General Constraints on Investments

Investment standards

492. The directors of a company shall establish and the company shall adhere to investment and lending policies, standards and procedures that a reasonable and prudent person would apply in respect of a portfolio of investments and loans to avoid undue risk of loss and obtain a reasonable return.

Restriction on control and substantial investments

493. (1) Subject to subsections (2) to (4) , no company shall acquire control of, or hold , acquire or increase a substantial investment in, any entity other than a permitted entity.

Exception: indirect investments

(2) A company may acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity other than a permitted entity by way of

    (a) an acquisition of control of an entity referred to in any of paragraphs 495(1)(a) to (j), or of a prescribed entity, that controls or has a substantial investment in the entity; or

    (b) an acquisition of shares or ownership interests in the entity by

      (i) an entity referred to in any of paragraphs 495(1)(a) to (j), or a prescribed entity , that is controlled by the company, or

      (ii) an entity controlled by an entity referred to in any of paragraphs 495(1)(a) to (j), or a prescribed entity , that is controlled by the company.

Exception: temporary investments, realizations and loan workouts

(3) A company may acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity by way of

    (a) a temporary investment permitted by section 498;

    (b) an acquisition of shares of a body corporate or of ownership interests in an unincorporated entity permitted by section 499; or

    (c) a realization of security permitted by section 500.

Exception: specialized financing regulations

(4) A life company may acquire control of, or hold, acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity other than a permitted entity if it does so in accordance with regulations made under paragraph 494(d) concerning specialized financing.

Exception: uncontrolled event

(5) A company is deemed not to contravene subsection (1) if the company acquires control of, or acquires or increases a substantial investment in, an entity solely as the result of an event not within the control of the company.

Regulations

494. The Governor in Council may make regulations

    (a) respecting the determination of the amount or value of loans, investments and interests for the purposes of this Part;

    (b) respecting the loans and investments, and the maximum aggregate amount of all loans and investments, that may be made or acquired by a company and its prescribed subsidiaries to or in a person and any persons connected with that person;

    (c) specifying the classes of persons who are connected with any person for the purposes of paragraph (b); and

    (d) concerning specialized financing for the purposes of subsection 493(4).

Subsidiaries and Equity Investments

Permitted investments

495. (1) Subject to subsections (6) to (8) and Part XI, a company may acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in

    (a) a company or a society;

    (b) an insurance holding company;

    (c) a bank;

    (d) a bank holding company;

    (e) a body corporate to which the Trust and Loan Companies Act applies;

    (f) an association to which the Cooperative Credit Associations Act applies;

    (g) a trust, loan or insurance corporation incorporated or formed by or under an Act of the legislature of a province;

    (h) a cooperative credit society incorporated or formed, and regulated, by or under an Act of the legislature of a province;

    (i) an entity that is incorporated or formed by or under an Act of Parliament or of the legislature of a province and that is primarily engaged in dealing in securities; or

    (j) an entity that is incorporated or formed, and regulated, otherwise than by or under an Act of Parliament or of the legislature of a province and that is primarily engaged outside Canada in a business that, if carried on in Canada, would be the business of banking, the business of a cooperative credit society, the business of insurance, the business of providing fiduciary services or the business of dealing in securities.

Permitted investments - life companies

(2) Subject to subsections (3) and (6) to (8) and Part XI, a life company may acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity, other than an entity referred to in any of paragraphs (1)(a) to (j), whose business is limited to one or more of the following:

    (a) engaging in any financial service activity or in any other activity that a life company is permitted to engage in under subsection 440(2) or section 441 or 442, other than paragraph 441(1)(h);

    (b) acquiring or holding shares of, or ownership interests in, entities in which a company is permitted under this Part to hold or acquire;

    (c) engaging in the provision of any services exclusively to any or all of the following, so long as the entity is providing those services to the company or any member of the company's group:

      (i) the company,

      (ii) any member of the company's group,

      (iii) any entity that is primarily engaged in the business of providing financial services,

      (iv) any permitted entity in which an entity referred to in subparagraph (iii) has a substantial investment, or

      (v) any prescribed person, if it is doing so under prescribed terms and conditions, if any are prescribed;

    (d) engaging in any activity that a life company is permitted to engage in, other than an activity referred to in paragraph (a) or (e), that relates to

      (i) the promotion, sale, delivery or distribution of a financial product or financial service that is provided by the life company or any member of the life company's group, or

      (ii) if a significant portion of the business of the entity involves an activity referred to in subparagraph (i), the promotion, sale, delivery or distribution of a financial product or financial service that is provided by any other entity that is primarily engaged in the business of providing financial services;

    (e) engaging in the activities referred to in the definition ``mutual fund entity'' or ``mutual fund distribution entity'' as defined in subsection 490(1); and

    (f) engaging in prescribed activities, under prescribed terms and conditions, if any are prescribed.

Restriction - life company

(3) A life company may not acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity whose business includes any activity referred to in any of paragraphs (2)(a) to (e) if the entity engages in the business of accepting deposit liabilities or if the activities of the entity include

    (a) activities that a company is not permitted to engage in under any of sections 466, 468, 469 and 475;

    (b) activities that a company is not permitted to engage in under any regulation made under section 489 if the entity engages in the activities of a finance entity or of any other entity as may be prescribed;

    (c) acquiring control of or acquiring or holding a substantial investment in an entity that a company is not permitted to control or in which a company is not permitted to have a substantial investment, except as may be permitted under paragraph 493(3)(b) or (c) or subsection 493(4); or

    (d) any prescribed activity.

