Group benefits and financial health on the agenda at HRFest Canada 2026

When IA Financial Group attended HR Fest Canada in 2025, the company went as an observer. This November, the Quebec City-based insurer returns with a different role and a more ambitious agenda: to bring the group benefits conversation directly to the HR leaders who design and administer employee plans across Canada.

HRFest Canada 2026, scheduled for Nov. 10 and 11 at Rebel in Toronto, will draw more than 750 HR professionals to tackle the industry's defining challenges – including AI and workforce planning, total rewards, and employee well-being. IA Financial Group, one of Canada's largest insurance and financial services companies, is sponsoring the event's content lounge, a space built around ideas and dialogue rather than product promotion.

"We attended the event last year just to see what the event was about," says Jessica Rodrigues, National Director for Client Services at IA Financial Group in Toronto. "And I think IA brings a lot as a partner to HR associates."

Direct conversations rather than secondhand information

The decision to anchor the company's presence in the content lounge is deliberate, according to Rodrigues. It reflects a strategy centred on listening to the employers who ultimately administer group benefits plans, rather than relying on the secondhand signals that typically filter through advisors and brokers, she says.

"A lot of our business is done through advisors, brokers, and consultants, so a lot of our feedback is secondhand feedback, sometimes driven by pricing or their perspective for their book share, says Rodrigues. “So for us, when it comes to content and what we're providing in material, it's so beneficial to talk directly to the employers."

Véronique Savard, Senior Advisor, Brand Awareness and Events at IA Financial Group’s Quebec City headquarters, says the content lounge is an opportunity the company rarely encounters in its day-to-day operations.

"It's just a way for us as an insurance provider to have a conversation with a potential client or maybe an actual client," says Savard. "It's a way for us to get some feedback – we're trying to get some insights from Canadian organizations in terms of what they need, what's their preference, and what they're looking for in terms of group benefits."

That unmediated exchange, adds Savard, carries a particular value. "I think it doesn't happen a lot on our day-to-day," she said. "So it's a very good opportunity for us to have those conversations with real people."

The business case for employee financial health

The conversation IA Financial Group most wants to have at HRFest Canada 2026 centres on a connection that remains underappreciated in many organizations: the link between employee financial stress and measurable workplace outcomes, says Rodrigues.

"Financial stress is probably one of the reasons that we see people stay longer in the workforce," she says. "It can also cause disengagement or apathy because they don’t feel accomplished or successful."

This framing positions group benefits and retirement planning not as perks but as instruments of workforce strategy. Delayed retirements, persistent absenteeism, and disengagement all carry direct costs for employers – and all can be influenced when employees have access to the right financial education and support, according to Rodrigues.

"It's important to support your employees because there are positive attributes that come from it," she says. "They see you as a valued partner themselves as your employer."

IA Financial Group offers a range of financial wellness supports, including access to financial advisors, budget planning tools, financial calculators, and webinars – available free to anyone regardless of whether they are IA clients. This, Rodrigues says, is central to the company's message at HRFest Canada. The offer is not contingent on a commercial relationship.

“We're going to promote that being financially literate is important no matter who you are and where you are – our ultimate goal is to take the wellbeing and financial literacy seriously for everyone and we have support ready for you, whether you're a client with IA or not," says Rodrigues.

Challenging what HR leaders think they know about benefits

One of the most persistent misconceptions IA Financial Group encounters is the assumption that all group benefits carriers are interchangeable. Rodrigues pushes back on that directly. "Not true, we're all different. We all have our different flairs," she says.

A second misconception concerns the pace of technological change in the industry. "People look at benefit providers submitting paper forms," Rodrigues says. "AI has really pushed everyone forward. We have digital platforms and we all have mobile apps."

Changing workforce demographics are accelerating this shift. "A lot more people are retiring and a younger generation is coming into the workforce, so there’s a lot more demands for digital self-serve," she says. "Benefits evolve with you."

Financial Literacy Month and what IA wants attendees to carry away

HR Fest Canada 2026 takes place during Financial Literacy Month – a federal initiative held each November and coordinated by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) – and IA Financial Group intends to use that alignment purposefully.

"November is Financial Literacy Month," says Rodrigues. "So that's what we want people to leave with, is that we're helping you even if you're not with us. We're going to promote that being financially literate is important no matter who you are and where you are."

The company's ambition for HRFest Canada is grounded in a straightforward value proposition: to demonstrate, through dialogue and accessible resources, that its commitment to supporting Canadians extends well beyond the terms of any plan contract.

"I think that would be our ultimate goal, is we take the well-being and financial literacy seriously for everyone," Rodrigues said. "And when we say we want to support everyone, this is why it's free and available to everyone. That truly is our value add and our core."

HR Fest Canada 2026 takes place Nov. 10-11 at Rebel in Toronto. Registration is open now.