Compas Poll / Survey

Canadian CEOs and business leaders were asked to share their thoughts on bank mergers in the days that followed revelations of a derailed merger between the Bank of Montreal and the Bank of Nova Scotia as well as a plethora of discussion about what rules the government should impose on potential mergers in the future.

Advocates of mergers have a conditionally receptive audience among business leaders. Most respondents see merit in the advocates’ argument that banks need to be larger in order to play in global markets and most would accept mergers, albeit under specific conditions. Business leaders want at least as much competition in banking services after mergers as the country now experiences.

These are the key findings from the current web-survey of CEOs and other business leaders conducted by COMPAS on behalf of the National Post under sponsorship of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.