What Does the Market Say About Say on Pay? A Look at the Canadian Bank Experience

Abstract

This paper explores the share price reaction to a recent news announcement that Canadian banks were adopting say-on-pay, a policy that gives shareholders an annual non-binding vote on executive compensation. Using event study methodology, the effect of adopting this new policy is explored and found to be associated with a significant increase in share price. This result suggests that giving shareholders a voice on executive compensation is expected to generate economic benefits, which adds to the paucity of knowledge currently available to shareholders and legislators as they consider the consequences of say-on-pay.