Bank Act (S.C. 1991, c. 46)

Marginal note:Statement of director

• 174 (1) A director who

  • (a) resigns,

  • (b) receives a notice or otherwise learns of a meeting called for the purpose of removing the director from office, or

  • (c) receives a notice or otherwise learns of a meeting of directors, shareholders or members at which another person is to be appointed or elected to fill the office of director, whether because of the director’s resignation or removal or because the director’s term of office has expired or is about to expire,

  is entitled to submit to the bank a written statement giving the reasons for the resignation or the reasons why the director opposes any proposed action or resolution.

• Marginal note:Statement re disagreement

  (2) Where a director resigns as a result of a disagreement with the other directors or the officers of a bank, the director shall submit to the bank and the Superintendent a written statement setting out the nature of the disagreement.

Marginal note:Circulation of statement

• 175 (1) A bank that is not a federal credit union must without delay on receipt of a director’s statement referred to in subsection 174(1) relating to a matter referred to in paragraph 174(1)(b) or (c), or a director’s statement referred to in subsection 174(2), send a copy of it to each shareholder entitled to receive a notice of meetings and to the Superintendent, unless the statement is included in or attached to a management proxy circular required by subsection 156.05(1).

• Marginal note:Circulation of statement — federal credit union

  (2) A federal credit union must, without delay on receipt of a director’s statement referred to in subsection 174(1) relating to a matter referred to in paragraph 174(1)(b) or (c), or a director’s statement referred to in subsection 174(2), send a copy of it to the Superintendent, to each member and, if the director was elected by the holders of shares of a class, to those shareholders.

• Marginal note:Immunity for statement

  (3) No bank or person acting on its behalf incurs any liability by reason only of circulating a director’s statement in compliance with subsection (1) or (2).

Marginal note:Shareholders filling vacancy

• 176 (1) The by-laws of a bank that is not a federal credit union may provide that a vacancy among the directors is to be filled only

  • (a) by a vote of the shareholders; or

  • (b) by a vote of the holders of any class or series of shares having an exclusive right to elect one or more directors if the vacancy occurs among the directors elected by the holders of that class or series.

• Marginal note:Filling vacancy — federal credit union

  (2) The by-laws of a federal credit union may provide that a vacancy among its directors is to be filled by election or appointment by members only or by an election or appointment by persons having an exclusive right to elect or appoint one or more directors if the vacancy occurs among the directors appointed or elected by those persons.

Marginal note:Directors filling vacancy

• 177 (1) Despite section 183 but subject to subsection (2) and sections 176 and 178, a quorum of directors may fill a vacancy among the directors except a vacancy resulting from a change in the by-laws by which the number or the minimum or maximum number of directors is increased or from a failure to elect the number or minimum number of directors provided for in the by-laws.

• Marginal note:Where composition fails

  (2) Notwithstanding sections 176 and 183, where by reason of a vacancy the number of directors or the composition of the board of directors fails to meet any of the requirements of section 159, subsection 163(1) and section 164, the directors who, in the absence of any by-law, would be empowered to fill that vacancy shall do so forthwith.

Marginal note:Class vacancy

178 Despite section 183, if a class of persons have an exclusive right to elect one or more directors and a vacancy occurs among those directors, then, subject to section 176,

• (a) the remaining directors elected by those persons may fill the vacancy except one resulting from an increase in the number or the minimum or maximum number of directors who may be elected by that class from a failure to elect the number or minimum number of directors provided for in the by-laws for that class;

• (b) if there are no such remaining directors and, by reason of the vacancy, the number of directors or the composition of the board of directors fails to meet any of the requirements of section 159, subsection 163(1) and section 164, the other directors may fill that vacancy; and

• (c) if there are no such remaining directors and paragraph (b) does not apply, any person of that class may call a meeting of the class for the purpose of filling the vacancy.

Marginal note:Unexpired term

• 179 (1) Unless the by-laws otherwise provide, a director elected or appointed to fill a vacancy holds office for the unexpired term of the director’s predecessor in office.

• Marginal note:Affiliation

  (2) Notwithstanding subsection 163(3), the affiliation of a person to be elected or appointed to fill a vacancy shall be determined as at the date of the person’s election or appointment and that person shall be deemed to continue to be affiliated or unaffiliated, as the case may be, until the next annual meeting of the shareholders.

Marginal note:Additional directors

• 179.1 (1) The directors of a bank that is not a federal credit union may appoint one or more additional directors if the by-laws of the bank allow them to do so and the by-laws determine the minimum and maximum numbers of directors.

• Marginal note:Term of office

  (2) A director appointed under subsection (1) holds office for a term expiring not later than the close of the next annual meeting of shareholders of the bank.

• Marginal note:Limit on number appointed

  (3) The total number of directors appointed under subsection (1) may not exceed one third of the number of directors elected at the previous annual meeting of shareholders of the bank.

Meetings of the Board

Marginal note:Meetings required

• 180 (1) The directors shall meet at least four times during each financial year.

• Marginal note:Place for meetings

  (2) The directors may meet at any place unless the by-laws provide otherwise.

• Marginal note:Notice for meetings

  (3) The notice for the meetings must be given as required by the by-laws.

Marginal note:Notice of meeting

• 181 (1) A notice of a meeting of directors shall specify each matter referred to in section 198 that is to be dealt with at the meeting but, unless the by-laws otherwise provide, need not otherwise specify the purpose of or the business to be transacted at the meeting.

• Marginal note:Waiver of notice

  (2) A director may in any manner waive notice of a meeting of directors and the attendance of a director at a meeting of directors is a waiver of notice of that meeting except where the director attends the meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the grounds that the meeting is not lawfully called.

