Global Securities Corp. v. British Columbia Securities Commission et al., 2000 SCC 21

JudgeMcLachlin, C.J.C., L'Heureux-Dubé, Gonthier, Iacobucci, Major, Bastarache, Binnie, Arbour and LeBel, JJ.
CourtSupreme Court (Canada)
Case DateJanuary 25, 2000
JurisdictionCanada (Federal)
Citations2000 SCC 21;(2000), 134 B.C.A.C. 207 (SCC);252 NR 290;[1998] BCJ No 1597 (QL);[2000] 1 SCR 494;JE 2000-807;74 BCLR (3d) 1;95 ACWS (3d) 978;134 BCAC 207;[2000] SCJ No 5 (QL);185 DLR (4th) 439;[2000] 5 WWR 1

Global Securities v. Secur. Comm. (2000), 134 B.C.A.C. 207 (SCC);

    219 W.A.C. 207

MLB headnote and full text

[French language version follows English language version]

[La version française vient à la suite de la version anglaise]

....................

Temp. Cite: [2000] B.C.A.C. TBEd. AP.007

British Columbia Securities Commission (appellant) v. Global Securities Corporation (respondent) and the Attorney General of Canada, the Attorney General for Ontario, the Attorney General of Quebec, the Attorney General of Nova Scotia, the Attorney General of Manitoba, the Attorney General of British Columbia, the Attorney General for Alberta, the Ontario Securities Commission, the Commission des valeurs mobilières du Québec and the Alberta Securities Commission (interveners)

(26887; 2000 SCC 21)

Indexed As: Global Securities Corp. v. British Columbia Securities Commission et al.

Supreme Court of Canada

McLachlin, C.J.C., L'Heureux-Dubé, Gonthier, Iacobucci, Major, Bastarache, Binnie, Arbour and LeBel, JJ.

January 25, 2000.

Summary:

The British Columbia Securities Commis­sion made an order under s. 141(1)(b) of the British Columbia Securities Act requiring Global Securities to, inter alia, produce all records relating to Global's trading activities in the United States. Global petitioned for, inter alia, a declaration that s. 141(1)(b) was ultra vires the province.

The British Columbia Supreme Court, in a decision reported [1997] B.C.T.C. Uned. B43, dismissed the petition. Global appealed.

The British Columbia Court of Appeal, Southin, J.A., dissenting in part, in a de­cision reported 110 B.C.A.C. 1; 178 W.A.C. 1, allowed the appeal and declared s. 141(1)(b) of the Securities Act ultra vires the province. The Commission appealed.

The Supreme Court of Canada allowed the appeal. Section 141(1)(b) was intra vires the province. The court set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal and restored the judgment of the Court of Queen's Bench.

Constitutional Law - Topic 2950

Determination of validity of statutes or acts - Pith and substance - General principles - The Supreme Court of Canada discussed the determination of the pith and substance of a legislative provision - See paragraphs 22 to 26.

Constitutional Law - Topic 7285

Provincial jurisdiction (s. 92) - Property and civil rights - Regulatory statutes - Securities - Section 141(1)(b) of the British Columbia Securities Act authorized the British Columbia Securities Commis­sion to order registered brokers to produce records "to assist in the administration of the securities laws of another jurisdiction" - The Supreme Court of Canada held that s. 141(1)(b) was intra vires the province because its pith and substance fell within the province's powers under property and civil rights (Constitution Act, 1867, s. 92(13)) - The dominant purpose of s. 141(1)(b) was the enforcement of domestic securities law, by obtaining reciprocal assistance from foreign regulators and by discovering foreign securities law vio­lations by domestic registrants - The extra­provincial effects of s. 141(1)(b) were clearly incidental to the dominant purpose - Even if s. 141(1)(b) was not in pith and substance provincial, it was clearly jus­tified under the ancillary doctrine, where it was part of a valid legislative scheme.

Securities Regulation - Topic 1245

Regulatory commissions - Powers or juris­diction - Extra-provincial transactions - [See Constitutional Law - Topic 7285 ].

Securities Regulation - Topic 1253

Regulatory commissions - Powers or juris­diction - Respecting disclosure of infor­mation - [See Constitutional Law - Topic 7285 ].

Cases Noticed:

Ontario (Attorney General) v. Scott, [1956] S.C.R. 137, refd to. [para. 13].

McCarthy and Menin and United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Re (1963), 38 D.L.R.(2d) 660 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [para. 14].

Edwards v. Canada (Attorney General), [1930] A.C. 124 (P.C.), refd to. [para. 16].

City National Leasing Ltd. v. General Motors of Canada Ltd., [1989] 1 S.C.R. 641; 93 N.R. 326; 32 O.A.C. 332, refd to. [para. 19].

R. v. Hydro-Québec, [1997] 3 S.C.R. 213; 217 N.R. 241, refd to. [para. 21].

R. v. Morgentaler, [1993] 3 S.C.R. 463; 157 N.R. 97; 125 N.S.R.(2d) 81; 349 A.P.R. 81, refd to. [para. 22].

Whitbread v. Walley et al., [1990] 3 S.C.R. 1273; 120 N.R. 109, refd to. [para. 22].

Union Colliery Co. of British Columbia v. Bryden, [1899] A.C. 580 (P.C.), refd to. [para. 22].

Saumur v. Quebec (City), [1953] 2 S.C.R. 299, refd to. [para. 23].

Alberta (Attorney General) v. Canada (Attorney General), [1939] A.C. 117 (P.C.), refd to. [para. 23].

Upper Churchill Water Rights Reversion Act, 1980, Re; Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corp. et al. v. Newfoundland (Attorney General) et al., [1984] 1 S.C.R. 297; 53 N.R. 268; 47 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 125; 139 A.P.R. 125, refd to. [para. 24].

