Registration - In-house Organization

Subject Matters

• Education
• Financial Institutions
• Pensions
• Small Business
• Taxation and Finance
• Telecommunications

Subject Matter Details

Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution

• Financial Institutions -We participate in any review of the Bank Act to ensure that consumers are adequately protected and a level playing field is maintained.
• Taxation - Amendments to the Income Tax Act to establish Employee Life and Health Trusts.
• Taxation - Changes to Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) rules and the Excise Tax Act so that all investment products have fair and equal tax treatment.
• Telecommunications - We participate in consultations and undertakings by the government related to the National Do Not Call List, The Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules and the Telecommunications Act to ensure that legitimate business uses of telecommunications can continue and our members can communicate with their clients and potential clients in an efficient manner. We would like to obtain equivalent treatment for our members regardless if the financial advisor is an insurance advisor as opposed to being an investment advisor by receiving an exemption from the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules if making telecommunications to existing clients.

Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution, Policies or Program

• Financial Institutions - Changes to the proposed Canadian Securities Act ("Securities Act") to change the definitions of "advisor", "company", "person" and individual", as well as change policy approaches to regulation of capital markets.
• Taxation and Finance - We will participate in proposed amendments to the Goods and Services Tax ("GST")/Harmonized Sales Tax ("HST") treatment of financial services as set out in Bill C-9, the Jobs and Economic Growth Act and in any resulting changes to Canada Revenue Agency's GST/HST Notice No. 250 ("Notice 250").

Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution, Regulation

• Taxation and Finance - Appropriate tax treatment under the Income Tax Act and its regulations of critical illness and long-term care insurance, offered either as stand-alone policies or as a rider or integrated benefit on life insurance policies.
• Taxation and Finance - Changes to the taxation of life insurance policies pursuant to section 148 of the Income Tax Act and Regulations 300 to 310.
• Telecommunications - To obtain regulatory relief or exemptions from consent obligations for our members from regulations under Bill C-28, the Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act ("FISA").

Policies or Program

• Pensions - Participating in discussions regarding changes to the Retirement Income System to improve pension coverage and retirement income adequacy for Canadians.

Regulation

• Financial Institutions - Proposed amendments to Canada Regulation 92-330 - Insurance Business (Banks and Bank Holding Companies) Regulations to have the regulations apply to insurance business activities of banks on their web-sites and the underlying policy intent that banks should separate insurance business from banking business.

Communication Techniques

• Written communication
• Oral communication
• Grass-roots communication

Government Institutions

• Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
• Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
• Finance Canada (FIN)
• Industry Canada
• Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada (OSFI)

Address:
390 Queens Quay West
Ste 209
Toronto, ON  M5V 3A2
Canada

Telephone number: 416-342-9837
Fax number: 416-444-8031