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In business for your business: Our mission since 1971.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is the country’s champion of small business. With over 97,000 members, we’re Canada’s largest non-profit organization devoted to creating and supporting an environment where your business can succeed. Across Canada, we advocate for small business with politicians and decision-makers. As a non-partisan organization, we influence public policy based on our members’ views, ensuring that you have a chance to affect the laws and policies that impact your business.

We provide specialized business resources, including on-call advisors, to help you navigate the daily challenges of running your business. We also offer partnerships with carefully selected service providers to deliver savings you won’t find elsewhere. And we keep you informed on key issues, so that you can focus on managing your business.

Our Mission & Vision

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.

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Advocacy 

  • CFIB Petitions: When you sign our petitions, we bring your voice to governments in every province and in Ottawa, making sure your priorities are the government’s priorities. Our 97,000 members speak with one voice.
  • Member surveys: Our advocacy is strengthened by our best-in-class research team who make sure your priorities are backed by the data policy makers need.
  • A stronger independent business community: Through our surveys and petitions, we’re able to collect the voices of many, allowing us to better represent Canada’s small business community., Adding your voice which helps us create a better environment for Canada’s small businesses.

  • You drive the policy changes that directly benefit your business!

Resources

  • 1-on-1 consultations with our Business Advisors: Get your questions answered on topics from HR to government programs to regulations, and health and safety rules.
  • Exclusive CFIB webinars: Our policy experts and knowledgeable advisors bring you the topics and guest speakers that can help you stay informed and better run your business.
  • Business templates: Save thousands of dollars by accessing our extensive library of HR and Health and Safety Templates.
  • Our resources help you run your business with greater peace of mind!

Savings 

  • Exclusive savings for your business: Enjoy exclusive member benefits and savings on key services to help you run your business.
  • We’ve leveraged the negotiating power of over 97,000 CFIB members to offer you significant savings from our trusted providers. From credit card processing to payroll to shipping and more, these partnerships can save you $5000 or more a year on business services and products.

Our History

It began in a bathtub. One evening in 1969, John Bulloch, a teacher at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, now Toronto Metropolitan University, 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.

    
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Our members

CFIB represents over 97,000 member businesses across Canada. Our membership reflects a diverse group of independent businesses of all sizes and in all sectors of the economy.

 

 

 
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Our members

CFIB represents over 97,000 member businesses across Canada. Our membership reflects a diverse group of successful businesses of all sizes, in a wide range of industries, and in all major sectors of the economy.

 

Click here to download this data as a PDF. 

 
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Click here to download this data as a PDF.

Chart outlining the number of CFIB members across Canada by industry

Click here to download this data as a PDF.

Graphic outlining the number of CFIB members across Canada by number of employees

Click here to download this data as a PDF.

Graphic outlining the number of CFIB members across Canada by years in business

Major Initiatives

As a leading voice for small business, CFIB is involved in many special initiatives and campaigns, all focused on supporting small business owners. 

Some CFIB initiatives occur annually, like our Red Tape Awareness Week, while others are designed to encourage Canadians to shop at and support small businesses, such as Small Business Everyday  and Small Business Saturday. 

Many CFIB initiatives spring up from policy and legislative issues affecting small business owners. From our years-long work to support small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic by pushing for fairness for small business related to Covid restrictions and financial support programs like CEBA (Canada Emergency Business Account) and CEWS (Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy), to the decades-long fight for lower merchant fees from Visa and MasterCard, we’re raising important issues and communicating with all levels of government to ensure fairness for Canada’s small businesses. 

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Our Board

CFIB is guided by an elected Board of Governors that includes an independent business owner from each of Canada’s 10 provinces as well as our CEO, Dan Kelly. The Board oversees the governance of CFIB and is focused on growing CFIB’s membership to increase the influence of small business owners.

Meet Our Board
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