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
In the Globe and Mail: "Canadian Companies Faced Record Number of Activist Campaigns in 2023, Says Toronto Consulting Firm"
The Globe and Mail featured Kingsdale's latest Proxy Season Review findings, highlighting the changes in the activism landscape in Canada and the pivotal shifts that demand every company's attention.
In The Globe and Mail: "Law firm Develops New Tactic to Help Companies Defend Against an Activist Investor 'Ambush'"
Over the past proxy season, Kingsdale recorded an uptick in “Vote No” campaigns. Ian Robertson, CEO of Kingsdale Advisors, expressed concern that these campaigns, which require little cost and transparency, pose a significant threat to corporate boardrooms.
Kelly Gorman, EVP, Governance Advisory, Joins the Panel at "OSC Roundtable: Strengthening Diversity in Our Capital Markets"
Kelly Gorman, EVP, Governance Advisory of Kingsdale Advisors, shares the importance of disclosures at "OSC Roundtable: Strengthening diversity in our capital markets".
When The Stakes Are Highest, Business Leaders Choose Kingsdale
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* 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.