About Us

Your independent business is built on your ideas, plans, and aspirations. You dream of success, and our mission is to increase the chance of that happening by offering more resources, more value, and making sure your voice is heard at all levels of government.

We want to see a Canada where small businesses like yours can thrive. Everything we do is in pursuit of that vision.

It began in a bathtub.

One evening in 1969, John Bulloch, a teacher at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, was soaking in his tub and reading the new federal White Paper on taxation. He was livid. The federal government had proposed a 50% tax rate for Canadian small businesses. 

“The government exempted the powerful from its proposals, and proceeded to hammer small business and middle-income Canadians,” Bulloch said. After writing to the Finance Minister to denounce the White Paper and publicly sharing his letter, support poured in from across the country. The fury that followed led Bulloch and his supporters to form the Canadian Council for Fair Taxation, launch an all-out attack on the White Paper, and successfully have it withdrawn. 

Despite their victory, Bulloch knew the need to have a strong voice fighting for the interests of independent businesses would only grow. That realization led him to change the name and to create the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
 

Every January, we ramp up our fight against the regulatory burden for independent business. During Red Tape Awareness Week, we celebrate innovations—and highlight some of the most excessive regulations—to show elected officials and bureaucrats how red tape affects your ability to run a successful business. Learn more about how we challenge politicians to take action.  

The Order of the Bear is a unique way of celebrating those in government who have done something to reduce the burden of red tape on small business owners like you. Nominate someone and meet past winners! 

As part of CFIB’s partnership with Interac, we support small business with Shop Small Biz, an online directory where Canadians can discover local, independent businesses. Every October, we amplify this with Small Business Saturday, a campaign encouraging Canadians to support their local small businesses. Reach new customers on Shop Small Biz today! 

CFIB’s elected Board of Governors includes members with extensive business experience and expertise from every province, as well as our CEO, Dan Kelly, and our Executive Vice-President and Chief Strategic Officer, Laura Jones. The Board oversees the governance of CFIB.