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
Glass Lewis 2023 Policy Guidelines
Glass Lewis has released its 2023 Policy Guidelines for the Canadian market as part of its annual proxy voting policy update process. These guidelines will be effective for shareholder meetings held on or after January 1, 2023.
ISS 2022 Annual Global Benchmark Policy Survey
Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”) is seeking feedback from market participants on corporate governance issues and trends, with responses informing their main benchmark policy for 2023.
2022 North American Proxy Season Review
This year, Canadian targets were subject to 35 proxy contests – the lowest since 2017, while activists wrestled the win rate back in their favour with 52% and gained increasing support from proxy advisors and institutional investors.
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.