The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) is an organization representing life insurance

Life insurance

Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...

 and health insurance

Health insurance

Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...

 providers in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. Membership is voluntary, and the association's website indicates that it was formed in 1894.

Recent activities

The association's current president is Frank Swedlove. In 2010, he promoted the establishment of multi-employer pension plans rather than a re-investment in the Canada Pension Plan

Canada Pension Plan

The Canada Pension Plan is a contributory, earnings-related social insurance program. It forms one of the two major components of Canada's public retirement income system, the other component being Old Age Security...

.

In May 2010, Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament

Member of Provincial Parliament

A Member of Provincial Parliament is an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The titular designation "Member of Provincial Parliament" and the initialism "MPP" were formally adopted by the Legislature on April 7, 1938...

 (MPP) Jeff Leal

Jeff Leal

Jeff Leal is a politician in the Canadian province of Ontario. He has represented Peterborough in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2003 as a member of the Ontario Liberal Party.-Early life and municipal career:...

 introduced a private member's bill

Private Member's Bill

A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...

 based on the CLHIA's proposals for insurance reform. This bill was strongly opposed by the New Democratic Party of Ontario, whose leader Andrea Horwath

Andrea Horwath

Andrea Horwath , is a Canadian activist and politician. She is the Leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party in Canada. She is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Hamilton Centre, and was chosen as the party's leader at its 2009 leadership convention.She is...

argued that it would favour insurance companies at the expense of consumers.