Canada Life – Insurance

The enhanced requirements for the Canada Life insurer will come into effect on April 1, 2021. As of that date, massage therapists who are recognized as massage therapy service providers will be required to :

• Have a minimum of 1000 hours of professional massage therapy training;
• Complete continuing education at a rate of 25 hours per 3 year (36 month) period;
• Be a member of an association recognized by the insurer.

The Réseau has successfully completed the requalification process and therefore maintains its status as an association recognized by the Canada Life Insurance Company.

1000 hours of training

As of April 1, 2021, Canada Life will only recognize massage therapists with more than 1000 hours of professional massage therapy training. If you HAVE 1000 hours of training, you retain your recognition with the insurer. You will also be required to complete 25 hours of continuing education over a 3-year period. If you DO NOT HAVE 1000 hours of training, certain acquired rights and competency equivalencies are recognized by Canada Life for massage therapists who are certified before April 1, 2021 and a member of a recognized association.

In order to be recognized as an accredited provider with Canada Life, you must meet one of the following eligibility requirements: :

• Canada Life has received a claim and paid benefits in respect of care provided by the massage therapist since April 1, 2017*.
• The member has been working full-time as a massage therapist for at least two years. Canada Life defines full-time work as a minimum of 25 hours per week including all your activities related to the practice of massage therapy (client follow-up, administration, advertising, housekeeping and maintenance, etc.).

If you meet one of the following requirement, you retain your recognition as an accredited service provider by Canada Life. You will also be required to complete 25 hours of continuing education over a 3-year period.

We remind you that you can consult the number of hours of training in your file in your member space in ” My Account ” under the ” Profile ” tab. If you have been working full-time for at least two years, you must check the box to this effect in your member space in “My Account” under the “Profile” tab.

* Note that the insurer should provide the Réseau with a list of members who have already given a receipt to a client insured by Canada Life.

If you have never issued an insurance receipt to a Canada Life insured client, have not been working full-time for at least 2 years and do not have 1000 hours of training, the Réseau has implemented a Épreuve d’équivalence de certification (EEC) that will allow certain members who do not qualify as an accredited provider to maintain their recognition with Canada Life.

Am I eligible for the Certification Equivalency Assessment?

In order to allow members with less than 1000 hours of training to maintain their recognition with Canada Life, the Réseau has been working on the development of a Certification Equivalency Assessment (CEA) whose process has been approved by the insurer. This test allows, through an evaluation, the years of experience of the therapist to be recognized. To be eligible for the CEA, the therapist must have 2 years or more of experience as a massage therapist.

For more information on the Certification Equivalency Assessment, click here.

Massage therapists who have not yet accumulated 2 years of massage therapy experience and who do not meet any of the Canada Life eligibility requirements mentioned above will not be recognized by the insurance company.

If you graduate after April 1, 2021, you will be required to have 1000 hours of training in order to be recognized as a Canada Life Accredited Service Provider. When you reach 1000 hours of training, you will also be required to complete continuing education at a rate of 25 hours per 3-year period.

Can I be a member of the Réseau if I don’t have 1000 hours?
Yes, if you do not have 1000 hours of training, you can join the Réseau. Our membership criteria remain the same.

Can I provide insurance receipts if I don’t have 1000 hours?
Yes, you can provide insurance receipts for your clients who are not insured with Canada Life. To date, Canada Life is the only insurance company that has confirmed that it is raising its requirements.