Topic Results: Dual-class shares

June 5, 2010

Magna and the price of control

(The opinions expressed in this text are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the Institute or of its board of directors) Alas, the company’s magna cum laude performance as a first rate industrial concern is not matched by its performance in the shareholder business, where it deserves a severe magno cum opprobrio. […]

November 4, 2009

Bill 63 (Business Corporations Act) : Memorandum of the IGOPP

According to IGOPP, the proposed Business Corporations Act (Bill 63) is a quantum leap in the right direction. It modernize and clarify some dsyfunctionnal aspaects of our business laws and legal system. Furthermore, Bill 63 introduce some useful innovations. Howewer, some modifications to the Bill would improve the chances of Québec to become a destination […]

January 1, 2008

One Share-One Vote: The Empirical Evidence

[ … ] The main question in most of the studies we survey is: Does disproportional ownership destroy shareholder value? We will argue that, while the literature has uncovered some robust evidence, this question has proven difficult to address empirically. A related issue is whether the widespread use of mechanisms to unbundle cash flow rights […]

November 16, 2006

Dual-class share structures in Canada

In Canada and, indeed, wherever there are functional stock markets, differences between classes of shareholders in publicly listed corporations raise important and controversial issues. Thus, the European Commission has undertaken a vast consultation on a proposed directive to enshrine the “one share, one vote” principle. Everywhere, the topic has proved divisive, particularly when the positions […]

July 18, 2006

CHUM and the premium for control: it is legal, but is it fair?

The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the author and do not reflect a position of the Institute nor of its board of directors. The acquisition of CHUM Ltd by Bell Globemedia has brought the issue of control through superior voting shares back in the limelight. In an early, path-breaking move, the Toronto stock […]