The best companies for whole life insurance in Canada include Manulife, BMO Insurance, Sun Life, Empire Life, Desjardins, and more. The one you should choose depends on your needs.

Our expert advisors have ranked the top 15 Canadian whole life insurance providers to help you find the perfect match. We’ve ranked them based on the best for performance, the best for added features, the best for children’s policies, and more.

Keep reading to see our ratings and reviews of the best companies for whole life insurance in Canada!

The best whole life insurance in Canada 2024

Our team at PolicyAdvisor.com has spent years studying the industry to bring you a list of top companies with the best offerings in different categories.

The following reviews are a must-read for anyone thinking about purchasing whole life insurance. They will help you decide the best options for you and your family.

Full list: 15 Best Whole Life Insurance Companies in Canada – March 2024

• Assumption Life: Best for quick issue
• Beneva: Best for complimentary additional features
• BMO: Best for non-participating plans
• Canada Life: Best for charitable giving
• Canada Protection Plan: Best for non-medical
• Desjardins: Best for paying off premiums early
• Empire Life: Best for balanced performance
• Equitable Life: Best mutual company
• Foresters: Best for smokers
• iA: Best for health accommodation
• Manulife: Best for overall performance
• RBC: Best for children’s plans
• Sun Life: Best for high net-worth individuals
• UV: Best for long-term growth
• Wawanesa: Best value for guaranteed benefits

Assumption Life Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Quick-issue policies

Assumption Life Insurance wins the award for its potential for a fast-issue policy with no doctors or blood tests. They don’t ask you to do a medical test if you’re 18-45 and if you want whole life insurance coverage up to $999,999. This is sometimes called accelerated issue policies.

As you get older, they may not give you accelerated issue for as much coverage. But you can still get up to $50,000 without a medical exam up to age 69.

But that’s not the only reason Assumption came out on top in our rankings. They offer two types of coverage: one that pays dividends (participating) and one that doesn’t (non-participating). If you choose the participating policy, you have 5 options for how you get dividends, and you can change your options every year.

They also offer extra options called life insurance riders to help you add more coverage. And, if you want a plan without answering any medical questions at all, they also offer non-medical plans.

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Beneva Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Complimentary additional features

Beneva whole life insurance products are a good choice if you want a whole life policy that includes additional benefits. Their plans have all the usual benefits included in a whole life insurance plan. But their plans can also:

• Cover multiple lives — up to 5, depending on the plan
• Include 4 benefits free of charge to give you additional coverage: Extreme Disability Benefit, Disability Waiver of Premium Benefit, Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Benefit, and Accidental Fracture Benefit
• Have 2 rider options, which can give you extra coverage at a low price: Critical Illness Insurance Rider and Child Rider

They give you several payment options if you want to finish paying your life insurance premiums early. And you can get policies without a medical exam with their simplified or guaranteed plans.

Most of Beneva’s plans are life insurance with cash value but not dividends. But they do offer Universal Life Insurance, which is a permanent life insurance plan that pays out dividends but comes with a higher risk.

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BMO Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Non-participating plans

Bank of Montreal (BMO) is a great choice for people who want whole life insurance with cash value and aren’t too concerned about getting dividends.

Their policies are all non-participating, so you don’t get dividend payments. But you get cash value and a yearly Performance Bonus that you can use similarly to how you would use dividends.

BMO Insurance also gives you A LOT of choices for how to handle your life insurance costs:

• Premium switching, which lets you change your premium payment period
• Premium offset, where you can stop paying premiums and have them deducted from your paid-up cash value instead
• Additional payments, where you can pay extra premiums to increase the death benefit and cash value
• Policy loans, where you can borrow against your cash value

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Canada Life Insurance Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Charitable giving

Canada Life’s My Par Gift is the perfect plan for people who want to leave a lasting impact by donating to charity. This whole life policy was created just to help you do that.

You just pay one tax-advantaged lump sum premium of $10,000 and the policy is locked in. The charity receives the policy’s cash value and dividends, which they can then use however they need to.

Once you pass away, the charity receives the full death benefit. This means you can help the charity and its work for more than a lifetime.

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Canada Protection Plan Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Non-medical coverage

Canada Protection Plan is a great option if you want whole life coverage without taking a medical test. The plans are non-participating, so you will not get dividends. But they’re still straightforward, affordable life insurance policies that can give you at least $10,000 in coverage.

Their plans are also good for funeral insurance. This type of insurance covers expenses related to the end of life, such as funeral costs or any remaining debts.

CPP gives you a wide range of coverage options if you have health isssues, so your chances of finding a plan that fits your needs are very high.

They also have regular policies for people who are healthy and who want quick approval.

