Pension funds have been active in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for the second quarter of 2011, reports the Financial Post Crosbie: Mergers & Acquisitions in Canada database. Financial sponsors had 12 mergers and acquisitions over $100 million in the second quarter of 2011, nine of which involved pension funds. The 12 transactions were valued at […]
As I write this, the first federal election campaign of 2011 is entering the home stretch. I say “first,” because the discordant tenor of the election rhetoric leads one to wonder how another minority government might possibly function for any length of time. From my perspective, the most exciting part of this election is that […]
The Canadian M&A market continued its momentum into the fourth quarter of 2010, making it the third successive quarter of increased M&A activity in terms of both transaction volume and value, according to the Financial Post Crosbie: Mergers & Acquisitions in Canada database. Riding on the back of the announcement of 302 transactions, the value […]
It's the first overseas office for China's mega-fund.
At their meeting in Prince Edward Island in June 2010, federal, provincial and territorial finance ministers decided to pursue three areas relating to pensions, one of which was to explore private sector plan design innovations that would allow financial institutions to offer broad-based defined contribution (DC) arrangements to multiple employers and the self-employed. By combining […]
Canadian governments need to focus on reforms that allow for increased retirement savings levels in order to ensure individuals have adequate replacement income at retirement. That was a key message delivered by a panel of speakers at the CPBI Western Regional Conference, held in Banff, Alberta from Oct.27 to Oct.29. Current OECD standards for […]
In June, the nation’s finance ministers convened in Charlottetown to set the direction for pension reform. Hopes were high that consensus on a pan-Canadian approach would emerge. However, amid limited detail on what was agreed, one clear question remains: Is the window about to close on an historic opportunity for harmonization? Initially, the meetings appeared […]
Ask the Expert: Jack Mintz Jack Mintz – Palmer Chair in Public Policy, School of Public Policy, University of Calgary Mintz recently chaired the Alberta Financial & Investment Policy Advisory Committee, reporting to the Alberta Minister of Finance, and was the research director for the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers’ Working Group on Retirement Income Research. In January […]
Pensions woke up this morning to find themselves a political issue. Perhaps it’s only natural, considering the solution to our pension woes will be imposed by the government. Still, it is strange to see Alberta’s Finance Minister—whose predecessor (from the same government) was one of the most ardent supporters of federal leadership on the issue—isolate […]
After what seemed like an eternity of consultations, town hall meetings and white papers, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan have tipped their hands on the issue of pension reform, revealing a united front in favour of an enhanced Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and an expanded role for the private […]