Canada Life Denials
Canada Life Denied Your Claim? We've Beaten Them Before.
Canada Life — formerly Great-West Life — is one of the most aggressive disability insurers in Ontario. They deny claims using in-house doctors, biased evaluations, and the 24-month mental health loophole. We know their entire playbook. And we know how to beat it.
No fee unless we win. No obligation to proceed.
If Canada Life denied you, it's not because you're not disabled.
It's because denials save them money. Canada Life employs teams of adjusters, in-house medical consultants, and vocational specialists — all working to find reasons to reject your claim. They don't care that your doctor says you can't work. They care about their bottom line.
You've been paying premiums for years. You trusted the system. And when you needed it most, they said no. That's not a medical decision. It's a financial one. And it can be overturned.
Know Their Targets
Conditions Canada Life denies most often
Canada Life is particularly aggressive with these conditions. If yours is on this list, you're not imagining it — they have a pattern.
How Canada Life denies your claim
- "You no longer meet the definition of total disability" — their most common denial letter. What it really means: their in-house consultant disagrees with your doctor. Courts regularly overturn these.
- The 24-month mental health limitation — a clause buried in your policy that lets them cut mental health benefits after 2 years, even if you're still severely ill. It can be challenged.
- "Insufficient medical evidence" — even when your treating physician says you can't work. Canada Life's doctors say otherwise. Their doctors work for them. Yours works for you.
- Biased functional capacity evaluations — they send you to their assessor, who designs the test to make you look more capable than you are. We get independent evaluations that tell the truth.
- Vocational assessments — they hire a vocational expert who says you could theoretically work as a 'data entry clerk' or 'reception monitor.' Jobs that don't account for your pain, fatigue, or cognitive limitations.
Canada Life's playbook
We've seen every tactic Canada Life uses. Here's what to watch for:
- In-house medical 'consultants' who never examine you — they review your file and write opinions that contradict your treating doctor. They've never seen you in person.
- The 24-month switcheroo — applying the mental/nervous limitation even when your condition has physical components. This is often challengeable.
- Biased FCEs — functional capacity evaluations designed to minimize your limitations. The assessor works for Canada Life, not for you.
- Vocational rehabilitation pressure — they assign a 'rehab specialist' to argue you can return to work, even when your doctors say you can't.
- Strategic delays — sitting on your claim for months, hoping the financial pressure forces you to give up or accept a low settlement.
How we fight back
- We challenge the 24-month limitation — if your depression or anxiety comes with physical symptoms like chronic pain, fatigue, or migraines, the mental health cap may not apply. We build the evidence to prove it.
- We get independent evaluations — not from Canada Life's doctors, but from qualified specialists who actually examine you properly and document your real limitations.
- We demolish their vocational arguments — with real job market data showing that the 'jobs' their expert suggested don't actually exist, or aren't realistic given your education, training, and medical restrictions.
- We file strong appeals with complete medical packages — not the thin paperwork that Canada Life is counting on. Every medical record, every specialist report, every piece of evidence that proves your disability.
- We take them to court when they won't do the right thing — and Canada Life knows it. Most cases settle once they see we're prepared to litigate.
What to do right now
- 1Don't accept the 24-month limitation without legal review — even if Canada Life says your benefits are ending. This can be challenged.
- 2Gather every medical record from every treating provider — your family doctor, psychiatrist, pain specialist, physiotherapist, everyone. We need the full picture.
- 3Start a daily journal documenting how your condition affects you — not just 'I was in pain' but 'I couldn't sit for more than 10 minutes,' 'I couldn't concentrate enough to read a page,' 'I had to cancel plans because of a flare-up.'
- 4Lock down your social media — set everything to private, stop posting, and ask friends and family not to tag you. Canada Life monitors social media.
- 5The limitation period in Ontario is 2 years from the date of denial. It's worth talking to a lawyer before that window narrows.
Common Questions
Questions about Canada Life denials
There is a deadline on this.
In Ontario, the limitation period to take legal action against Canada Life is 2 years from the date of denial or benefit termination. After that, your right to sue may be gone permanently. It's worth knowing where you stand before that window closes.
Check Where You StandWe'll be in touch shortly.
Canada Life has a team of lawyers. Now it's your turn.
Get a free case review. We'll look at your policy, your denial, and Canada Life's stated reasons — and tell you exactly where you stand and what your options are. No cost. No obligation.
Let's Review Your Canada Life ClaimYou'll talk to a real lawyer, not a call centre. No fee unless we win.