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Desjardins Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Paying off premiums early

Desjardins gives you some of the best options to pay off your policy early so you only have to pay it for a certain number of years. This is called limited pay, and Desjardins is one of the only Canadian companies that lets you pay it off in as little as 5 years.

You pay higher yearly or monthly premiums for those 5 years only and then you don’t have to pay anything else for the rest of your life. Or you can choose to pay in 10, 20, 15 years, or until age 100.

When you choose limited pay, you can rest easy knowing you have lifetime protection, cash value growth, annual dividends, and no more bills!

Desjardins’ plans also come with a lot of benefit options you can add on for even more coverage. They offer basic plans without dividends, and a special permanent life policy for seniors 50+ who don’t want to take a medical exam.

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Empire Life Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Balanced performance

Empire Life’s whole life product, EstateMax, is a great option for people who want to build wealth in the long term and increase their life insurance payout. They don’t give the highest cash values in the Canadian market, but they’re far from being the lowest.

This is a good choice if you want steady, secure growth — especially the longer you have your policy.

Their Optimax plan is also designed specifically for people who plan to retire soon and want to access their plan’s cash value in the policy’s first 20 years.

Empire’s policies can be just as affordable as some Term-to-100 policies. It’s no wonder they’re one of the most popular choices for whole life coverage in Canada.

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Equitable Life Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Mutual values

If you specifically want to work with an insurance company that is partially owned by the people who have insurance with them, Equitable Life may be the right choice for you.

This is called a mutual company. This kind of business doesn’t have to answer to stakeholders or market pressures like other carriers do. They can sometimes offer more competitive rates on insurance as a result.

There are other insurance mutuals, like Beneva and Wawanesa. But we feel their strongest points are in other areas, so Equitable takes the cake in this category.

Equitable only offers whole life policies that earn dividends, and their cash values can grow quite well in the long run.

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Foresters Financial Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Smokers

If you’re planning to quit smoking, wouldn’t it be better if someone was paying you to do it? Foresters Life Insurance doesn’t exactly give you money, but their Quit Smoking Incentive Plan is a great motivator.

Smokers usually get charged more for life coverage, or they can be denied completely. Foresters Financial offers the opposite. They give you lower rates if you commit to stop smoking within 2 years.

That’s more air in your lungs, more money in your wallet, and lifelong coverage that your family can rely on!

All of Foresters’ plans give you cash value, and some also pay dividends. Plus, they have a wide variety of life insurance options for people who have health issues.

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Industrial Alliance Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Health accommodation

If you have health issues, you should seriously consider Industrial Alliance (iA) for your insurance needs. They have something called a Superior Risk Tolerance Program, where you’re more likely to get approved even if your health isn’t in peak condition.

You can get a participating or non-participating plan, and they give you a lot of flexibility. You have options like:

• Limited pay options to pay off your premiums early
• Cover up to 9 people under the same policy
• Optional life insurance riders and benefits to add to your coverage
• Pay premiums semi-annually, instead of monthly or yearly like most providers

Of course, many Canadian companies also offer no-medical insurance — which we rated Canada Protection Plan as the best in. But if you want standard coverage despite health concerns, iA is a great choice too.

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Manulife Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Overall performance

There’s a reason why Manulife is one of North America’s largest life insurance companies. They’re quite successful and most of their products are high-quality. In Canada, their whole life plans are no different.

If you want all-around good performance that you can rely on, Manulife is a great choice. They offer both participating and non-participating plans, and plans that don’t make you take a medical exam.

You get all the standard benefits of a whole life policy with Manulife. And, they even give you the option to change your mind and choose a different payment option if you like.

Choose Manulife if you’re not really looking for anything specific but need a policy that checks all the boxes:

• Affordable
• Flexible
• Reliable
• Robust investment options
• Good amount of coverage
• And more!

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RBC Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Children’s plans

If you’re looking to buy the best whole life insurance for children, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Insurance could be a great option.

They have a special feature called the Juvenile Guaranteed Insurability Benefit that will give children a financial leg-up once they grow up. This benefit acts like a Hall Pass for your child or grandchild. When they reach adulthood, they can buy a new policy or add more insurance to their plan without having to take a medical test or go through any hassle to get approved.

Many other companies will give you the option to buy this kind of benefit — but RBC includes theirs for free! This is why we have to recommend them for whole life insurance policies for children in Canada.

Their plans are great for other uses too, like estate planning or just long-term financial planning in general.

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Sun Life Insurance Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
High net-worth individuals

The more you earn, the more insurance you’ll likely need. You’ll want to choose a provider who you know can provide those high amounts of coverage, and Sun Life Insurance is exactly that choice.

