Why should you renew your CFA membership?

Community

CFA National Convention

  • The 2023 CFA Convention in Niagara Falls was an outstanding event providing learning and networking opportunities for franchise professionals from across Canada and the US.
  • The 2024 Convention, in Montreal, will be even better. It will feature three days of educational sessions and networking events.

Education

When you continue to be a member of the CFA community, you gain exclusive access to a network of franchise leaders who are committed to sharing their knowledge through our events, publications, and programs. This will enable you to grow your network and gain solutions to your biggest challenges from those who have been there before.

CFA Franchise Law Day

  • This is the best legal business conference for franchisors and franchisees in Canada.
  • In 2022 we had over 160 participants talking about every aspect of the legal changes in franchising over the past year.
  • Recordings are going to be available soon so if you didn’t attend you can still benefit from the sessions.

CFE Program

  • The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) has partnered with the International Franchise Association (IFA) to licence their Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) Certification Program for Canada.
  • Why enroll in the CFE program
    • Industry Recognition and Professional Standing: The CFE designation is highly regarded and will raise your profile within the franchising community
    • Peer Networking: Creates opportunities for you to network with industry professionals
    • Commitment to Franchising: The CFE designation will exemplify your commitment and passion for franchise management.
    • Personal Skills: The CFE program will educate you on the latest trends to stay competitive, build your personal brand and network, while honing the franchise management skills you need to succeed.

Learn and Grow Webinar Series (Free to CFA members)

  • The CFA’s Learn and Grow webinar series lets you continual learn and upgrade your skills from the convenience of your home, office or on the go. The webinars are hosted by leading franchise experts on a variety of hot topics, these webinars will keep you up to speed on what’s happening in your industry!
  • Learn & Grow Webinars are also eligible for CFE Participation Credits! Attendees can receive 50 CFE participation credits for each webinar they attend.

Advocacy – a seat at the table

Do you agree with everything government does? CFA membership gets you a seat at the table to fight for your business. The CFA actively lobbies federal, provincial and municipal governments on issues that affect franchisors and franchisees across the country.

Some of the recent CFA’s wins

  • Changes to the Canada Small Business Finance Program which now allows franchise fees and soft costs to be financed under the program (that was not allowed before July 2022)
  • Extensions of the federal commercial rent programs – Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) and the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS)
  • Commercial eviction moratoriums in Ontario, BC, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, etc
  • Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) – Expansion of the CEWS to ensure franchisors and franchisees could benefit from the program
  • Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) – ensuring franchisors and franchisees had access to the program. We also worked to get the repayment deadline extended to help more businesses qualify for loan forgiveness

Protecting against Common Employer

  • This is the biggest threat facing franchising in Canada.
  • The CFA is actively working to protect the franchise business model
  • You need to be a member of CFA to protect the franchisor and all of your franchisees.

Access to capital

  • Working with the federal government and provincial governments to ensure franchisors and franchisees have access to the capital to maintain and grow their businesses.
  • We are actively working with the federal government on a proposal to allow withdrawals from RRSP accounts to invest in or buy a new business.

Access to labour

  • The labour shortages are making recovery difficult. We are actively working with the federal and provincial governments to try and alleviate the shortages and get more workers into the workforce.

Brand Awareness

The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) is your best source for quality franchise leads

Franchise Canada Magazine

  • 6 issues per year to a broad cross section of the franchise community
  • A great way to build your brand amongst the community
  • A great way to find potential franchisees because it’s often a great place to start for someone looking to buy a business
  • Focused entirely on inspiring and educating prospective franchisees about the opportunities in franchising, and are industry award winners for excellence in editorial, design, and circulation.

Franchise Canada Directory

  • Canada’s official online franchise directory
  • www.LookforaFranchise.ca is a key resource for Canadians who are serious about buying a franchise.

Franchise Canada Shows

Other Things to Talk About

CFA Saves you money with the Member Savings Program

Over two dozen member companies are offering exclusive discounts to CFA members that can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars

  • Moneris – offering Canadian Franchise Association members preferred payment processing rates 
  • Telus – offering CFA members a 20% discount on their mobile phone plans
  • Hotel discounts with Choice Hotels, Days Inn, etc.
  • UPS Store Canada – 10% off UPS shipping, packaging, in-store printing, copying and mailbox rentals.
  • Click here for more information (https://cfa.ca/members-only/msp-offerings/)