|
24. In order to submit a proposal, a person must be “a shareholder entitled to vote at an annual meeting of shareholders of a bank”. This phrase is not defined expressly in the Bank Act nor in provisions which are very similar to s. 143(1). These similar provisions are found in a number of federal and provincial statutes, including the Canada Business Corporations Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. C‑44 (“CBCA”). A previous formulation (in force prior to February 1, 1977) of Rule 14a‑8 under § 14(a) of the American Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 48 Stat. 881 (now 15 U.S.C. §§ 78a et seq. (1994)), is also comparable, but the differences in statutory context, and the fact that in the present appeal there is no need to look outside the four corners of the Bank Act, have persuaded me not to address it.
|