Sun Life is another one of Canada’s largest life insurance providers. They offer a minimum coverage amount of $250K, which is way higher than the $10,000 or less some other providers start with.

They offer plans with just cash value (non-participating) and plans with both cash value and dividends (participating). Plus, even if you have health issues you can apply for their plans that don’t ask you to take a medical exam.

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UV Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Long-term growth

If you want an insurance policy that can give you a LOT of growth over years, UV just might be the right pick for you. They just came out with a new Whole Life High Values plan in 2022 (fairly recent for insurance!) that promises your patience will pay off.

If you keep the plan until you’re 65, your cash value growth could be as much as 50% of what your original coverage amount was with this high-performance plan. That’s no small figure!

UV also gives you life insurance options if you have health issues. But UV’s plans are all non-participating, so you won’t get any dividend payments from them.

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Wawanesa Whole Life Insurance Review

Canada’s best whole life insurance for:
Value for guaranteed benefits

Most investments involve some level of risk. Not so with Wawanesa! They offer high cash values that you can access early on if you need to, especially if you pay the policy off in 20 years.

With Wawanesa, there’s a very good chance you will “break even” — have a higher cash value than the entire amount of premiums you paid to the company in those 20 years or less!

They give you more insurance coverage and have some of the lowest whole life insurance quotes in Canada. It’s no surprise that they’re one of the most affordable options people choose.

You get to choose between a participating or non-participating policy, or one that doesn’t make you take a medical exam.

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Why should I get permanent life insurance Canada?

There are 3 very good reasons why you should get permanent life insurance:

1. To cover your final expenses
2. To access cash value now/during retirement
3. To plan your estate

Of course, you don’t need to fit into just these categories to get permanent life insurance quotes. Most people can benefit from whole life insurance in Canada one way or another!

If you’re unsure, speak with an advisor or insurance broker to find out if a permanent plan can work for you.

As we often say – life insurance is not a one-size-fits-all product. Canadians purchase life insurance policies for a variety of reasons: to cover a mortgage loan or debt, to provide a financial cushion to their loved ones, or to cover the costs of their children’s education – in case the insured passes away. With such diversity in use cases for life insurance, individuals choose different coverage amounts and periods to align life insurance policies with their needs.

But, life insurance can be personalized even further with a life insurance rider.

How do insurance riders work?

A life insurance rider is an optional feature that can be added on to a life insurance policy to enhance and customize it to better address one’s unique needs.

Types of Life Insurance Riders: Quick Reference Guide

Click on any rider name to jump to the full description below.

We don’t know where life will take us. We may suddenly need more life insurance coverage due to events such as marriage or having another child. In a few years, we might face new health conditions or lifestyle changes that work adversely against our insurability. 

To partially solve this issue, a guaranteed insurability rider (GI rider) allows individuals to expand their prior life insurance coverage without worrying about their future health or lifestyle conditions. 

In this article, we explain GI riders and insurance riders more generally. This post also describes how GI riders work, how much they cost, and who should consider them.

What are insurance policy riders?

Life insurance riders are an optional add-on to enhance your policy’s coverage. If your life insurance policy were a burrito, a rider would be the option to add guacamole! The variety of riders available allow you to customize your policy to further fit your bespoke needs. 

The rider availability and costs depend on your insurer, the rider details, your health, and more. Some riders include: 

• Hospitalization income: regular payouts in case you’re hospitalized
• Extreme disability benefit: early access to your death benefit if you face a severe disability 
• Return of premiums: returns some of the premiums you’ve paid over the policy’s lifetime if you’ve never made a claim
• Critical illness: A critical illness insurance rider pays a lump sum should you be diagnosed with a covered illness

What is a guaranteed insurability option rider?

A guaranteed insurability rider allows you to increase your policy’s death benefit up to a pre-determined amount, without another medical examination. At set times throughout your policy’s life, you have the option to add this additional coverage up to the pre-determined amount. This rider is excellent for those that need a policy that can accommodate future changes that they may not be able to predict. 

Although providing a medical examination to an underwriter might not be a lot of work, your premiums could skyrocket if the test discovers new health issues. If you suspect you may face future health problems through means like genetic testing or due to a history of family health issues or lifestyle choices, a GI rider might be useful to add to your life insurance policy. It’s also beneficial if you currently have a limited budget, but want to ensure that you’ll have the option for purchasing additional coverage later on, as your budgeting flexibility improves over time.

Some insurers may offer this rider on term and permanent life insurance, but it’s most common for permanent life policies.

How does a guaranteed insurability rider work?

