Since the mid-1990s, the promotion of corporate governance has been the subject of various public and private initiatives in Canada. The first of them were aimed at reporting issuers. State-owned corporations and other public sector organizations were targeted next.As a result of the example (…)
Risk management has always been a part of an enterprise’s management profile. Historically, boards of directors did manage risk, albeit in a less systematic way.Greater emphasis has been placed on this aspect of management over the last few years. Thus, the practices which were recommended to (…)
The Peoples and BCE decisions have shed considerable light upon the parameters and criteria for the exercise of directors’ duties in Canada.The purpose of this bulletin is to provide an update on: the nature and scope of directors’ duties and obligations; the identity of the (…)
Every day, and several times a day, we enter into contracts without knowing it or without considering and controlling their effects. This bulletin provides a brief and non-exhaustive summary to help you better understand, prepare for and monitor your contractual environment.Do you know that a (…)
The role and duties of a Chair are not defined and circumscribed in incorporating statutes (federal and Quebec) except in the case of Quebec government-owned corporations and then, only in part. Boards of directors have been at the centre of the public debate on corporate governance in recent years. (…)
The Code of ethics of advocates (R.R.Q., 1981, c. B-1, r.1) (the “Code”) applies to all lawyers inscribed on the Roll of the Order of Advocates “regardless of the context or manner in which he engages in his professional activities or the nature of his contractual relationship with (…)
The title of this Newsletter was deliberately chosen to attract attention, because while very relevant, the question nevertheless receives little attention. Moreover, proper comprehension of the issue is often clouded by ignorance of the applicable rules, by conflicts of interest or by a certain (…)
A person who agrees to be a director of a non-profit organization should not consider his role to be a honorary one or think that his obligations are limited to giving or collecting money or providing advice to its officers. All directors have the same duties and are ultimately subject to the same (…)
On February 2, 2006, the Quebec Court of Appeal rendered an interesting judgement involving directors’ liabilities in the case of Johnson and Marcil v. André Arthur et al (500-09-012808-028), a lawsuit for slander.
In most cases, the interests of the shareholder or of the member who arranged for the nominee's election should correspond to the best interests of the company. Precautions must and can be taken to avoid problems.
The Application of Ontario's Bill 198 to Securities Class Actions in Quebec
Corporate Directors: Suggested Precautions