About CALU

• Executive Summary
• CALU Issue Groups

Executive Summary

CALU represents Advocis Members' through its activities and consultations concerning such issues as Critical Illness Insurance & Long Term Care, Review of the Exempt Test, the Deductibility of Interest and Other Expenses, Tax Assisted Savings Plans, Capital Accumulation Plans, the Taxation of Commission Income, Charitable Donations of Life Insurance, Privacy Legislation & Financial Services, Health & Welfare Trusts, Valuation, Transfer and Distribution of Life Insurance, and Fiscal Policy & Federal Budget Roundtables. Updates concerning these consultations, and copies of submissions and supporting material, are regularly posted to the CALU website www.calu.ca. The website contains the current and archived issues of the Tax Policy Roundtable editions of the CALU Report which provide the detailed questions and answers to state-of-the-art issues of concern to life underwriting and related financial services. These Reports have proven to be of great interest and value to Advocis members and serve to clarify and enhance the understanding of the effectiveness of the solutions available through the applications of life insurance and related financial products and services.

The Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting (CALU) represents the interests of Advocis (The Financial Advisors Association of Canada) and CALU members to Members of Parliament and officials of key federal government departments, in particular, the Canada Revenue Agency and the Department of Finance. While CALU's mandate is specific to “advanced life underwriting” the term is defined in CALU's by-laws, which were amended in 2003 and 2008, as inclusive of the range of advisory and marketing activities relating to estate planning, corporate-owned life insurance, wealth creation and management, employee benefits and retirement planning.

CALU's representations draw on two major elements of expertise provided by its membership. CALU's political involvement mandate requires its Active and Provisional Members to be involved with the political party of their choice and to support basic relationship building and contact programs. Associate Members are generally professionals from accounting, legal or actuarial backgrounds involved in marketing support and product design activity at the advanced level. CALU Members apply their involvement and expertise to create and communicate policy positions and recommendations concerning various forms of legislation pertaining, generally, to the Income Tax Act, and to participate in consultations with officials from the CRA and Finance. By virtue of its coordination with Advocis on government relations, CALU defers to Advocis in provincial jurisdictions, focusing primarily on federal legislation, as per its mandate.

CALU is also concerned with strengthening relationships with members of the professional community and demonstrating the expertise of its Members through participation in joint programming with such organizations as the Canadian Tax Foundation, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the Canadian Bar Association and the Canadian Association of Gift Planners. CALU members have presented to these organizations on such issues as corporate-owned insurance programs, shareholders' agreements, insurance trusts, retirement compensation arrangements, planned giving, family trusts, creditor protection, legal issues surrounding life insurance ownership and U.S. - Canada cross-border planning.

The CALU Annual Meeting is held each year in Ottawa. Particular emphasis is placed on legislative and public policy issues, with Members of Parliament and Department Officials invited to speak on issues of current importance. The meeting features a special Reception for Members of Parliament and Senators. Main platform and workshop sessions provide the latest in concepts, updates and applications of advanced life underwriting products and services in respect of such areas as Critical Illness & Long Term Care, Underwriting Issues, Investment Strategies, Universal and Par life insurance applications, Major Issues in Corporate-Owned Life Insurance, Leveraged Life Insurance, Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation, Retirement Planning, Product Design & Development, Amendments to the Income Tax Act, Charitable Giving, Advisor Planning, Succession Planning, Estate Planning and Individual Financial Planning.