The typical GI rider works by allowing the insured individual the option to purchase additional coverage periodically in the future, without providing new evidence of insurability (i.e. a new application or exam). The standard timeline to exercise the rider would be 5 years from the effective date of the original policy. Many policies will also allow exercising the option to purchase additional coverage upon certain life events such as the purchase of a new house, or marriage or birth/adoption of a child. Generally, you must exercise the option within a pre-defined period upon any of these life events.

Who needs a guaranteed insurability rider?

A GI rider benefits you if you have prior medical conditions or family health histories that may worsen your circumstances later. If you are concerned about health issues or lifestyle choices in the future but need additional coverage, the rider lets you obtain the additional coverage without another medical examination. So, you can protect your loved ones with adequate life insurance but without a significantly higher premium, that may be associated with adverse health or lifestyle circumstances. 

A GI rider is also beneficial where you want

• Your term or permanent life insurance to accommodate changes throughout your life
• Coverage for the future when you anticipate having additional budgeting flexibility to pay for premiums
• To purchase a permanent life insurance policy for your child, whose needs will grow with time 
• To adjust business life insurance plans and affiliated buy-sell agreements

Riders provide numerous ways to customize your life insurance policies. A GI rider, specifically, can help you expand your coverage in the future without an additional medical examination.

PolicyAdvisor’s licensed insurance experts can help you learn more about the life insurance and rider options available to you. Book some time with us and see how you can customize a life insurance plan for you and your family’s needs.

The coronavirus pandemic dramatically changed the world. In this article, we take a look at how it can impact your life insurance application or your existing policy, if at all.

On May 4, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency.

Remember to always get COVID-19 information from verified sources, such as official government of Canada or provincial websites.

What is COVID-19?

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus that was first identified in Wuhan City, China in December 2019 and has since been detected in more than 100 countries. The virus has been named SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it causes has been named Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in humans and have typically been associated with mild illnesses, similar to the common cold. The novel Coronavirus (n-COV) is a new strain that has not previously been identified in humans.

Symptoms for COVID-19 have included fever, cough, difficulty breathing, and pneumonia in the lungs, with severe pneumonia cases leading to fatalities. Generally, Coronavirus can cause severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, the elderly, and those with long-term health conditions like diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and chronic lung disease. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global outbreak of COVID-19 as a pandemic.

Since then, over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple variants of the virus have been identified. The most prominent ones were the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron strains. The Delta variant was classified by WHO on May 11, 2021, and quickly became the dominant variant circulating globally. Delta spreads more easily than earlier strains of the virus and is responsible for more cases and deaths worldwide. The Omicron variant was reported to WHO later that year, on November 24, 2021, and was classified as a variant of concern by WHO on 26 November 2021, due to its high transmissibility compared to other variants. As of June 2023, Omicron is still the most prominent strain being spread in North America.

As of May 4, 2023, the WHO does not consider COVID-19 a global health emergency anymore. However, it is still classified as a pandemic and a serious, ongoing health issue.

Does COVID-19 affect my existing life insurance policy?

If you already have an existing, active life insurance policy, then the short answer is you will be covered for any claims associated with COVID-19.

In other words, if you were to pass away due to COVID-19 or a Coronavirus-related ailment, your beneficiary will be able to make a life insurance claim. The claim would be treated in the same manner as a death caused by any other natural disease or ailment. Life insurance policies do not treat deaths caused by Coronavirus any differently from those caused by any other flu, infectious diseases, or natural causes.

In 2020, Canadian life insurance companies paid out over $154 million in claims for Covid-19-related deaths (CLHIA). While 2021 data has yet to be released for Canadian insurers, according to US trends life insurance payouts in 2021 were the highest they have been in over 100 years, with Covid-19-related death claims topping 2020 numbers.

Will receiving a COVID-19 vaccine affect my life insurance policy?

Despite what some online rumours may say, receiving a COVID-19 vaccination will not affect your insurance in any way. The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) released a statement on March 8 2021 assuring Canadians that no life insurance provider in Canada will be denied coverage or benefits when using a vaccine approved by Health Canada.

From their release:

“Getting the vaccine will not affect your insurance coverage. No one should be afraid and choose to not protect themselves from COVID-19 because they are worried about it affecting their benefits. All of Canada’s life and health insurers are supportive of Canadians receiving government-approved vaccinations to protect themselves from serious illness and death.”

I have a deferred insurance policy. Can a COVID-19 claim be paid out during the waiting period?

If you currently have a deferred life insurance policy, owing to a prior health consideration, then any claims associated with COVID-19, will have to wait out the pre-specified deferral period. However, even in such cases, the claim and death benefit will be treated in the same manner as any other claim for a natural cause of death from an illness or disease.

Will COVID-19 be covered under a new life insurance policy, if I apply now?