• Marginal note:Adjourned meeting

  (3) Notice of an adjourned meeting of directors is not required to be given if the time and place of the adjourned meeting was announced at the original meeting.

Marginal note:Quorum

• 182 (1) Subject to section 183, the number of directors referred to in subsection (2) constitutes a quorum at any meeting of directors or a committee of directors and, notwithstanding any vacancy among the directors, a quorum of directors may exercise all the powers of the directors.

• Marginal note:Idem

  (2) The number of directors constituting a quorum at any meeting of directors or a committee of directors shall be

  • (a) a majority of the minimum number of directors required by this Act for the board of directors or a committee of directors; or

  • (b) such greater number of directors than the number calculated pursuant to paragraph (a) as may be established by the by-laws of the bank.

• Marginal note:Director continues to be present

  (3) A director who is present at a meeting of directors or of a committee of directors but is not, in accordance with subsection 203(1), present at any particular time during the meeting is considered to be present for the purposes of this section.

Marginal note:Resident Canadian majority

• 183 (1) The directors of a bank shall not transact business at a meeting of directors unless

  • (a) in the case of a bank that is a subsidiary of a foreign bank, at least one half of the directors present are resident Canadians; or

  • (b) in any other case, a majority of the directors present are resident Canadians.

• Marginal note:Exception

  (2) Despite subsection (1), the directors of a bank may transact business at a meeting of directors without the required proportion of directors who are resident Canadians if

  • (a) a director who is a resident Canadian unable to be present approves, in writing or by telephonic, electronic or other communications facilities, the business transacted at the meeting; and

  • (b) there would have been present the required proportion of directors who are resident Canadians had that director been present at the meeting.

Marginal note:Directors of federal credit union

183.01 The directors of a federal credit union that has issued shares that provide for the election of directors must not transact business at a meeting of directors or of a committee of directors unless the majority of the directors present at the meeting are members.

Marginal note:Presence of unaffiliated director

• 183.1 (1) The directors of a bank shall not transact business at a meeting of directors unless at least one of the directors who is not affiliated with the bank is present.

• Marginal note:Exception

  (2) Despite subsection (1), the directors of a bank may transact business at a meeting of directors if a director who is not affiliated with the bank and who is not able to be present approves, in writing or by telephonic, electronic or other communications facilities, the business transacted at the meeting.

• Marginal note:Exception

  (3) Subsection (1) does not apply if all the voting shares of the bank, other than directors’ qualifying shares, if any, are beneficially owned by a Canadian financial institution incorporated by or under an Act of Parliament.

Marginal note:Electronic meeting

• 184 (1) Subject to the by-laws of a bank, a meeting of directors or of a committee of directors may be held by means of such telephonic, electronic or other communications facilities as permit all persons participating in the meeting to communicate adequately with each other during the meeting.

• Marginal note:Deemed present

  (2) A director participating in a meeting by any means referred to in subsection (1) is deemed for the purposes of this Act to be present at that meeting.

Marginal note:Resolution outside board meeting

• 184.1 (1) A resolution in writing signed by all the directors entitled to vote on that resolution at a meeting of directors is as valid as if it had been passed at a meeting of directors.

• Marginal note:Filing directors’ resolution

  (2) A copy of the resolution referred to in subsection (1) shall be kept with the minutes of the proceedings of the directors.

• Marginal note:Resolution outside committee meeting

  (3) A resolution in writing signed by all the directors entitled to vote on that resolution at a meeting of a committee of directors, other than a resolution of the audit committee in carrying out its duties under subsection 194(3) or a resolution of the conduct review committee in carrying out its duties under subsection 195(3), is as valid as if it had been passed at a meeting of that committee.

• Marginal note:Filing committee resolution

  (4) A copy of the resolution referred to in subsection (3) shall be kept with the minutes of the proceedings of that committee.

• Marginal note:Evidence

  (5) Unless a ballot is demanded, an entry in the minutes of a meeting that the chairperson declared a resolution to be carried or defeated is in the absence of evidence to the contrary proof of that fact without proof of the number or proportion of votes recorded in favour of or against the resolution.

Marginal note:Dissent of director

• 185 (1) A director of a bank who is present at a meeting of directors or a committee of directors is deemed to have consented to any resolution passed or action taken at that meeting unless

  • (a) the director requests that the director’s dissent be entered or the director’s dissent is entered in the minutes of the meeting;

  • (b) the director sends a written dissent to the secretary of the meeting before the meeting is adjourned; or

  • (c) the director sends the director’s dissent by registered mail or delivers it to the head office of the bank immediately after the meeting is adjourned.

• Marginal note:Loss of right to dissent

  (2) A director of a bank who votes for or consents to a resolution is not entitled to dissent under subsection (1).

• Marginal note:Dissent of absent director

  (3) A director of a bank who is not present at a meeting at which a resolution is passed or action taken is deemed to have consented thereto unless, within seven days after the director becomes aware of the resolution, the director

  • (a) causes the director’s dissent to be placed with the minutes of the meeting; or

  • (b) sends the director’s dissent by registered mail or delivers it to the head office of the bank.

Marginal note:Record of attendance

• 186 (1) A bank shall keep a record of the attendance at each meeting of directors and each committee meeting of directors.

• Marginal note:Statement to shareholders and members

  (2) A bank must attach to the notice of each annual meeting it sends to its shareholders or members, as the case may be, a statement showing, in respect of the financial year immediately preceding the meeting, the total number of directors’ meetings and directors’ committee meetings held during the financial year and the number of those meetings attended by each director.