Permitted investments - property and casualty companies

(4) Subject to subsections (5) to (8) and Part XI, a property and casualty company may acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity, other than an entity referred to in any of paragraphs (1)(a) to (j), whose business is limited to one or more of the following:

    (a) engaging in any financial service activity or in any other activity that a property and casualty company is permitted to engage in under subsection 440(2) or section 441 or 442, other than paragraph 441(1)(h);

    (b) acquiring or holding shares of, or ownership interests in, entities in which a property and casualty company is permitted under this Part to hold or acquire;

    (c) engaging in the provision of any services exclusively to any or all of the following, so long as the entity is providing those services to the company or any member of the company's group:

      (i) the company,

      (ii) any member of the company's group,

      (iii) any entity that is primarily engaged in the business of providing financial services,

      (iv) any permitted entity in which an entity referred to in subparagraph (iii) has a substantial investment, or

      (v) any prescribed person, if it is doing so under prescribed terms and conditions, if any are prescribed;

    (d) engaging in any activity that a property and casualty company is permitted to engage in, other than an activity referred to in paragraph (a) or (e), that relates to

      (i) the promotion, sale, delivery or distribution of a financial product or financial service that is provided by the property and casualty company or any member of the property and casualty company's group, or

      (ii) if a significant portion of the business of the entity involves an activity referred to in subparagraph (i), the promotion, sale, delivery or distribution of a financial product or financial service that is provided by any other entity that is primarily engaged in the business of providing financial services;

    (e) engaging in the activities referred to in the definition ``mutual fund entity'' or ``mutual fund distribution entity'' as defined in subsection 490(1); and

    (f) engaging in prescribed activities, under prescribed terms and conditions, if any are prescribed.

Restriction - property and casualty company

(5) A property and casualty company may not acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity whose business includes any activity referred to in any of paragraphs (4)(a) to (e) if the entity engages in the business of accepting deposit liabilities or if the activities of the entity include

    (a) activities that a company is not permitted to engage in under any of sections 466, 468, 469 and 478;

    (b) any financial intermediary activity that exposes the entity to material market or credit risk, including the activities of a finance entity, a factoring entity, a financial leasing entity and a specialized financing entity;

    (c) acquiring control of or acquiring or holding a substantial investment in an entity that a company is not permitted to control or in which a company is not permitted to have a substantial investment, except as may be permitted under paragraph 493(3)(b) or (c); or

    (d) any prescribed activity.

Control

(6) Subject to subsection (10) and the regulations, a company may not acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in,

    (a) an entity referred to in any of paragraphs (1)(a) to (j) or an entity that is primarily engaged in acquiring or holding shares or other ownership interests in entities in which a company is permitted under this Part to hold or acquire unless

      (i) the company controls, within the meaning of paragraph 3(1)(d), the entity, or would thereby acquire control, within the meaning of that paragraph, of the entity, or

      (ii) the company is permitted by regulations made under paragraph 501(a) to acquire or increase the substantial investment; or

    (b) an entity whose business includes one or more of the activities referred to in paragraph (2)(a) and that engages, as part of its business, in any financial intermediary activity that exposes the entity to material market or credit risk, including a finance entity, a factoring entity, a financial leasing entity and a specialized financing entity, unless

      (i) the company controls, within the meaning of paragraph 3(1)(d), the entity, or would thereby acquire control, within the meaning of that paragraph, of the entity, or

      (ii) the company is permitted by regulations made under paragraph 501(a) to acquire or increase the substantial investment.

Minister's approval

(7) Subject to the regulations, a company may not, without the prior written approval of the Minister,

    (a) acquire control of an entity referred to in paragraphs (1)(g) to (i) from a person who is not a member of the company's group;

    (b) acquire control of an entity referred to in paragraph (1)(j) or (6)(b), other than an entity whose activities are limited to the activities of one or more of the following entities, if the control is acquired from an entity referred to in any of paragraphs (1)(a) to (f) that is not a member of the company's group:

      (i) a factoring entity,

      (ii) a financial leasing entity, or

      (iii) a specialized financing entity;

    (c) acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity whose business includes one or more of the activities referred to in paragraph (2)(d) or (4)(d);

    (d) acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity that engages in an activity described in paragraph 441(1)(d) or (d.1); or

    (e) acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity engaging in an activity prescribed for the purposes of paragraph (2)(f) or (4)(f).

Superinten-
dent's approval

(8) Subject to subsection (9) and the regulations, a company may not acquire control of, or acquire or increase a substantial investment in, an entity referred to in any of paragraphs (1)(g) to (j) or (6)(b) unless the company obtains the approval of the Superintendent.

Exception

(9) Subsection (8) does not apply in respect of a particular transaction if the Minister has approved the transaction under subsection (7) or is deemed to have approved it under subsection 496(1).

Control not required

(10) A company need not control an entity referred to in paragraph (1)(j), or an entity that is incorporated or formed otherwise than by or under an Act of Parliament or of the legislature of a province, if the laws or customary business practices of the country under the laws of which the entity was incorporated or formed do not permit the company to control the entity.

Prohibition on giving up control in fact

(11) A company that, under subsection (6), controls an entity may not, without the prior written approval of the Minister, give up control, within the meaning of paragraph 3(1)(d), of the entity while it continues to control the entity.

Giving up control

(12) A company that, under subsection (6), controls an entity may give up control of the entity while keeping a substantial investment in the entity if

    (a) the company is permitted to do so by regulations made under paragraph 501(c); and

    (b) the company has the prior written approval of the Superintendent.

Subsections do not apply

(13) If a company controls, within the meaning of paragraph 3(1)(a), an entity, subsections (7) and (8) do not apply in respect of any subsequent increases by the company of its substantial investment in the entity so long as the company continues to control the entity.