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Securities Regulation and Investment Products

Market participants benefit from the Securities Regulation & Investment Products (SRIP) Group's comprehensive understanding of the regulatory landscape in Canada and the vast array of financial products and services in today's capital markets.

Our clients include both domestic and non-resident dealers, advisors, investment fund managers, commodity-futures merchants, commodity-trading managers, financial institutions, alternative trading systems and other market participants.

The SRIP Group was established in 2000 in response to the numerous market and regulatory developments that occurred throughout the 1990s. In particular, the dramatic growth of the investment management sector during that decade served as a catalyst for the proliferation of regulatory initiatives that led to the establishment of a comprehensive framework for the regulation of financial products and services in Canada. As a result of these developments, the present regulatory framework encompasses a diverse range of market activity that includes the development and dissemination of exempt and non-exempt financial products and services, the registration or licensing of dealers, advisors and alternative trading systems and the ongoing trading and advisory activities that are conducted by them. These regulatory requirements are complex and pervasive and can have a significant impact upon the way in which various market participants structure and operate their businesses. The range of legal services that are provided by the SRIP Group generally fall into one of the following legal service categories:

  • Securities trading – Regulatory requirements governing the trading of securities by investors, dealers, advisors, financial institutions, marketplaces and other market intermediaries.
  • Advisor regulation – Regulatory requirements in relation to services and products offered by businesses and individuals engaged in offering investment counselling and portfolio management services.
  • Investment funds – Assisting with the establishment, distribution, governance, day-to-day operations, restructuring and termination of investment funds, including mutual funds, pooled funds, closed-end funds, alternative-investment funds and labour-sponsored funds.
  • Transaction work – Assisting with the conduct of transactions involving the establishment, sale, transfer, restructuring or merger of dealers, advisors and financial products and services.
  • Regulatory proceedings – Advising on regulatory risks associated with particular trading and advisory activities, responding to compliance reviews, audits and information demands by regulators, responding to investigations and enforcement proceedings and assisting with securities firm bankruptcies, insolvencies and civil cases.
  • Anti-money-laundering and privacy – Advising on compliance with Canada's recently amended anti-money-laundering rules and privacy regulations, including disclosing required information to the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada and developing anti-money-laundering and privacy programs.

Members of the SRIP Group are located in our firm's Toronto, Montréal, Calgary and Vancouver offices. We partner regularly with our firm's tax, banking, pension fund, litigation and merger and acquisition specialists to assist our financial services clients with the development of effective strategies for addressing the impact of Canadian securities, tax, pension, banking and other laws on the establishment and conduct of their operations in Canada.

International Comparative Legal Guide to: Alternative Investment Funds 2021

International Comparative Legal Guide to: Alternative Investment Funds 2021

Sean D. Sadler, Cristian Blidariu and Nigel P.J. Johnston, write about Canadian matters in The International Comparative Legal Guide to Alternative Investment Funds. This chapter covers key issues, including regulatory frameworks, fund structures and marketing in Canada.

Download your copy

International Comparative Legal Guide to: Public Investment Funds 2021

International Comparative Legal Guide to: Public Investment Funds 2021

Sean D. Sadler, Cristian Blidariu and Nigel P.J. Johnston, write about Canadian matters in The International Comparative Legal Guide to Public Investment Funds. This chapter covers key issues, including regulatory frameworks, fund structures and marketing in Canada.

Download your copy