Ladore v. Bennett, [1939] A.C. 468 (P.C.), refd to. [para. 24].

Smith v. R., [1960] S.C.R. 776, refd to. [para. 33].

Lymburn v. Mayland, [1932] 2 D.L.R. 6 (P.C.), refd to. [para. 33].

Gregory & Co. v. Quebec Securities Com­mission, [1961] S.C.R. 584, refd to. [para. 33].

McGuire v. McGuire, [1953] O.R. 328 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 38].

Multiple Access Ltd. v. McCutcheon et al., [1982] 2 S.C.R. 161; 44 N.R. 181, refd to. [para. 40].

R. v. McKenzie (W.) Securities Ltd. (1966), 56 D.L.R.(2d) 56 (Man. C.A.), refd to. [para. 41].

Legault and Law Society of Upper Canada, Re (1975), 58 D.L.R.(3d) 641 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [para. 42].

Underwood McLellan & Associates Ltd. v. Saskatchewan Association of Professional Engineers, Barschel, Ringheim and Gallinger (1979), 1 Sask.R. 25; 103 D.L.R.(3d) 268 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 42].

Statutes Noticed:

Constitution Act, 1867, sect. 92(13), sect. 92(14) [para. 17].

Securities Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 418, sect. 141(1), sect. 141(1)(b), sect. 141(2)(b), sect. 141(3) [para. 17].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Anisman, P., and Hogg, Peter W., Consti­tutional Aspects of Federal Securities Legislation, in Proposals for a Securities Market Law for Canada (1979), vol. 3, pp. 154 [para. 33]; 217 [para. 28].

Endinger, E., Territorial Limitations on Provincial Powers (1982), 14 Ott. L. Rev. 57, p. 94 [para. 38].

Edinger, Elizabeth R., The Constitutional Validity of Provincial Mutual Assistance Legislation: Global Securities v. British Columbia (Securities Commission) (1999), 33 U.B.C.L. Rev. 169, p. 176 [para. 27].

Erwin, P.O., The International Securities Enforcement Cooperation Act of 1990: Increasing International Cooperation in Extraterritorial Discovery? (1992), 15 Boston College Int'l & Comp. L. Rev. 471, p. 485 [para. 29].

Greene, C.A.A., International Securities Law Enforcement: Recent Advances in Assistance and Cooperation (1994), 27 Vand J. Transnat'l L. 635, pp. 649, 650 [para. 29].

Hogg, Peter W., Constitutional Law of Canada (Loose Leaf Ed.), vol. 1, pp. 15-6 [para. 21]; 15-8, 15-12 [para. 22]; 15-35 [para. 45].

International Organization of Securities Commissions, Securities Activity on the Internet (September 1998), generally [para. 28].

Johnston, D., and Rockwell, K.D., Ca­nadian Securities Regulation (2nd Ed. 1998), p. 4 [para. 33].

Kehoe, J.A., Exporting Insider Trading Laws: The Enforcement of U.S. Insider Trading Laws Internationally (1995), 9 Emory Int'l L. Rev. 345, p. 360 [para. 29].

Counsel:

James A. Angus and Stephen M. Zolnay, for the appellant;

Murray Clemens, Q.C., Julia E. Lawn and Douglas R. Garrod, for the respondent;

Roslyn J. Levine, Q.C., for the intervener, Attorney General of Canada;

Michel Y. Hélie, for the intervener, At­torney General for Ontario;

Alain Gingras, for the intervener, Attorney General of Quebec;

Eugene Szach, for the intervener, Attorney General of Manitoba;

Harvey Groberman, Q.C., for the intervener, Attorney General of British Columbia;

Roderick Wiltshire, for the intervener, Attorney General for Alberta;

Neil R. Finkelstein and Russell Cohen, for the intervener, Ontario Securities Com­mission;

Gérald R. Tremblay, Q.C., and Richard Proulx, for the intervener, Commission des valeurs mobilières du Québec;

Anne J. Brown and Lisa Rudan, for the intervener, Alberta Securities Commis­sion.

Solicitors of Record:

James A. Angus and Stephen M. Zolnay, Vancouver, British Columbia, for the appellant;

Nathanson, Schachter & Thompson, Vancouver, British Columbia, for the respondent;

Department of Justice, Toronto, Ontario, for the intervener, Attorney General of Canada;

Ministry of the Attorney General, Toronto, Ontario, for the intervener, Attorney General for Ontario;

Department of Justice, Sainte-Foy, Quebec, for the intervener, Attorney General of Quebec;

Department of Justice, Halifax, Nova Scotia, for the intervener, Attorney Gen­eral of Nova Scotia;

Department of Justice, Winnipeg, Mani­toba, for the intervener, Attorney General of Manitoba;

Ministry of the Attorney General, Victoria, British Columbia, for the intervener, Attorney General of British Columbia;

Department of Justice, Edmonton, Alberta, for the intervener, Attorney General for Alberta;

Davies, Ward & Beck, Toronto, Ontario, for the intervener, Ontario Securities Commission;

McCarthy Tétrault, Montreal, Quebec, for the intervener, Commission des valeurs mobilières du Québec;

Anne J. Brown, Calgary, Alberta, for the intervener, Alberta Securities Commis­sion.

This appeal was heard and decided on January 25, 2000, by McLachlin, C.J.C., L'Heureux-Dubé, Gonthier, Iacobucci, Major, Bastarache, Binnie, Arbour and LeBel, JJ., of the Supreme Court of Canada. The following reasons were delivered on April 13, 2000, in both official languages, by Iacobucci, J.

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