This disclosure is provided to help clients understand how their insurance advisor is licensed, who they represent, and how they are compensated. It reflects standard industry practice for independent life and health insurance advisors operating in Canada and applies regardless of which agency or MGA an advisor is affiliated with.
Your advisor is licensed to sell life insurance, critical illness, disability, and related products in the province(s) in which you reside. You can independently verify a licence through the relevant provincial regulator, for example:
Your advisor can confirm which province(s) their licence covers.
Independent advisors are not employees of any single insurance carrier. They are typically contracted through a Managing General Agency (MGA) to place business with multiple carriers, which allows product and pricing comparisons across the market rather than a single company's lineup. Your advisor will confirm which specific carriers they are contracted with at the time of your application, as not every advisor holds an active contract with every carrier in the market at all times.
Your advisor is compensated by the insurance carrier whose product you purchase, typically through a commission built into the premium you pay — this is not an additional cost on top of your premium. Commission structures (first-year and renewal/trailer commissions) vary by carrier and product type and can be disclosed to you in specific dollar or percentage terms upon request.
Some carriers may also offer non-monetary incentives, such as conferences or recognition programs, to advisors who meet certain sales volumes. These do not change the premium a client pays and are disclosed here for transparency.
Your advisor's role is to assess your insurance needs, present suitable options from the carriers available to them, and assist with the application and ongoing servicing of your policy. Final underwriting decisions — approval, rating, and pricing — are made solely by the insurance carrier, not by your advisor or their agency.
If you have a concern about the service you received, raise it directly with your advisor or their agency first. If it remains unresolved, you may escalate to your provincial insurance regulator listed in Section 1, or to the OmbudService for Life & Health Insurance (OLHI), an independent, free complaint-resolution service for Canadian life and health insurance consumers.
Any personal or health information you provide is handled in accordance with your advisor's Privacy Policy and applicable federal (PIPEDA) and provincial privacy legislation.