Advisor Marketing Compliance Checklist (Canada)

Not legal advice. Your firm’s compliance policy governs. This checklist is general information drawn from the public rules linked under each item. It does not approve anything. Where your dealer, firm, MGA or carrier sets a stricter rule, follow theirs, and send every piece through the review your firm requires.

How to use this checklist

Run it on the final draft, together with the landing page, form and emails that go with it, so the whole package is checked at once.
Run sections 1, 3 and 5 on every piece. Add the other sections when the table below says they apply.
Anything you cannot tick, fix or remove, or flag it in your note to the reviewer. “Not sure” is a flag, not a tick.
Print the ticked page or save it as a PDF and attach it to your submission. It shows your reviewer what you already checked; it does not replace their review.

What you are publishing	Always run	Also run
Paid Facebook or Instagram ad	1, 3, 5	6; 4 for the lead form; 2 if it quotes anyone; 7 if aimed at Québec
Social post or video	1, 3, 5	2 if it quotes or features anyone; 7 if aimed at Québec
Email or newsletter	1, 3, 5	4; 7 if recipients are in Québec
Seminar or webinar invitation	1, 3, 5	4 for the registration form and follow-up emails; 7 if aimed at Québec
Landing page or website page	1, 3, 5	4 for forms, cookies and pixels; 2 if it shows reviews; 7 if aimed at Québec
Anything someone else publishes about you for pay	1, 3, 5	2 and 8

1. Claims and performance
2. Testimonials and reviews
3. Titles and designations
4. CASL and Law 25 consent
5. Pre-approval and records
6. Meta ads
7. Québec: AMF and French
8. Finfluencers and referrals

1. Claims and performance

The most common reason a piece comes back from review. Run it on every piece, including a short caption.

Nothing promises or predicts the future value or price of a security: no “guaranteed returns”, “no risk”, “beat the market”, or softer versions of the same idea.
Source: BC Securities Act, s.50 (Ontario equivalent: Securities Act s.38(2))
Any performance figure for a public investment fund uses the prescribed periods and calculations, and any comparison includes all material facts. If you are unsure of the format, take the number out.
Source: NI 81-102, Part 15 (sales communications)
No exaggerated or unsubstantiated claims. Every superlative (“best”, “top”, “#1”) has support your firm accepts, or it comes out.
Source: NI 31-103, s.13.18 (misleading communications); CSA Staff Notice 31-325
Portfolio managers and advising reps: hypothetical or back-tested performance is labelled as such, adjusted for fees and shown with its limitations, and composites and benchmarks do not mislead.
Source: CSA Staff Notice 31-325 and OSC Staff Notice 33-729
Insurance content in Ontario: no misleading advertising and no misrepresentation of a product or of your capacity (for example, whether you are independent or tied to one insurer).
Source: FSRA Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices Rule (in force April 1, 2022)

2. Testimonials, reviews and endorsements

No Canadian securities rule bans client testimonials outright. They are sales communications, subject to the rules against misleading communications and to your firm’s review, and many dealers restrict them by internal policy.

Your firm’s policy allows this kind of testimonial, review or endorsement in this channel. Some dealers ask advisors to turn off LinkedIn recommendations, for example.
Depends on your firm Source: CIRO guidelines on advertisements, sales literature and correspondence
The quote is real, comes from the person named, is used with their written permission, and has not been edited in a way that changes its meaning.
Source: NI 31-103, s.13.18
The testimonial says nothing you could not say yourself: no performance figures, no promised outcomes, no title or designation you do not hold.
Source: CIRO guidelines; sections 1 and 3 of this checklist
Before you share, pin or feature an online review (Google, Facebook, LinkedIn), you have checked how your firm treats it.
Depends on your firm Source: your firm’s social media policy
If the person endorsing you was paid, section 8 has been run as well.
Source: CSA/CIRO Staff Notice 31-369

3. Titles and designations

What you call yourself is regulated twice: by the rule against misleading holding-out that applies to every registrant, and by title-protection laws in Ontario, New Brunswick and Québec. Elsewhere, “financial advisor” is not a protected title, but the first rule still applies.

Every title, designation, licence and registration category shown is one you currently hold, and nothing overstates your proficiency, experience, qualifications or services.
Source: NI 31-103, s.13.18; BLG summary
No title or designation based on sales or revenue, such as “President’s Club”.
Source: NI 31-103, s.13.18
No corporate-officer title such as “Vice-President” unless you have actually been appointed to that office.
Source: NI 31-103, s.13.18
Ontario: “Financial Planner” or “Financial Advisor” (or a similar title) appears only if you hold a credential from an FSRA-approved credentialing body.
Source: FSRA Financial Professionals Title Protection Rule (in force March 28, 2022)
New Brunswick: you have checked your position under title protection, in force since January 1, 2026, with transition periods to January 1, 2028 for “financial advisor” and January 1, 2030 for “financial planner”.
Source: Advisor.ca, New Brunswick title regulation
Québec: “planificateur financier” (financial planner) appears only if you hold the AMF certificate, which requires the diploma of the Institut de planification financière.
Source: Institut de planification financière, FAQ

These apply to every advisor in Canada, registered or not. Under CASL the sender must prove consent, and penalties reach $1 million per violation for individuals and $10 million for organizations.

