In 2024, about 400 companies in the U.K. were sold to their workers using a structure called an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). That represented about eight per cent of all private company sales in the U.K. Instead of being sold to outside investors or closed, those companies remain domestically owned, keeping jobs in communities and […]
Relaxing rules around employee ownership, particularly through Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs), can help secure Canadian sovereignty by keeping companies in Canadian hands as many business owners approach retirement and face the risk of selling to foreign entities. Strong employee ownership policies present an attractive alternative to selling to foreign interest, countering this threat with minimal government intervention. Currently, Canada has few employee-owned companies due to challenging tax and trust laws. Employee ownership has proven successful in the U.K. and the U.S.. Expanding EOTs would keep Canadian businesses in Canadian hands.