RI section of the AMF website: Helping you keep your clients informed
For some time now, the AMF has posted information about RI on its website. If you missed it, that could be because it’s located in the “Investments” section under the “General public” tab.
“There’s a bit of buzz right now about responsible investing,” confirms Sylvain Théberge, Director of Media Relations at the AMF. “Investors increasingly want to make sure that their money isn’t going to oil and gas companies or businesses whose objectives don’t align with their personal values.” He says it was for this reason, and this reason only, that the AMF decided to put up information about RI. “We haven’t received any complaints, and we haven’t heard about any particular concerns on the part of consumers.”
“Responsible investment is a choice based on principles. But it’s also a choice that means performing a more in depth analysis.” — Sylvain Théberge
Getting a better handle on Responsible Investment
In any event, under the heading “Defining responsible or sustainable investing”, you’ll find helpful information about the environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors that can influence consumer choices, a list of places where you can get ESG information about a specific publicly traded company or investment fund, details about the disclosures that companies have to provide for each of the three ESG factors, as well as related regulation. In addition, users can access a tool to test their knowledge, and a link that takes them to information about carbon credits and related concepts.
According to Mr. Théberge, being well informed is essential when it comes to RI. And that takes some effort. “Responsible investment is a choice based on principles. But it’s also a choice that means doing a bit more research, asking questions and performing a more in depth analysis.”
Persons wishing to invest responsibly will, of course, be looking to earn some sort of return. But they also want their ethical considerations to be taken into account. “The goal here is to make sure that the selected product is aligned with the objectives or principles of the investor,” says Mr. Théberge. “In a portfolio that may contain many different companies, you can’t have one or two that adhere to the ESG factors that are important to the investor but are engaging in questionable activities.”
In all other respects, the advisor’s job is the same: providing solid information to the client about investment products, making sure the products they present are suitable in terms of the client’s investor profile and short , medium or long term goals, and monitoring the client’s situation as it evolves.
