (a) in the case of a natural person, the person is an accountant who

    • (i) is a member in good standing of an institute or association of accountants incorporated by or under an Act of the legislature of a province,

    • (ii) has at least five years experience at a senior level in performing audits of a financial institution,

    • (iii) is ordinarily resident in Canada, and

    • (iv) is independent of the foreign company and its chief agent; and

  • (b) in the case of a firm of accountants, the member of the firm jointly designated by the firm and the foreign company to conduct the audit of the foreign company on behalf of the firm is qualified in accordance with paragraph (a).

• Marginal note:Independence

  (2) For the purposes of subsection (1),

  • (a) independence is a question of fact; and

  • (b) a person is deemed not to be independent of a foreign company if that person, a business partner of that person or a firm of accountants of which that person is a member

    • (i) is a business partner, director, officer or employee of the foreign company or of any affiliate of the foreign company or is a business partner of any director, officer or employee of the foreign company or of any affiliate of the foreign company,

    • (ii) beneficially owns or controls, directly or indirectly, a material interest in the shares of the foreign company or of any affiliate of the foreign company, or

    • (iii) has been a liquidator, trustee in bankruptcy, receiver or receiver and manager of any affiliate of the foreign company within the two years immediately preceding the person’s proposed appointment as auditor of the foreign company.

• Marginal note:Business partners

  (2.1) For the purposes of subsection (2),

  • (a) in the case of the appointment of a natural person as the auditor of a foreign company, a business partner of the person includes a shareholder of the business partner; and

  • (b) in the case of the appointment of a firm of accountants as the auditor of a foreign company, a business partner of a member of the firm includes another member of the firm and a shareholder of the firm or of a business partner of the member.

• Marginal note:Notice of designation

  (3) Within 15 days after the appointment of a firm of accountants as auditor of a foreign company, the foreign company and the firm of accountants shall jointly designate a member of the firm who meets the qualifications described in subsection (1) to conduct the audit of the foreign company on behalf of the firm and the foreign company shall without delay notify the Superintendent in writing of the designation.

• Marginal note:New designation

  (4) Where for any reason a member of a firm of accountants designated pursuant to subsection (3) ceases to conduct the audit of the foreign company, the foreign company and the firm of accountants may jointly designate another member of the same firm of accountants who meets the qualifications described in subsection (1) to conduct the audit of the foreign company and the foreign company shall forthwith notify the Superintendent in writing of the designation.

• Marginal note:Deemed vacancy

  (5) In any case where subsection (4) applies and a designation is not made pursuant to that subsection within thirty days after the designated member ceases to conduct the audit of the foreign company, there shall be deemed to be a vacancy in the office of auditor of the foreign company.