Delegation of additional registration functions to CIRO

Overview

The Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) gained enhanced registration functions in 2025 as part of a national delegation initiative.

National delegation by the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) to CIRO for investment dealers (ID), mutual fund dealers (MFD) and associated individuals is nearly complete, as twelve of thirteen jurisdictions have now delegated. The British Columbia Securities Commission remains to consider delegation of MFD and associated individuals in the Spring of 2026, having previously delegated for ID firms and associated individuals.

This delegation initiative supports a consistent and harmonized approach to registration and creates efficiencies in line with the evolving needs of investors and dealers across Canada. The benefits of streamlining registration functions with CIRO were discussed in CIRO’s Strategic Plan for Fiscal Year 2025-2027.

Background

A key objective outlined in CIRO’s Strategic Plan for 2025-2027 was to engage with CSA jurisdictions to explore delegating the registration of all ID and MFD individuals to CIRO. This goal aligns with the CSA’s recommendations in Position Paper 25-404 New Self-Regulatory Organization Framework which proposed assessing the allocation of registration functions between CSA jurisdictions and the new SRO following its creation.

Previously CIRO, under the IIROC had been delegated authority to register firms and individuals who act on behalf of IDs in Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Saskatchewan. Ontario and Québec had delegated authority for ID individuals only and Manitoba had not yet delegated.

The Government of Québec approved the Autorité des marchés financiers' decision on September 20, 2023, to delegate the powers of registration of mutual fund representatives to CIRO, as well as the powers of examination of mutual fund dealers with activities in Québec.

The CSA FAQs are available at: Streamlining registration delegation to Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization.

On April 1, 2025, nine CSA jurisdictions delegated to CIRO registration functions for ID and MFD firms and individuals.

July 1, 2025 the AMF delegated registration functions for ID, MFD and Derivatives Dealers and individuals who act on behalf of MFD.

Current State of delegation as at October 1, 2025

Delegation of registration functions to CIRO as at October 1, 2025 is as follows. The remaining CSA jurisdictions are continuing to explore delegation to CIRO:

Province / TerritoryInvestment DealersMutual Fund Dealers
IndividualsFirmsIndividualsFirms
AlbertaDisc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.
British ColumbiaDisc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.  
ManitobaDisc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.
New BrunswickDisc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.
Newfoundland and LabradorDisc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.
Northwest TerritoriesDisc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.
Nova ScotiaDisc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.
NunavutDisc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.
OntarioDisc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.
Prince Edward IslandDisc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.
QuébecDisc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.
SaskatchewanDisc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.
YukonDisc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state.

Disc indicating Delegation of registration functions at the current state. - Current state

Implications for CIRO Members

Enhancing CIRO’s registration functions modernizes and streamlines the registration process, improving efficiency for firms and individual applicants. The key objectives are to:

  • Establish a consistent and harmonized approach to registration
  • Enhance efficiencies to meet the evolving needs of investors and dealers across Canada and
  • Reduce the regulatory burden for registrants through CIRO’s national registration program while minimizing overlap with the CSA

CSA and CIRO staff are working together to help ensure a smooth transition of registration responsibilities.

  • CSA staff are continuing to review applications for registration and other submissions filed before the date delegation authority was given to CIRO. Submissions filed in delegated jurisdictions after those times will be reviewed by CIRO staff.
  • For an interim period, background checks on individuals will be conducted by CSA jurisdictions. For this reason, members may still be contacted by the CSA regarding submissions.

Registration Filings

There is no change to the information, materials, or fees that firms and individuals are required to submit with respect to applications for registration and updates to registration information, with the exception of fees for individuals acting on behalf of mutual fund dealers in Québec.

Firms applying for registration as an ID or MFD must still complete and file Form 33-109F6 Firm Registration, and firms reporting changes in registration information must still complete and file Form 33-109F5 Change of Registration Information. Where delegation has taken place, firms will submit these registration filings and applicable fees to CIRO. For efficiency, existing CIRO processes for membership-related applications, notices and updates will be leveraged to handle registration filings.

CIRO has detailed guidance on our website to assist firms:

The filing process for individual registration categories remains the same using the National Registration Database (NRD).

Individuals applying for registration or a review as a permitted individual, must still complete and file Form 33-109F4 Registration of Individuals and Review of Permitted Individuals or other applicable forms under National Instrument 33-109 Registration Information and pay the appropriate fee through NRD. The filings will be automatically routed to CIRO’s Registration department for processing where delegation has taken place in the applicable filing jurisdiction(s).

CIRO has also been delegated the authority to approve or object to notices provided under section 11.9 and 11.10 of National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations for acquisitions where there has been delegation for the firms and individuals involved. Additional resources and contact information

For more details, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions. The CSA FAQs are available at: Streamlining registration delegation to Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization.

If you have additional questions related to the Delegation of Registration, please contact us at RInquiries@ciro.ca.

Welcome to CIRO.ca!

You can find the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) at CIRO.ca with our fresh look and feel.