Montreal, May 8, 2025 - This morning, the CSF held its annual training event, ProLab 2025 >> Master Classes, at the Centre d'événements et de congrès interactifs (CECi) in Trois-Rivières. Presented under the theme “Évoluer au rythme du changement”, this continuing education event enabled financial services advisors to perfect their knowledge and develop the multidisciplinary skills essential to their practice, during workshops led by leading experts in their field.

This unique event featured four master classes with renowned professors from leading Quebec research and teaching institutions. These classes were tailor-made for CSF members to address social issues that could have an impact on their advisory role.

An increasing number of Quebecers are faced with specific family and estate issues to which professionals must find solutions. In this context, Hélène Belleau, sociologist, professor, researcher at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and holder of the CSF-INRS Argent, inégalité et société Chair, led a dynamic master class, in which she not only presented the results of her research, but also invited participants to reflect on the complexity of the situations encountered. The presentation was based on a survey of the Quebec population carried out by the CSF in collaboration with the research chair.

Financial markets are undergoing profound change, and advisors need to develop the right reflexes to adapt their practice. Benjamin Croitoru, professor and researcher in financial economics at McGill University, has explored these concepts in greater depth, proposing hands-on actions for professionals. Together, they brainstormed solutions to anticipate the evolution of their role as advisors, while highlighting the added value of human interaction in financial advice.

Professionals are increasingly called upon to advise increasingly fragmented clienteles. Suzie Mondésir, Inclusive Leadership Strategist at UQAM and a leading figure in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), spoke on the subject of inclusive customer management, demonstrating its benefits and distinctive value not only for professionals, but also for a variety of consumers of financial products and services. Thanks to a rich and interactive exchange, CSF members were able to ask their questions, share their experiences and come away with ideas for adapting their practices to the specific needs of their different customers.

Finally, it is important for professionals to be able to identify socio-economic trends, and develop strategies adapted to the current and future expectations of Quebecers. Professor, researcher and renowned marketing and commerce specialist Jacques Nantel, and consumer anthropologist Isabelle Thibeault, each expressed their vision of the future in their own way, much to the delight of the students. Thanks to this cutting-edge training, advisors were equipped to optimize their customer service by studying customer profiles, their concerns, and in particular their relationship with money.

Marie Elaine Farley, President and CEO of the CSF, was delighted with member participation in the event. “We are proud to have been able to bring together renowned professors to offer a high-calibre event that supports the development of knowledge and its practical application by advisors, for the benefit of their clients. Continuing education will always be an essential pillar of consumer protection for financial products and services. This is why the CSF makes it a point of honour to democratize access to quality training that responds to current realities, and to develop a growing number of training courses accessible to all its members.”

“Training not only enables advisors supervised by the CSF to enhance their multidisciplinary skills, but also ensures a better match between the evolving needs of consumers and the services offered by professionals,” adds Daniel Richard, Vice-President, Community Relations, at the CSF.

Continuing education and multidisciplinary skills

The CSF has always been at the forefront of training, being one of the first professional organizations in the country to impose mandatory continuing education for its members, and one of the first Canadian organizations to require members to obtain Professionnal Development Units (PDUs) for compliance.

In line with its 2024-2026 strategic plan, the CSF aims to democratize access to quality training adapted to the realities of the field, for all its members, in all regions of Quebec, with a particular focus on the multidisciplinary skills essential to staying in step within a constantly evolving industry. The CSF has consulted its members and held workshops with compliance officers, professional development officers and distribution managers, in order to clearly identify the essential skills that professionals will need to master if they are to continue to meet the needs of their customers and fulfill their important responsibilities.

These identified multidisciplinary skills can be consulted on the CSF website.