Canadian employees of a Canadian subsidiary of a foreign parent had "subscription rights" to acquire unlisted ordinary shares of the foreign parent. The subscription rights plan provided that, for reasons relating to the tax rules in the foreign jurisdiction, at the time of the grant of such right, the employee also would acquire a non-interest bearing bond of the parent at an appropriate discount. In addition, under put and call agreements with a non-resident corporation ("Putcallco") the employee could cause Putcallco to acquire the employee's foreign parent shares (after exercise of the subscription right) at their fair market value at the time of such exercise (as determined under a formula), and Putcallco could acquire the subscription rights for their fair market value (as also determined under the formula) in the event the individual ceased to be an employee. The foreign parent and the Canadian subsidiary had agreed that when a subscription right was exercised by an employee, the Canadian subsidiary would be obliged to pay to the foreign parent the amount by which the fair market value of the shares acquired by the employee exceeded the exercise price.
The granting by the Canadian subsidiary to the employees of the right to surrender their subscription rights to it for a cash amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of a foreign parent share (determined on the same formula basis) and the exercise price would not result in a disposition under s. 7(1)(b) or result in a conferral of a benefit by the Canadian subsidiary on the foreign parent under s. 15(1).