Kingsdale Advisors, ranked Canada's #1 proxy solicitor for company-side engagements by Bloomberg and LSEG (FY 2025), has released its "Early Insights: 2026 Proxy Season (Canada)" report highlighting a fundamental shift in the proxy landscape, where rising shareholder activism is increasing pressure on boards to demonstrate effective governance and engagement.
Wes Hall, Founder and CEO, Kingsdale Advisors, said, "Retail participation is shaping governance outcomes, and boards are being judged on whether their engagement and meeting practices reflect how shareholders actually participate. Boards that have not adapted remain at risk as activism rises. Reactive governance has no place in today's world. Boards need to adopt an activist mindset and identify their own vulnerabilities before others do it for them. The question is no longer whether your board will face pressure. It is whether you are ready for it."
Read the Press Release
Latest Insights
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.
ISS 2023 Benchmark Policy Updates
On December 1, 2022, ISS released updates to its 2023 benchmark proxy voting policies. The updated policies will apply to shareholder meetings taking place on or after February 1, 2023, except for those that are being announced now with a one-year transition period and which will become effective in 2024.
2022 Proxy Season Snapshot
An early look at the key trends and major issues affecting shareholder activism and corporate governance in 2022.
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.