I asked my Swiss Bank the same questions. My Swiss Bank had and still has no clue what this is all about, I have not obtained a certificate so far. It should be possible though to obtain the share certificates, an official certificate of the Canadian Transfer Agent of your Swiss Bank to have your shares in your name, for the case any intermediary goes broke.

To ensure your shares aren't used against you e.g. your bank or their Canadian agent lending them to a shorter you can put in a sell order to for instance CA$ 3.50. In this way they are allocated and can't be lend out.

There are three primary forms to represent share ownership:

1. Ownership via your account at a broker or bank in which the broker or bank holds all the shares for all clients in that share in what is called a street name. Street names today are a nominee name such as CEDE. The broker or bank then shows your ownership of this security in your monthly statement in your cash or margin account. Your shares will remain in the nominee account under the nominee name of the bank or broker in the form of a computer entry.
2. Ownership via paper certificate whereby an entity called a Transfer Agent has been informed by your broker of your coordinates and request for the delivery of a paper certificate. The Transfer Agent follows the instructions of your broker and sends the paper certificate with your name on it to either you directly or to your broker who most often then sends it to you. The process reduces the street name position by the amount of your position. Your ownership drops off your brokerage or bank statement. Yes it is that easy.
3. Ownership via the form of book entry on the books of the transfer agent: Instruct your bank or broker that you wish your shares to be in the form of a book entry at the transfer agent. Your broker then instructs the Transfer Agent of your request, giving them all your information. The transfer agent reduces the street name position by the amount of your holdings and puts your name in their books as a book entry. You now fall off the books and records of the bank or broker.

Transfer Agent:

The record keeper employed by a public corporation to prepare and maintain records related to the accounts of their shareholders. Such information would include the name of each registered shareholder, his or her address and the number of shares owned. The agent oversees the issuance of certificates to new shareholders and the destruction of certificates that have been sold.

It does not matter if a transfer agent is owned by a bank or financial entity because it is a separately incorporated non financial entity posing no financial risk to those it accounts.

Street Name:
A term used for describing a stock that is held in the name of a brokerage firm, instead of the actual purchaser of the stock. When you buy a stock and let your brokerage firm hold the stock certificate on your behalf, the stock is said to be held in "Street Name".

Nominee name:
An official of a financial institution or some other appointed agent to whom securities or other funds are transferred by agreement with the actual owner. Nominees facilitate the collection and distribution of income from securities (when such securities are held in the name of a nominee), and facilitate the sale or purchase of securities when it may be inconvenient or impractical to obtain the necessary signature of the principal in order to conduct a transaction.