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 2020 Proxy Voting Guidelines
On Nov. 24, 2020 Glass, Lewis & Co., LLC released its 2021 Proxy Voting Policy Guidelines. The links below provide our insights and advice on how these policy updates may impact companies in both Canada and the United States.
ISS 2021 Proxy Voting Guidelines
On Nov. 12, 2020 ISS released its 2021 Benchmark Proxy Voting Guidelines updates. The links below provide our insights and advice on how these policy updates may impact companies in Canada.
ISS 2021 Benchmark Policy Consultation
On October 14, 2020, Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) released its 2021 Benchmark Policy Consultation requesting feedback from interested market constituents on new or potential changes to their voting policies.
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.