Certificate in Canadian Benefit Plans

Overview of the Canadian Business Environment

This session provides a general overview of the Canadian business environment,

including:

• Unique issues in the workforce—Demographics and culture

• The employment environment

• The Canadian labour market

• Canadian workforce challenges.

Canadian Employment Law and Legislation

This session highlights important employment standards provisions and key pieces of

legislation that you need to know in order to conduct business in Canada. The following

topics are covered:

• Minimum employment standards relating to exempt/nonexempt employees, hours of work, overtime, vacation and leaves of absence

• Best practices in recruiting and hiring

• Termination and employment entitlement, including notice and severance

• Labour and collective bargaining.

Human Rights Environment

Human rights legislation in Canada directly impacts organizations with Canadian

employees. This session covers:

• Recruitment and the ongoing employment relationship

• Accommodations

• Protected status key issues including political affiliation, language, family status,

disability and record of offences

• Key differences in human rights provisions in Canada and the U.S.

Canadian Health Care System

Learn more about the structure and principles of Canada’s health care system and how it compares to the system in the U.S. Key differences are outlined, including a look at the private-public trajectory, access to health care and how employer-provided health care plans are harmonized with government programs in each country.

Employer Group Benefits

Get up to date quickly on:

• What a typical employer-sponsored group benefit plan looks like in Canada

• Group benefit plan types, including flex plans and health care spending accounts

• The cost of basic life insurance, AD&D, extended health care and dental benefits

• Cost-containment and benefit management techniques

• How group benefits are priced and key underwriting principles

• Key benefits differences between Canada and the U.S.

Case Study: Managing Benefits Change

Learn from real-life examples how to manage benefits changes effectively, including getting buy-in and communicating with all stakeholders.

Pension Fundamentals and Legal Aspects

This session provides a deeper look at types of employer-sponsored pension plans offered in Canada and their regulatory framework across provincial jurisdictions. Test your knowledge about Canadian pensions, hear about key legal decisions that have helped shape Canada’s pension environment and learn more about what an employer operating in Canada can and cannot do.

Canadian Retirement System

Gain a practical overview of the Canadian retirement landscape. This session highlights:

• Government public programs, including the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security

• Private retirement plans, including employer-sponsored plans and individual retirement savings vehicles (e.g., registered retirement savings plans and tax-free savings accounts)

• Types of retirement plans, including defined contribution (DC), defined benefit (DB), target-benefit, deferred profit-sharing and hybrid plans.

Best Practices in Canadian Employee Benefit Plans

In this session, participants will gain insights into the recommended approaches that organizations and employers should consider when dealing with the changing realm of employee benefits. They will learn how to make well-informed choices, tailor their communications to suit the unique requirements of their workforce and effectively optimize the value of their investments in the benefits offerings.

Disability Provisions and Practices

Obtain an overview of the disability benefits landscape in Canada as well as the various

programs and benefits available to employees. Topics featured in this session include:

• Income replacement programs

• Integration of public and private disability programs and benefits

• Group disability plans

• Cost drivers and cost containment.

Canadian Drug Benefit Practices

The design and management of Canadian drug plans are unique because employers are

only responsible for a portion of the overall health costs. This session covers:

• Private market dynamics

• Private insurance coverage in Canada

• Drug plan designs and adjudication

• Future trends.

Navigating Québec’s Business Environment: Pensions and Benefits Landscape

Québec, Canada's largest province with more than 8 million residents, has distinctive pension and benefits laws. Employers and plan sponsors expanding into Québec must understand these unique legal requirements. This session will cover:

• The impact of Bill C-13 and the Charter of the French Language on employment, pensions and benefits in Québec
• A comprehensive overview of Québec pension and benefits law requirements.

International Transfers

In the age of employee global mobility, transferring employees between Canada and the

U.S. can occur frequently. Employee benefits are an important element in these transfers.

Hear about the benefit considerations and policies that organizations often deal with

when transferring employees. This session covers:

• Global mobility trends

• Impact on benefits, pensions and executive compensation

• Permanent versus temporary transfers

• Treaty considerations

• Integrating employee benefit plans.

Total Rewards Includes Benefits and Compensation

Benefits and compensation are a significant part of the total rewards offered to

employees in Canada and the U.S. as a way to attract, motivate and retain talent. It’s

important to know and understand how they are linked in the Canadian system and how

organizations are using compensation to drive a high-performance work environment.

This session covers:

• Key determinants of compensation

• Trends in compensation design in Canada and the U.S.

• Pay and performance

• Fair pay and pay equity.

Case Studies and Application

This case study involves an interactive group exercise in which participants are asked to assess the pensions and benefits plan considerations of particular scenarios involving hypothetical Canadian companies. Participants will be able to select the scenario most relevant to their real-world needs. Each group will be asked to present the issues that are most important and what should be reported to their corporate executive team, based on criteria outlined in their case study.