Canadian Securities Regulators Release Three-Year Business Plan

CALGARY, July 9, 2013 /CNW/ - The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) today released its Three-Year Business Plan for the period April 1, 2013 through to March 31, 2016.

"The Plan sets out, in a clear and comprehensive manner, the priorities the CSA has committed to pursue over the next three years," said Bill Rice, Chair of the CSA and Chair and CEO of the Alberta Securities Commission. "The Plan itself is not static and over its life will be supplemented and influenced by capital market events and regulatory responses to these events."

The Plan is designed to reflect CSA members' commitment towards enhancement of the Canadian regulatory framework, with particular emphasis on the implementation of investor protection initiatives.  The key CSA priorities include:

• retail investor protection;
• capital raising by small and medium sized enterprises and review of available prospectus exemptions;
• shareholder democracy and protection;
• market regulation; and
• enforcement effectiveness.

While the CSA will give priority to the Plan's initiatives over the next three years, regulators are strongly committed to ongoing initiatives and will be ready to address any new issues and challenges that might arise in Canada's evolving capital markets.

The CSA Three-Year Business Plan is on the CSA and various members' websites.

The CSA, the council of the securities regulators of Canada's provinces and territories, co-ordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets.

SOURCE: Canadian Securities Administrators