Canada Life Group Benefits: What Employers Should Know

Current as of October 2026. Government programs, tax rules and prices change. Check the official sources listed at the end of this page before making a decision, and confirm details with a licensed advisor.

Who Canada Life is

Canada Life's company history pages describe it as Canada's first life insurance company, founded in 1847 by banker Hugh C. Baker in Hamilton, Ontario. Today its head office is in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the company says it is a subsidiary of Great-West Lifeco Inc.

If you have been in business a while, you may remember separate brands called Great-West Life and London Life. On January 1, 2020, The Great-West Life Assurance Company, London Life Insurance Company and The Canada Life Assurance Company amalgamated into one company operating as Canada Life, after approval from Canada's Minister of Finance. At the time, the company stated that amalgamation would not change the terms and conditions of existing policies or contracts. So if your plan booklet still mentions Great-West Life, that history is the reason.

Please note: GroupBenefitPlans.ca is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a partner of Canada Life. This page sticks to publicly verifiable facts, current as of October 2026, and does not rank insurers.

What Canada Life says it offers employers

Canada Life's public website describes group benefits that help with costs provincial health plans do not fully cover, including certain prescription drugs, dental, hospital, vision, paramedical and ambulance services. Its small business pages list both base benefits and specialty benefits. As of October 2026, the categories it names publicly include:

• Health care and prescription drugs: the everyday side of a plan, such as filling a prescription at the pharmacy. See our overview of employee prescription drug benefits.
• Dental and vision: cleanings, fillings, eye exams and new glasses, subject to each plan's limits. Our pages on group dental insurance and group vision care cover the basics.
• Paramedical services: Canada Life gives massage and physiotherapy as examples. See paramedical coverage explained.
• Disability and life insurance: income protection and a lump sum for families. Our page on group life and disability insurance explains the basics.
• Virtual health and travel coverage: both listed on its small and medium business page.
• Workplace savings: the same page lists group RRSP, TFSA and deferred profit sharing plan (DPSP) options.

Plans for small and mid-sized businesses

As of October 2026, Canada Life markets a program called Freedom at Work, Small Business Solutions, which it describes as benefits and savings plans for companies with up to 75 employees. Its small business pages say plans can be customized to suit a budget, and that for some optional coverage, employees can use an online needs analysis tool to choose their type and amount of coverage.

That is the insurer's own description. What a specific plan actually includes, how it is priced, and which eligibility rules apply to your business will come from a quote and the contract, not a marketing page. Small groups are usually priced differently from larger ones, which our guide to pooled vs. experience-rated benefits walks through. If you are just getting started, our small business group benefits page is a good primer.

Larger and public sector plans

Canada Life also works with very large plans. One publicly documented example: the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat awarded Canada Life an Administrative Services Only (ASO) contract to administer the Public Service Health Care Plan for eligible federal public service employees, retirees and their families, effective July 1, 2023.

For mid-sized employers, that is a reminder that the same insurer can offer quite different arrangements: a fully insured plan for a small team, or an ASO setup where the employer funds claims and the insurer administers them. Our guide to ASO vs. fully insured benefits explains the trade-offs.

How to evaluate Canada Life for your business

Any large carrier can look good on paper. The useful question is how a specific plan would work for your people: the parent picking up a child's prescription, the warehouse lead booking a physio appointment, the new hire who needs glasses in month two. When an advisor brings you a Canada Life quote alongside others, it helps to compare the same things across each option.

• Plan design: coinsurance levels, annual maximums, drug formulary, and any waiting periods.
• Pricing basis: whether your group is pooled or experience-rated, and how renewals are calculated.
• Member experience: how employees submit claims, whether pay-direct drug and dental cards are included, and what the member app and website offer.
• Administration: how you add new hires, process terminations and handle changes during the year.
• Extras: whether virtual care, an employee assistance program or a health spending account can be added, and at what cost.

Questions to ask a licensed advisor

A licensed benefits advisor can request quotes from several insurers, including Canada Life, and explain the differences in plain language. In Ontario, people who sell accident and sickness insurance are licensed by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA), which also maintains a public listing of licensed insurers. A few questions worth bringing to that conversation:

• Which Canada Life plan options fit a business of our size and industry?
• How does this quote compare, line by line, with at least two other carriers?
• What happened at renewal for similar groups in recent years, and what drives increases?
• If we are moving from another carrier, how would the switch work for employees with ongoing claims?
• Who supports our plan administrator day to day, and how are issues escalated?

If you are a plan member

GroupBenefitPlans.ca cannot help with logins, claims, card replacements or coverage questions for an existing Canada Life plan. Please go to Canada Life's official website or use the contact details in your benefits booklet. Canada Life's member resources refer to its plan member site and app as My Canada Life at Work. If a complaint is not resolved with an insurer, the OmbudService for Life and Health Insurance (OLHI) offers free, independent help to consumers.

If you run the business and want an informed second opinion on your current plan or a first quote, you can get matched with a licensed benefits advisor who can compare Canada Life with other insurers for you.

Common questions

Is Canada Life the same company as Great-West Life?

Effectively, yes. On January 1, 2020, Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life amalgamated into one company operating as The Canada Life Assurance Company. The company said at the time that the terms of existing policies and contracts would not change.

Does Canada Life offer group benefits for small businesses?

As of October 2026, Canada Life markets Freedom at Work, Small Business Solutions, which it describes as benefits and savings plans for companies with up to 75 employees. A licensed advisor can confirm what is available for your specific group and how it compares with other options.

Is GroupBenefitPlans.ca part of Canada Life?

No. GroupBenefitPlans.ca is an independent referral and information service. It is not affiliated with Canada Life or any other insurer, and it does not sell insurance. It introduces employers to licensed benefits advisors.

I have a Canada Life plan through work. Can you help with my claim?

No. For claims, logins or coverage questions, please contact Canada Life directly through its official website or the details in your benefits booklet, or speak with your plan administrator at work.

GroupBenefitPlans.ca is a referral and information service. Advice and coverage are provided by the licensed professional and relevant providers. An enquiry does not activate insurance.