Fiera Capital Corporation

Headnote

Pursuant to National Policy 11-203 Process for Exemptive Relief Applications in Multiple Jurisdictions -- Relief from the prohibition on the use of corporate officer titles by certain registered individuals in respect of institutional clients -- Relief does not extend to interactions by registered individuals with retail clients.

Applicable Legislative Provisions

Multilateral Instrument 11-102 Passport System, s. 4.7(1).

National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations, ss. 13.18(2)(b) and 15.1(2).

[COURTESY TRANSLATION]

March 2, 2022

IN THE MATTER OF THE SECURITIES LEGISLATION OF QUÉBEC AND ONTARIO (THE JURISDICTIONS) AND IN THE MATTER OF THE PROCESS FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF APPLICATIONS IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS AND IN THE MATTER OF FIERA CAPITAL CORPORATION (THE FILER)

DECISION

Background

The securities regulatory authority or regulator in each of the Jurisdictions (Decision Maker) has received an application from the Filer for a decision under the securities legislation of the Jurisdictions (the Legislation) that pursuant to section 15.1 of National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations (NI 31-103), the Filer and its Registered Individuals (as defined below) are exempt from the prohibition in paragraph 13.18(2)(b) of NI 31-103 that a registered individual may not use a corporate officer title when interacting with clients, unless the individual has been appointed to that corporate office by their sponsoring firm pursuant to applicable corporate law, in respect of Clients (as defined below) (the Exemption Sought).

Under the Process for Exemptive Relief Applications in Multiple Jurisdictions (for a dual application):

(a) the Autorité des marchés financiers is the principal regulator for this application,

(b) the Filer has provided notice that subsection 4.7(1) of Multilateral Instrument 11-102Passport System (MI 11-102) is intended to be relied upon by the Filer and its Registered Individuals (as defined below) in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Yukon (the Other Jurisdictions) in respect of the Exemption Sought, and

(c) the decision is the decision of the principal regulator and evidences the decision of the securities regulatory authority or regulator in Ontario.

Interpretation

Terms defined in MI 11-102 and National Instrument 14-101 Definitions have the same meaning if used in this decision, unless otherwise defined.

Representations

This decision is based on the following facts represented by the Filer:

1. The Filer is a corporation formed under the laws of Ontario and has its head office in Montréal, Québec.

2. The Filer is an independent investment management firm listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The Filer and its affiliates (collectively, the Fiera Group) offer investment management and wealth management advisory services with offices around the world.

3. The Filer is registered as a portfolio manager and as an exempt market dealer in each of the provinces and territories of Canada; as an investment fund manager in Québec, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador; as an adviser in Manitoba; as a commodity trading manager in Ontario and as a derivatives portfolio manager in Québec.

4. Other than with respect to the subject of this decision, the Filer is not in default of securities legislation in any province or territory of Canada.

5. The Filer's business comprises two divisions: (i) Institutional (the Institutional Division) and (2) Private Wealth (the Private Wealth Division). The Institutional Division offers asset management products and services to institutional clients in Canada, including the investment funds for which it acts as portfolio manager. The Institutional Division does not provide services to clients who are individuals. The Private Wealth Division offers investment management products and services to high net worth individuals, families and their holding companies and trusts.

6. The Filer also acts as dealer in relation to the distribution of prospectus-exempt investment products to clients of the Institutional Division or clients of the Private Wealth Division, as applicable, in Canada. Although the Filer is also the investment fund manager of prospectus qualified mutual funds, such mutual funds are sold to retail investors through third-party dealers and not by either division of the Filer.

7. The Institutional Division and the Private Wealth Division function independently, as stand-alone operations within the Filer. Each division reports through a separate and distinct senior management structure.

8. The client base of the Institutional Division consists primarily of pension funds, foundations, family office businesses, institutional asset managers and other portfolio managers. These clients are non-individual "permitted clients" as defined in NI 31-103 or non-individual "institutional clients" as defined in Rule 1201 of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC). Any client that is not a non-individual "permitted client" as defined in NI 31-103 or a non-individual "institutional client" as defined in IIROC Rule 1201 will be serviced by the Private Wealth Division.

9. The Filer is the sponsoring firm for registered individuals that interact with clients and use a corporate officer title without being appointed to the corporate office of the Filer pursuant to applicable corporate law (the Registered Individuals). The number of Registered Individuals may increase or decrease from time to time as the business of the Filer changes. As of the date of this decision, the Filer has approximately 13 Registered Individuals. All of the Registered Individuals work within the Institutional Division and will interact exclusively with clients of the Institutional Division.

10. The current titles used by the Registered Individuals include the words "Executive Vice President", "Senior Vice President", "Vice President" and "Assistant Vice President", and the Registered Individuals may use additional corporate officer titles in the future (collectively, the Titles). The Titles used by the Registered Individuals are consistent with the titles used by the Fiera Group affiliates.

11. The Filer has a process in place for awarding the Titles, which sets out the criteria for each of the Titles. The Titles are based on criteria including seniority and experience, and a Registered Individual's sales activity or revenue generation is not a primary factor in the decision by the Filer to award one of the Titles.

12. The Registered Individuals interact only with institutional clients that are, each, a non-individual "permitted client", as defined in subsection 1.1 of NI 31-103 or a non-individual "institutional client" as defined in IIROC Rule 1201 (collectively, the Clients).

13. Section 13.18 of NI 31-103 prohibits registered individuals in their client-facing relationships from, among other things, using titles or designations that could reasonably be expected to deceive or mislead existing and prospective clients. Paragraph 13.18(2)(b) of NI 31-103 specifically prohibits the use of corporate officer titles by registered individuals who interact with clients unless the individuals have been appointed to those corporate offices by their sponsoring firms pursuant to applicable corporate law.

14. There would be significant operational and human resources challenges for the Filer to comply with the prohibition in paragraph 13.18(2)(b). In addition, the Titles are widely used and recognized throughout the institutional segment of the financial services industry within Canada and globally, and being unable to use the Titles has the potential to put the Filer and its Registered Individuals at a competitive disadvantage as compared to non-Canadian firms that are not subject to the prohibition and who compete for the same institutional clients.

15. Given their nature and sophistication, the use of the Titles by the Registered Individuals would not be expected to deceive or mislead existing and prospective Clients.

16. For the reasons provided above, it would not be prejudicial to the public interest to grant the Exemption Sought.

Decision

Each of the Decision Makers is satisfied that the decision meets the test set out in the Legislation for the Decision Maker to make the decision.

The decision of the Decision Makers under the Legislation is that the Exemption Sought is granted, provided that, when using the Titles, the Filer and its Registered Individuals interact only with existing and prospective clients that are exclusively non-individual "permitted clients" as defined in NI 31-103 or non-individual "institutional clients" as defined in IIROC Rule 1201.

This decision will terminate six months, or such other transition period as may be provided by law, after the coming into force of any amendment to NI 31-103 or other applicable securities law that affects the ability of the Registered Individuals to use the Titles in the circumstances described in this decision.

French version signed by:

"Éric Jacob"
Superintendent
Client Services and Distribution Oversight
Autorité des marchés financiers

 

Application File #: 2021/0770