Alberta might not be too keen on joining a national securities regulation scheme, but that doesn’t mean the province isn’t interested in strengthening its securities legislation and improving cooperation in the existing system. The government has proposed changes to the Alberta Securities Act that:
Will better align Alberta’s securities laws with the pan-Canadian passport system, and give the securities commission tools to oversee clearing agencies and credit-rating agencies. [The changes] will provide the commission more authority and allow it to more quickly respond to rapidly changing economic circumstances.
The Securities Amendment Act, 2011 passed second reading last week, and will move to committee.
As of yet, there seems to have been little comment on the amendments, either from legal or news sources. The changes may simply be “housekeeping”, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have an effect on businesses across Alberta and others that operate in the province.
Adam Gorley
First Reference Inside Internal Controls, Human Resources and Compliance Editor