Life insurance policies have continued to provide coverage for Coronavirus-related deaths for new life insurance applications, once those have been approved.

However, if you have been recently diagnosed with Coronavirus or are currently awaiting diagnosis or treatment of the same, insurance companies will likely defer the approval, until after such treatment or diagnosis is complete. Such a deferral will be similar to deferrals required for any other ongoing health condition or treatment.

For example, some companies may implement underwriting guidelines at the time of application that state, you must not have had Covid-19-related symptoms in the last month, that your case was only mild, or that you must wait two or three months following the resolution of all symptoms. As the situation evolves, companies may continue to amend their approval guidelines, so it’s always best to check with an insurance expert at PolicyAdvisor for the latest underwriting rules.

Does my travel history to a Coronavirus-affected region affect my life insurance application?

As part of standard life insurance applications, most life insurance companies will ask questions about your recent travels in the last year – as well as ask for information on your travel plans for the next twelve months. If you have travelled to a region that has seen a wide outbreak of COVID-19, particularly in the last 1-3 months, then you can expect the insurance company to ask you additional questions.

Similarly, any imminent plans to travel to any of COVID-affected regions invite additional questions about such travel plans. In some situations, where travel may indicate elevated risks to Coronavirus, insurance companies may choose to postpone the decision around approving a policy. Learn more about life insurance and travelling and applying for life insurance while quarantined.

Will a COVID-19 claim be paid out under Critical Illness Insurance policies?

A critical illness insurance policy is a contract whereby an insurance company agrees to pay out a one-time lump sum amount to the insured, upon the diagnosis of a specified critical illness and the completion of a survival period; usually 30 days.

COVID-19 by itself is not a covered condition as defined in Critical Illness policies currently sold. Therefore critical illness policies will not payout, purely, on a positive COVID diagnosis. The vast majority of people who contract the novel coronavirus are expected to make a full recovery within a relatively short period of time. However, if a claim is presented for a different covered critical illness (such as a major organ transplant, like a lung transplant) that is attributable to Coronavirus, then it will generally be viewed as a covered condition and insurance companies will consider such claims for approval.

If you are unsure what your policy covers, reach out to our licensed insurance experts. We will help explain your current coverage.

Am I covered for COVID-19 under my disability insurance policy?

Disability insurance products are designed to pay a monthly benefit to replace a loss of earnings if you are unable to work due to illness or injury for the length of the policy, or until you return to work. Typically, there is a waiting period before the benefit payments start. This waiting period can be between 1 to 26 weeks for short-term policies or up to 2 years for long-term disability insurance policies. Should a Coronavirus diagnosis lead to a loss of income, the insurance companies will make a payment as long as the minimum waiting period is complete. Some companies may even waive the waiting period in the case of a positive diagnosis. Learn more about Coronavirus and critical illness insurance.

Frequently Asked Questions

COVID-19 has been declared by the WHO to be a pandemic. Are there any exclusions on life insurance policies associated with pandemics that insurance providers may introduce in the future?

A pandemic is a global outbreak of disease. Pandemics happen when a new virus emerges to infect people and can spread between people sustainably. Most life insurance policies currently do not have a disease-related exclusion. The standard exclusions pertain to suicide/self-inflicted harm or criminal activity.

Currently, there are not any exclusions on coronavirus-related deaths. However, insurance companies continue to monitor the outbreak and they reserve the right to make any changes in their product or processes in the future.

Should I be buying insurance on my life or health at this time?

Regardless of this health scare, you should be buying the appropriate amount of insurance coverage to protect you and your family at the earliest time you can. Such coverage only gets more expensive with age.

COVID-19 is a reminder that life events can emerge quite quickly and it is prudent to secure coverage ahead of time. This is just as important a time as any other to protect those that depend on you for financial health. If you would like to discuss your insurance needs, our advisors are available to assist you.

Can I apply for life insurance coverage without having to meet an advisor or undergo a medical test?

When COVID-19 was still a global health emergency, many Canadians practiced social distancing to prevent the spread of Coronavirus to loved ones and community. By now, such restrictions are no longer recommended, but you may still be concerned about limiting your social interactions.

As Canada’s leading online life insurance brokers, the team at PolicyAdvisor has made finding life insurance quotes and buying life insurance an easy, quick and online process for consumers like yourself that seek the convenience of a non-face-to-face meeting to assess insurance needs. Our life insurance needs calculator can help shed light on your specific insurance requirements from your couch or kitchen table.

Our innovative algorithm parses through 100s of insurance products so you can find the best insurance policy and options for your needs. Our licensed insurance advisors are available online to answer any questions, curate your insurance choices, and help complete the application for you – all fully online.

