is this 1-pg chat still open?, page-275

At least in the U.S, you have to be publicly traded to be a public company. I would imagine it is the same here.
"If it's a public U.S. company, which means it is trading on a U.S. stock exchange, it is typically required to file quarterly earnings reports (among other things) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)."

https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/difference-between-publicly-and-privately-held-companies/