CSA names new investor panel

Investors are getting a louder voice in regulatory policy with the forthcoming launch of the Canadian Securities Administrators’ (CSA) new investor advisory panel (IAP).

Modelled on a similar body that was established by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) in 2010, the IAP created by CSA will launch on Sept. 1 and provide regulators with feedback on their work from the investor perspective.

“The CSA IAP will provide meaningful insight into retail investors’ interests and support the CSA’s policy development, strengthening Canada’s capital markets while enhancing investor protection,” the CSA said in a release.

The inaugural panel will be chaired by Guy Lemoine, former president of the Quebec Financial Markets Administrative Tribunal and a former regulator who now works in private legal practice.

The members of the CSA IAP will be appointed for staggered terms of either two or three years, and terms can be renewed once.

The other members of the group include Susan Milburn, financial advisor with Raymond James Ltd. in Saskatchewan; Line Deslandes, lawyer and former financial industry executive; Cristie Ford, law professor with the University of British Columbia; Ryan Clements, an assistant professor with the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law; Jason Alcorn, associate professor with the Faculty of Law of Université de Moncton; Eric Spink, lawyer and former regulator; Millie Acuna, manager, asset building programs with SEED (Supporting Employment & Economic Development) in Winnipeg; and Annick Kwetcheu Gamo, a specialist in financial education.

The CSA panel also includes two current members of the OSC’s IAP: Neil Gross, who will serve as chair of the OSC IAP until Oct. 31 and will stay on with the CSA IAP after that; and Brigitte Catellier, who will be cross-appointed to both panels as of Nov. 1. Catellier is an adjunct professor with Osgoode Hall Law School and associate director of its Investor Protection Clinic.

“We are thrilled to have this group of highly qualified individuals join the CSA IAP,” said Stan Magidson, chair of the CSA and chair and CEO of the Alberta Securities Commission, in a statement.

“They have the extensive and diverse experience needed to bring an important perspective on investor protection in Canada,” he said. “Their contributions will support the CSA in its long-standing commitment to provide beneficial regulatory outcomes for retail investors and will complement the work of existing investor panels and CSA member committees.”

James Langton

James is a senior reporter for Advisor.ca and its sister publication, Investment Executive. He has been reporting on regulation, securities law, industry news and more since 1994.