While many life insurance products require a medical test, we have partnered with some of Canada’s leading insurance companies to arrange for life insurance coverage up to $1 million, without requiring an in-person, medical exam. We also have access to several non-medical insurance products; the coverage can be fully obtained without meeting with a medical representative.

You can easily get financial protection from the comfort of your home even if you are still practicing social distancing – like so many of us are – to protect our communities and those most vulnerable.

PolicyAdvisor’s latest research finds that only 48% of Canadians feel their insurance coverage adequately protects their families from the financial impact of COVID-19 should they become ill or pass away from the virus.

Our State of the Nation: Life Insurance Trends 2021 report takes the temperature on Canadians’ attitude towards spending, saving, job security, and life insurance in a near post-pandemic economy. 

More insights from State of the Nation: Life Insurance Trends 2021

• Over half of Canadians surveyed (59%) are concerned about inflation’s effect on the cost of living and rising interest rates. 
• Job security concerns worry many Canadians (14%) facing a stalled economy. 
• Canadians plan on spending less on entertainment (51%), travel (43%), and clothing (42%). 
• The least expendable budget item for surveyed Canadians is life and health insurance. Eighty percent (80%) will maintain their current level of insurance protection throughout the ongoing health crisis, or even purchase more.
• Over half (52%) of Canadians feel uncertain as to whether they have adequate financial protection for themselves or their loved ones should they be stricken with a COVID-related sickness or death.
• The perceived expense of life insurance is a primary barrier for 45% of those that haven’t purchased life insurance.

Stay tuned for more in-depth analysis and breakdowns of each insurance trend in 2022. Browse the report below or download the full resolution version for free.

Canadians are anxious right now. A global pandemic has changed the way we interact, live, and work. The State of the Nation: Life Insurance Trends 2020 – Pandemic Checkup is a follow-up to our 2019 State of the Nation. Back then we examined consumer trends and attitudes about life insurance planning across the country; but, a lot can change in a year! This year’s checkup seeks to determine consumer attitudes and buying behaviour towards life insurance coverage considering COVID-19’s impact on their lives.

Our research – which you can find below – shows that the recent Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way Canadians value life insurance and introduced an urgency to their need for coverage. Canadians are looking to protect themselves from unforeseen circumstances now more than ever, and are held back by misconceptions when it comes to extending their life insurance coverage during COVID-19.

Almost 2 in 5 Canadians rely solely on their employer for life insurance coverage

38% of respondents stated they only have life insurance coverage through their group or workplace benefits, while 14% stated they don’t have any life insurance coverage at all.

Overall, 65% of Canadians say they rely on their group benefits for some or all of life insurance coverage. Recent research from the Conference Board of Canada suggests that 12% of companies making layoffs due to COVID-19 don’t plan on extending workplace benefits to laid-off employees. This could leave some Canadian households with a significant insurance shortfall.

Almost half of respondents say they have some sort of individually-owned coverage whether it is their sole coverage or augments the policy they have through their workplace benefits.

Cutting expenses, but not premiums

Only 13% of Canadians plan on trying to save money by reducing what they spend on life insurance premiums. Instead, most Canadians plan on tightening their budget when it comes to entertainment, restaurants, travel, and clothing.

It’s safe to say that Canadians value life insurance and the security it offers in tumultuous times. However, for those Canadians that do feel the need to take a critical financial eye to what they are spending on coverage, there are ways to save money on life insurance.

They have options such as:

• Evaluating their premiums with a broker and seeing if there is a less expensive alternative
• Getting a new policy instead of renewing coverage when their policy expires
• Replacing expensive creditor or mortgage insurance with individual term life coverage
• Choosing term life insurance coverage if their needs are short term instead of whole life or universal life policies
• Getting a medically underwritten policy, which is generally less expensive than non-medical policies
• Switching to non-smoker rates if they were initially approved as a smoker and have since quit smoking for at least one year

What types of insurance to Canadians value most

Coverage that protects one’s life and health is considered the most essential to Canadians right now; this is understandable given the health concerns of the current pandemic.

Home and auto coverages are deemed a little less important. The devaluation of auto insurance can be attributed to more people working from home and no longer using their vehicle to commute; this has led to many Canadians choosing a lower mileage tier in their auto coverage.

Travel insurance is not highly valued at the moment with travel restrictions in place in most parts of Canada. This answer may have been different in March when COVID-19 travel restrictions were new and led to many trip cancellations for Canadians, both abroad and in their own country.

How important is life insurance to Canadians?

Only 2% of Canadians feel life insurance is less important to own considering COVID-19, while 35% have not changed their views one way or the other.

