Eligible Investments

Asset class

Canadian content

Foreign content

Foreign exposure
counted as Canadian content

Cash and equivalents

•Canadian dollars

•Federal or provincial reasury bills

•Bankers acceptances

•Government of Canada and provincial savings bonds

•Canadian money market investment funds

•Foreign money market investment funds

•Foreign government-issued treasury bills

•Foreign-currency denominated deposits*

Fixed
income

•Canadian bank/trust company GICs and term deposits

•Negotiable bonds and debentures issued by the Government of Canada, the provinces, municipal bodies and Crown corporations

•Bonds of corporations listed on Canadian exchanges

•Bonds issued by unlisted Canadian public corporations

•Mortgages on Canadian property

•Bond or mortgage investment funds

•Foreign government-issued bonds with an investment grade rating

•Bonds issued by foreign corporations that are listed on prescribed stock exchanges

•Foreign bond
investment funds

•Negotiable bonds and debentures issued in foreign currency by the Government of Canada, provincial governments, municipal bodies and
Crown corporations

•Negotiable bonds issued by certain supra-national
organizations such as the World Bank

•Investment funds that hold foreign currency bonds from Canadian and supra-national issuers

Equities

•Shares of corporations listed on Canadian exchanges

•Canadian equity investment funds

•Shares of eligible Canadian private corporations

•Shares in provincial venture-capital corporations

•Foreign stocks listed on prescribed exchanges

•Foreign equity investment funds

•Derivative-based investment funds

Multi-class or special

•Balanced investment funds

•Certain warrants, rights and options

•Real estate investment trusts and royalty trusts

•Limited partnership units listed on a Canadian stock exchange

•Index-linked GICs

Ineligible Investments

An RSP is not allowed to hold:

• Precious metals such as gold and silver bars
• Futures contracts
• Works of art, jewellery or other collectibles
• Employee stock options
• Uncovered call options
• Real estate

Nevertheless, certain items on this list – such as precious metals and real estate – may be held indirectly through investment funds, investment trusts and royalty trusts.