Legal information

The three "basic" rights attached to a company's shares are the right to receive any dividends declared, the right to vote at any shareholders' meeting, and the right to share in the remaining property in the event of dissolution or liquidation. The Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) and the Quebec Business Corporations Act (QBCA) regulate the existence of these three basic rights differently.

Determining ultimate beneficiaries for the purposes of the Legal Publicity Act ("LPLE") can be complex when one of the shareholders is a discretionary family trust, heavily used for tax planning purposes. While many grey areas remain on how to apply these new rules (in effect since March 2023), here are a few (non-exhaustive) elements to consider in determining ultimate beneficiaries when a shareholder is a trust

The election of a company's directors is an important component of corporate governance. Here are a few practical considerations. Number ofdirectors When the company is incorporated, the articles of incorporation must specify either a fixed number ofdirectors or a minimum and maximum number ofdirectors. When the number is fixed, the shareholders must elect or attempt to elect this fixed number ofdirectors. In practice, the number

When a company is incorporated, so-called "control" shares are often included in the share capital structure. These shares enable the holder to have greater control over the company's affairs than other shareholders. Here's a summary of how this type of share works. Characteristics Control shares generally carry no dividend rights. In most cases, the only rights conferred on holders of

Since 2018, federally incorporated corporations have been required to maintain a register of individuals with significant control ("IBO"). The purpose of the register is to be able to determine which individuals control a given corporation, even if shares are held through another corporation, or by a nominee. On March 31, 2023, Quebec legislators followed suit with the concept of "beneficiary" disclosure.

As of March 31, 2023, it will be required to declare the ultimate beneficiaries of companies in the enterprise register. The notion of ultimate beneficiary is defined in the Legal Publicity of Enterprises Act as amended by the Act to improve the transparency of enterprises. An ultimate beneficiary is in all cases a natural person, thus excluding legal persons or any other grouping. We offer you an overview of the circumstances in

The Quebec Business Corporations Act, unlike the federal incorporation regime and the regimes of most other Canadian provinces, permits the issuance of shares that are not "fully paid" at the time of issue. This means that the Board of Directors authorizes the issue of shares regardless of the amount received from the share subscriber. These shares will be subject to an instalment call and ultimate forfeiture, as we will see later.

On June 8, 2021, Bill 78 (An Act primarily to improve the transparency of enterprises) was assented to by the Quebec National Assembly. The effective date of these amendments is March 31, 2023. This Act amends the Act respecting the legal publicity of enterprises (the "LPLE") and will have a significant impact on the obligations of Quebec enterprises.

The formation of a federal not-for-profit organization is in many ways similar to the incorporation process of a corporation. Articles of incorporation are filed electronically with Corporations Canada, indicating the name of the organization, the number ofdirector (fixed or variable) and a list of the first directors who will form the board of directors. Following incorporation and receipt of the Certificate of Incorporation, the Board of Directors holds an organizational meeting (or