However, almost two-thirds (63%) of Canadians now feel life insurance is more important to own than before the pandemic hit. COVID-19 has led to a majority of Canadians realizing how suddenly life-changing events can affect the financial outcome of those that depend on them.

Are Canadians buying more life insurance coverage?

44% of Canadians plan on or have already purchased additional life insurance coverage because of COVID-19. COVID-19 has been a trigger for Canadians to purchase life insurance and a wake-up call for them to understand the state of their finances, create a budget and plan, and lock in the financial support and security they require to feel safe and sound for anything life may throw at them next.

While the other 56% of Canadians may have made no changes to their life insurance, this can be attributed to their comfort with their level of coverage and knowledge that the insurance products they’ve chosen can adequately protect them at this time.

Barriers to purchasing life insurance

The perceived inability to purchase coverage online prevents 30% of Canadians from purchasing life insurance or adding to their existing coverage. Since COVID-19, Canadian consumers have seen industries and legacy companies adapt to the new reality of online service fulfillment. In turn, they expect insurance companies to work like e-commerce but have not seen that expectation realized.

27% feel life insurance is too expensive and 23% cite product complexity. There is a clear knowledge gap when it comes to the life insurance marketplace.

Canadians can save money and learn more about their potential policies by comparing quotes with an online broker.

Almost 12% of respondents feel buying life insurance takes too long, which can also be addressed with more modern insurance tools and practices via an online broker. 11% of respondents don’t want to participate in the exams or blood collection that can accompany medical underwriting. This speaks to another blind spot for Canadian insurance seekers unaware of the many non-medical life insurance options available.

Lastly, a lack of need prevents 36% of Canadians from purchasing any additional coverage, as they most likely already have coverage and feel no need for an additional policy.

Customers expect insurance to work like other online retailers

Speaking to the aforementioned expectations of shoppers in the post-COVID landscape, the majority of Canadians would purchase life insurance online if given the choice. Only 21% of respondents now insist on meeting with a broker (compared to almost 30% in our previous survey).

Luckily for Canadians, online options for life insurance have increased post-COVID. Many insurance companies are approving up to $1 million in coverage (with some even going up to $2 million) without requiring a medical exam (for those below the age of 50 and in regular health).

Unfortunately, almost a quarter of respondents are not sure one way or the other if they would purchase life insurance if they complete their transaction online. More solid education from carriers and brokers around the options that are available to them could help them make an informed choice.

Final thoughts

The biggest realization one can take away from this research is that COVID-19 has changed Canadian opinions about how much coverage they need and how they want to get it. 44% of respondents have either taken out new life insurance coverage or plan on doing so in the near future.

The appetite for online fulfillment of a life insurance policy has increased 50% year over year. Coronavirus has jump-started several industries into a new online era, and life insurance is no different. If there is any silver lining, it is the innovation in Canadian policy delivery that we have seen so far in 2020, and the even greater advances we’ll see in 2021 and beyond.

The survey was conducted via Survey Monkey’s Canadian panel in November 2020 and included 500+ qualified respondents. All graphs rounded to the nearest percentage point.

Canadians are underinsured.

Our first State of the Nation: Canadian Life Insurance Trends 2019 seeks to determine consumer trends and attitudes about life insurance planning across the country, and it   uncovers several stunning findings about the lack of financial protection amongst Canadians in 2019.

Unlike most life insurance surveys that poll all Canadians as respondents, our study sought feedback only from those Canadians who actually need Life Insurance. Thus the results you see below are based on answers from those Canadians that have financial dependents (i.e. family members that depend on their income for settling debts such as mortgage and credit cards, or for support in paying for education, living expenses, and more).

The results – presented below – are eye-opening, with hard numbers revealing startling truths about the state of  Canadians’ financial protection and key takeaways around the national state of life insurance ownership, needs, knowledge, and appetite for change.

Canada: An uninsured nation?

Of those who have financially dependent family members, 16% do not have any life insurance coverage. But almost as problematic is the fact that 33% of respondents have coverage solely through their employer or group. This means 49% of Canadians with dependents have never purchased life insurance themselves.

While a life insurance policy through one’s employer or group affiliation is better than none at all, it can be problematic for a couple of reasons. Firstly, in most cases employer-provided coverage is minimal: a typical group benefit life insurance policy is equivalent to only one or two years of the policyholder’s salary. The bigger issue is that if the insured leaves the particular job, group, or association through which they have the policy, they mostly lose this insurance coverage. 

They also lose time; individual coverage is less expensive in one’s earlier years when there are fewer potential complications to medical underwriting. While a group policy is a nice top-up, it should not be the primary source of one’s coverage.

How did you acquire life insurance coverage?

