To qualify to act as a supervisor, a representative must:

1. be authorized to pursue activities as a representative at the time of the probationary period;

2. have held a certificate for at least 24 of the past 36 months preceding the probationary period in the same sector or sector class in which the candidate is applying for a probationary certificate;

3. in the five years preceding the candidate’s application, not have been the subject of a disciplinary sanction imposed by a discipline committee established under An Act respecting the distribution of financial products and services This link will open in a new window,   or the Court of Québec sitting in appeal of a decision issued by such a committee;

4. in the five years preceding the candidate’s application, never have been struck off the roll by a disciplinary council of a professional order;

5. not have been the subject of conditions or restrictions affecting his ability to act as a supervisor;

6. not have received a second written notice from the AMF during the past year for failing to fulfill his obligations as a supervisor.

If a supervisor no longer meets one of the above criteria during the probationary period, he must immediately cease to act as the trainee’s supervisor.

A supervisor who has received two written notices from the AMF for failing to fulfill his obligations prescribed in sections 46 to 50 of the Regulation respecting the issuance and renewal of representatives' certificates This link will open in a new window may not act as a supervisor or replacement supervisor for one year as of the date of the last notice.

During the probationary period, the supervisor is responsible for all the trainee’s professional activities. This supervision is important to ensure that the trainee does not commit any errors or omissions. Generally, he must:

• provide the trainee with a working environment conducive to learning and developing his competencies;
• open a file for each trainee;
• determine the tasks the trainee must carry out, specifying the time limits in which they must be completed;
• help the trainee to gradually pursue the activities reserved for representatives;
• at least once a week, evaluate and review the tasks carried out by the trainee. The supervisor may perform closer supervision as required;
• inform the AMF, within five days, if the trainee has discontinued or interrupted his probationary period;
• submit his recommendation within 10 days of the end of the probationary period by completing the appropriate form. 

Depending on the sector or sector class in which the trainee is registered, the supervisor is charged with specific responsibilities:

• Personal-lines damage insurance:
  Where products and services pertaining to personal-lines damage insurance are offered, the supervisor must, within the next working day, review the trainee’s work and enter the review in the client file.
• Commercial-lines damage insurance:
  The supervisor must approve the products and services offered by the trainee before they are recommended to the client, enter this approval in the client file and countersign, where applicable, any proposal or form, in particular, notices for purposes of replacement.
• Accident and sickness insurance:
  The supervisor must approve the products and services offered by the trainee before they are recommended to the client, enter this approval in the client file and countersign, where applicable, any proposal or form, in particular, notices for purposes of replacement.
• Insurance of persons:
  The supervisor must approve the products and services offered by the trainee before they are recommended to the client, enter this approval in the client file and countersign, where applicable, any proposal or form, in particular, notices for purposes of replacement.
• Group insurance of persons:
  The supervisor must approve the products and services offered by the trainee before they are recommended to the client, enter this approval in the client file and countersign, where applicable, any proposal or form, in particular, notices for purposes of replacement.
• Mortgage brokerage sector:
  The supervisor must approve the proposed loan and any other recommendation pertaining to the mortgage brokerage transaction before the trainee proposes the loan or makes the recommendation to the client. The supervisor must also approve mortgage loan applications before they are forwarded to the lender.

• Claims adjustment:
  The supervisor must verify the information gathered by the trainee, approve the components of a claims investigation, the assessment of damage or the negotiation of a settlement, enter the approval in the client file, accompany and assist the trainee when presenting these components to the insured and may be assisted by the trainee during the negotiation of the settlement.  

During the probationary period, the replacement supervisor has the same responsibilities as a supervisor. The replacement supervisor is responsible for all the trainee's professional activities for a specific period when the supervisor is absent.

During the probationary period, the supervisor must open a file for each trainee to demonstrate the quality of teaching and guidance given by the supervisor and the firm. The file must contain the following.

• a list of the tasks carried out by the trainee
• a summary of the supervisor’s meetings with the trainee
• notes concerning the trainee’s progress during the probationary period
• a list of the files that the trainee worked on
• in group insurance of persons, the case studies completed by the trainee
• the reasons and compensatory measures taken in the event the trainee is unable to perform all the activities reserved for representatives

The firm must keep the trainee’s file for five years.  

If a trainee has two supervisors, one supervisor may take vacation during the probationary period. He does not need to inform the AMF of this situation, since the other supervisor will be supervising the trainee during his absence. Since the trainee must be supervised at all times, the two supervisors may not take vacation at the same time.

If a trainee has only one supervisor, the supervisor may take vacation during the probationary period. Two options are available:

1. The supervisor can notify the AMF when he submits the Application for authorization of probationary period, change in supervisor, extension of probationary certificate (pdf - 337 KB)This link will open in a new windowUpdated on 1^st September 2023Authorization of probationary period, change in supervisor, extension of probationary certificate and add Trainee's vacation by completing parts 6.1 (Supervisor 1) and 6.3 (Replacement Supervisor 1).  

2. He can also notify the AMF once the probationary period has begun by completing a  new Application for authorization of probationary period, change in supervisor, extension of probationary certificate (pdf - 337 KB)This link will open in a new windowUpdated on 1^st September 2023Authorization of probationary period, change in supervisor, extension of probationary certificate and add Trainee's vacation form and indicating the expected vacation dates in part 6.1 (Supervisor 1).

The AMF must receive these documents at least 10 business days before the date on which the supervisor intends to begin his vacation. The required fees must also be paid. The request can also be made via AMF E-Services.

The probationary certificate remains valid for 30 days after the end of the probationary period to allow trainees to apply for the representative’s certificate as soon as possible. The supervisor must send his recommendation within this 10-day period to respect this expiry date.

Since the 10-day limit is a regulatory requirement, a notice will be placed in the supervisor’s file if he fails to submit the recommendation on time. After a second notice, the representative will not be able to act as a probationary period supervisor for one year starting from the date of the last notice.

If the supervisor is an independent representative, he must also approve the recommendation. In AMF E-Services, he must access his independent representative’s file and then approve the recommendation. 

Since the replacement supervisor acts as a supervisor for a specific time period, he cannot send the recommendation at the end of the probationary period. Only supervisors authorized by the AMF for the complete six- or 12-week probationary period can submit the recommendation to the AMF.  

During a trainee’s probationary period, each supervisor can have a replacement supervisor. If two supervisors oversee the trainee’s work, there can be a maximum of two replacement supervisors for the probationary period.  

The trainee may change supervisors during the probationary period without affecting its duration, and without interruption, provided the AMF is notified of such change at least 10 days prior to the proposed change and the new supervisor acts on behalf of the same firm or the same independent partnership, as applicable. The trainee no longer has the right to practice as soon as he is no longer supervised by a supervisor until the change of supervisor is confirmed by the AMF.

If the new supervisor does not act on behalf of the same firm or the same independent partnership, the probationary period must be started over again; as a result, the candidate must submit another application for authorization of probationary period.