Every recipient of a commercial email or text gave express consent, or is still inside an implied-consent window: 2 years after a purchase or contract, 6 months after an inquiry.
Source: CRTC, CASL frequently asked questions
Express consent comes from an opt-in the person actively gave. No pre-checked boxes, including on seminar and webinar registration forms.
Source: CRTC, CASL FAQ
The message identifies you as the sender, gives your contact information, and has an unsubscribe that works for at least 60 days and is honoured within 10 business days.
Source: CRTC, CASL FAQ
You can show the consent record for every address: the date, the source and the wording the person saw.
Source: Gowling WLG, CASL guide
The form collects only what its stated purpose needs.
Source: Office of the Privacy Commissioner, PIPEDA in brief
Québec visitors: non-essential tracking such as the Meta pixel stays off until the visitor opts in, and the page explains the technology and how to activate it.
Source: Law 25, s.8.1 (McCarthy Tétrault analysis)
Québec: a privacy officer is designated, and a plain-language privacy policy is published and linked from the form.
Source: Law 25 (McCarthy Tétrault analysis)
Québec: if the form, CRM or ad platform sends personal information outside Québec, you have checked whether a privacy impact assessment is required.
Source: Law 25 (McCarthy Tétrault analysis)

5. Firm pre-approval and record retention

CIRO’s rules bind its member dealers. Portfolio managers, insurance agencies and MGAs set their own review procedures under their regulators. Whatever your category, your firm’s written procedure is the one that applies.

You know what the piece is under your firm’s rules: advertisement, sales literature or correspondence. Social media (Facebook, X, YouTube, blogs, chat) is in scope.
Depends on your firm Source: CIRO guidelines on advertisements, sales literature and correspondence
Anything containing performance data, and any market letter, is pre-approved, and not by the person who wrote it.
Source: CIRO IDPC Rules, s.3603
If you are treating a piece as educational: general market commentary and educational seminars that do not sell specific securities are not sales literature, but your firm may still require review.
Depends on your firm Source: CIRO guidelines
Dual-licensed: insurance content has also been checked against your provincial insurance regulator’s rules and your MGA’s policy.
Depends on your firm Source: CCIR, jurisdictional overview of insurance regulators
Mutual fund dealing reps: you followed your dealer’s current procedure. The former MFDA rules are being consolidated into CIRO’s rulebook.
Source: BLG, CIRO rule consolidation
The final version, the approval and the publication date are archived. CIRO dealers keep advertisements and sales literature 2 years, correspondence 5 years and general records 7 years; your firm may keep them longer.
Source: CIRO IDPC Rules, Rule 3804; CIRO guidelines

6. Meta ads: the special ad category for financial products

For paid Facebook and Instagram ads only. Meta’s rules sit on top of your regulator’s: an ad Meta accepts can still fail your firm’s review, and the reverse.

The campaign is declared under the special ad category for financial products and services.
Source: Meta Business Help, special ad categories
Targeting fits the category: age 18 to 65+, no gender exclusion, no postal-code targeting, no location exclusions, limited detailed targeting and no Lookalike audiences.
Source: Meta Business Help, special ad categories
No custom audience implies financial status, such as income, net worth or credit score. Meta has blocked these since September 2, 2025.
Source: LiveRamp, Meta custom audience restrictions
The ad does not ask for financial information directly, makes no misleading claims and carries any disclosure the law requires. Credit, loan and insurance ads target 18 and over.
Source: Meta financial products and services policy (updated May 1, 2026)
Your registration details are at hand: Meta may require business or individual identity verification and proof of authorization from your regulator.
Source: Meta financial products and services policy
The ad creative and its landing page went through your firm’s review like any other advertisement.
Depends on your firm Source: CIRO guidelines

7. Québec: the AMF, the Chambre and the French language

Run this on anything aimed at Québec, including an English ad shown in Montréal. The Law 25 items are in section 4 and the “planificateur financier” title is in section 3.

Your material names the right bodies. The AMF is Québec’s single regulator for securities and insurance. The CSF and the ChAD merged into the Chambre de l’assurance on July 4, 2026, so update any bio, footer or disclosure that still names the CSF.
Source: Insurance Portal, Law 16 and the Chambre de l’assurance
Québec mutual fund dealing reps: since July 4, 2026, CIRO oversees you, so your dealer’s CIRO review process applies to your marketing.
Source: Insurance Portal, Law 16
Every website page and commercial social post aimed at Québec has a French version of equal quality and prominence. A French ad leads to a French landing page.
Source: Charter of the French Language, s.52 (Smart & Biggar summary)
In commercial advertising aimed at Québec, French is markedly predominant.
Source: Charter of the French Language (Smart & Biggar summary)
Anyone who writes to you in French is answered in French, so follow-up emails and booking confirmations exist in French.
Source: Charter of the French Language (Smart & Biggar summary)

8. Finfluencers, paid promotion and referral arrangements

Run this when anyone else is paid to promote you, or when your firm pays for referrals or for marketing tied to results. Clear the arrangement with compliance before the first post, not after.