The biggest surprise was the extent to which Canadians are underinsured: The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada suggests that life insurance should cover between seven and ten years of the holder’s annual income, which is in line with many industry practitioners’ recommendation of ten years of annual income coverage. Yet, well over half of the study’s respondents (54%) have coverage equal to only two years or less of their annual salaries. A mere 22% had between two and five years’ worth of coverage.

Only nine percent of those surveyed are solidly within the recommended range.

Overall, this means 77% of Canadians are dramatically under-insured, with policies that will only cover their obligations for at most five years, a full two years less than the minimum recommendation.

How much of your annual income would your life insurance cover?

Key life insurance ownership takeaways

• 49% of Canadians with dependents have never purchased life insurance
• 54% of the same group have only covered 2 years or less of their salary should they pass
• 91% of Canadians are dramatically under-insured

Life insurance needs: Canadians not honest with themselves

Just how significant is this life insurance shortfall? When asked for hard numbers, the average shortfall among respondents was $256,000. What is even more startling is that this is a self-acknowledged shortfall that respondents know exists but they haven’t started bridging it yet. 

There are several potential reasons for a shortfall like this to exist. First, many may not realize how underinsured they really are, until they are asked the question. When asked how often they reviewed their life insurance coverage, less than a quarter (22%) of respondents indicated they did so annually (the recommended frequency). 

Twenty-eight percent said they review life insurance coverage either every two or three years, but more than a third (36%) say they have never reviewed their life insurance coverage and needs. All in, almost 80% of Canadians fail to sufficiently review their life insurance coverage.

Suggested reading

• How much life insurance do I need?
• When should I buy life insurance?
• What are the biggest life insurance companies in Canada?

How often do you review your life insurance coverage?

And, despite more than three quarters of Canadians being significantly under-insured, nearly half of respondents (43%) say they are confident that they have adequate life insurance, with 57%knowing about or unsure of the adequacy of their coverage.

How confident are you in the adequacy of your life insurance coverage?

This shows a definite disconnect between the perception and reality of the country’s financial protection. Canadians are either misinformed, or simply don’t understand what their life insurance needs are. Traditional advisors and brokers don’t make it easy to educate ones’ self in regards to the ins and outs of life insurance. 

Regardless, it’s clear Canadians require more education when it comes to making life insurance decisions – and luckily PolicyAdvisor.com is dedicated to giving them the answers they seek.

Key life insurance needs takeaways

• The average self-acknowledged life insurance shortfall for Canadians with financial dependents is $256,000
• Almost 80% of Canadians fail to adequately review their life insurance coverage.
• Fifty-seven percent don’t know or acknowledge they don’t have enough life insurance coverage.

Life insurance literacy – not a thing yet

Only 35% of Canadians claim they understand how their life insurance policy works “very well,” versus the balance who only understand their coverage “somewhat” or not at all.

Do you understand how your life insurance policy works?

In light of this knowledge deficit, Canadians offered many reasons for not obtaining additional life insurance, with almost half indicating cost and 20% the aforementioned lack-of-understanding as a barrier.

This further underscores the need for better education and transparency around life insurance. There is a clear misconception that life insurance policies are unaffordable and complicated. This is unfortunate, as there are potentially many ways Canadians can provide themselves with financial protection within their budget with straightforward terms and coverage.

Other reasons for not obtaining additional insurance included procrastination (29%) and lack of a trusted advisor (10%).

Why have you not purchased life insurance?

Key life insurance knowledge takeaways

• Sixty-five percent of those surveyed don’t totally understand how insurance works
• Almost half of those surveyed think life insurance is prohibitively expensive
• Twenty percent of those surveyed put off purchasing life insurance because they think it is too complicated

Appetite for digital disruption

Thanks to an evolving digital landscape and a tech-savvy population, Canadians are able to better educate themselves about their insurance needs. However, while they are happy to seek information online, they are slower on the uptake when it comes to purchasing life insurance digitally.

This is gradually improving. Although 29% of respondents said they prefer a traditionally fulfilled in-person process with an advisor, 60% indicated a preference for an online process with  some support to complete the transaction. The main takeaway? Over 70% of Canadians crave an online component to their life insurance buying journey. 

How would you prefer to purchase life insurance?

While globally, digital fulfillment for life insurance is quite common, this is still new territory for Canadians. Despite some hesitations, we see a definite appetite amongst Canadians to add life insurance coverage, if supported through online pathways, and PolicyAdvisor.com is here to help guide them through their life insurance buying journey. One life insurance purchase at a time.

Download the report below, or check it out and pass it along using Slide Share.

The survey was conducted via Survey Monkey’s Canadian panel in September 2019 and included 500+ qualified respondents. All graphs rounded to the nearest percentage point.