Power of Ultimate Controlling Owners: A Survey of Canadian Landscape

This study highlights the ownership structure of 1120 Canadian listed firms. The chains of ownership and control are traced back to the ultimate controlling owners, and related to some corporate features. Families are the most prevalent type of controlling shareholder. Pyramids, multiple classes of shares and cross-holdings are used to gain control, and hence, a significant separation of ownership and control is achieved. The study also provides some evidence that the role of the second ultimate owners, which is to weaken the channels that lead to expropriation, is not effective in Canada. The findings are compared to those of previous empirical ownership studies on the US, Western Europe and East Asia. Copyright Springer 2006ownership structure, shareholder protection, voting rights, G32,