Anyone paid to promote you (a finfluencer, podcast host or newsletter writer) has been treated as a possible referral arrangement and cleared with compliance.
Source: CSA/CIRO Staff Notice 31-369 (December 11, 2025)
There is a written agreement, you did due diligence on the promoter, and someone monitors what they publish on an ongoing basis.
Source: CSA/CIRO Staff Notice 31-369
The promoter’s content is fair, balanced, substantiated and not misleading, and conflicts are disclosed. Your firm is responsible for statements made on its behalf.
Source: CSA/CIRO Staff Notice 31-369
Any referral fee is paid under a written agreement, after verifying the referrer’s qualifications, with written disclosure to the client before services begin: parties, purpose, terms, conflicts, how the fee is calculated and registration categories.
Source: NI 31-103, ss.13.7 to 13.10
If a marketing agency or lead seller is paid per client signed or as a share of assets, compliance has reviewed whether that makes it a referral arrangement. A flat fee not tied to clients acquired is the usual practice, though no regulator has called it a safe harbour.
Depends on your firm Source: NI 31-103; Staff Notice 31-369

Before you submit

Fill this in on screen or by hand after printing, and attach it to the piece you send for review.

Piece and channel Version and date Checked by Sent to compliance on Approval reference Archived at

Advisor marketing compliance pre-check, Finnect, updated October 14, 2026. Every source link and the latest version: thefinnect.com/marketing-compliance-checklist.html. General information, not legal advice; your firm’s compliance policy governs.

Share, print or cite this checklist

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<a href="https://thefinnect.com/marketing-compliance-checklist.html">Advisor marketing compliance pre-check checklist (Canada)</a>, Finnect

A Québec French edition is available for French-speaking teams: liste de vérification de conformité marketing. If a rule on this page has changed, tell us and we will update the item and the date above.

Frequently asked questions

Does my dealer have to approve my social media posts before I publish?

Your dealer must have written policies for reviewing advertisements, sales literature and correspondence, and CIRO’s guidelines put social media in scope. Anything with performance data, and any market letter, must be pre-approved by someone other than its author. Many dealers pre-approve every static post. Your dealer’s written social media policy sets the exact procedure.

Can financial advisors use client testimonials in Canada?

No Canadian securities rule bans client testimonials outright. They are sales communications, so they must not be misleading and they go through your firm’s review. Many dealers restrict them by internal policy, for example by asking advisors to turn off LinkedIn recommendations. Check your dealer’s or firm’s policy before you publish any testimonial, review or endorsement.

How long do I have to keep copies of my marketing?

At a CIRO investment dealer, advertisements and sales literature are kept for 2 years, correspondence for 5 years and general records for 7 years under Rule 3804. Your firm may set longer periods, and other registration categories follow their own firm’s policy. Keeping the final version, the approval and the publication date together for 7 years covers every period listed here.

Is “financial advisor” a protected title in Canada?

Not across Canada. Ontario has protected “Financial Advisor” and “Financial Planner” since March 28, 2022, and New Brunswick’s title protection took effect on January 1, 2026 with transition periods. Québec reserves “planificateur financier” for holders of the AMF certificate. Everywhere, registrants must not hold themselves out in a misleading way under NI 31-103 s.13.18.

Go deeper on each section

Financial advisor marketing compliance in Canada: CIRO, AMF and CASL explained covers who regulates whom and why each rule exists.
Words financial advisors can’t use in Canada has twelve rejected lines and the rewrites that pass (sections 1 and 3).
Testimonials and Google reviews for Canadian advisors goes with section 2.
CASL for financial advisors: consent, seminars and email follow-up goes with section 4.
CIRO social media rules for advisors goes with section 5.
Facebook and Instagram ads for financial advisors in Canada goes with section 6.
Marketing for financial advisors in Québec goes with section 7.

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This checklist is general information for Canadian financial advisors, not legal, compliance or investment advice, and completing it is not an approval. Your registration category, your firm’s policies and your provincial regulator govern what applies to you. Rules change: check the linked source and your firm’s current policy before relying on any item.

Advisor marketing compliance pre-check: the checklist to run before anything goes to review

How to use this checklist

1. Claims and performance

2. Testimonials, reviews and endorsements

3. Titles and designations

4. Consent and privacy: CASL, PIPEDA and Law 25

5. Firm pre-approval and record retention

6. Meta ads: the special ad category for financial products

7. Québec: the AMF, the Chambre and the French language

8. Finfluencers, paid promotion and referral arrangements

Before you submit

Share, print or cite this checklist

Frequently asked questions

Go deeper on each section

Want marketing that arrives at review already checked?