Canadian Securities Administrators Propose Significant Amendments To Rights Offering Regime

On November 27, 2014, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) published proposed amendments to the rights offering regime that aim to make rights offerings more expedient and less costly by creating a streamlined prospectus exemption for reporting issuers (Proposed Exemption). The proposed amendments also aim to increase investor protection with the addition of civil liability for secondary market disclosure and the introduction of a more user-friendly form of rights offering circular document. Finally, the proposed amendments would also update requirements for prospectus-based rights offerings and would repeal the prospectus exemption for rights offerings by non-reporting issuers. This article highlights several of the proposed changes.