Canadian proxy contests reaching a vote hit a five-year high, campaign volume declined, but the fights that remained went further and hit harder, and boards with real shareholder relationships came out on top.
Download Kingsdale Advisors' most comprehensive look at what's reshaping Canadian and U.S. boardrooms. Covering July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, the report shows a shareholder landscape that's more fragmented and harder to predict, with more of the voting decision moving in-house with investors themselves.
The in-depth research also examines CEO succession at S&P/TSX Composite companies overthe past three years, and what the difference between planned and reactive transitions reveals about board preparedness.
- Contests reaching a vote hit a five-year high, up 39% year over year.
- Large-cap activist targets more than doubled, from 4% to 9%.
- M&A activism drove 40% of campaigns, above the five-year average.
- Say-on-Pay support reached a five-year high of 93.4%.
- Governance proposals more than doubled to 56.
Latest Insights
Geopolitical Risk Is No Longer a Black Swan Event, It's a Boardroom Priority
Most boards can quantify their exposure to interest rates, but few can quantify their exposure to geopolitics, and investors are starting to notice the gap. Find out how to prepare your board for a world where geopolitical risk has become a governance priority.
Post-Proxy Season Celebration: Kingsdale Advisors Honours Its Team's Hard Work
Our amazing team at Kingsdale Advisors enjoying a well deserved post proxy season celebration. Thank you for the incredible work you do for our clients and for our firm.
Back to Basics vs. Emerging Risks: The Two Questions Defining Canada's Boardrooms
For years, directors have navigated what many have described as the "Canadian director's dilemma," balancing the interests of shareholders alongside an expanding set of stakeholders. Canada's prosperity over the next decade may ultimately be shaped by two defining questions.
When The Stakes Are Highest, Business Leaders Choose Kingsdale
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
* Source: Bloomberg Global Shareholder Activism League Tables FY2025 and LSEG Global Shareholder Activism Review FY2025.
#2025 and 2026 indicate proxy seasons: July 2024 to June 2026.