Joining Equity

Becoming an Equity member is an important step in your career. Membership provides access to opportunities, rights, and benefits, while also carrying professional responsibilities. There is no single “right time” to join — the best time depends on your career stage and the type of work you are doing.

To join Canadian Actors’ Equity, an artist must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or hold a visa permitting work in Canada, unless you are joining through a reciprocal agreement.

Membership requirements vary by discipline, but always require an eligible Equity contract.

To learn more about the joining process, select your discipline:

The Value of Membership

Equity Members benefit from:

Recognition throughout the industry as a professional artist

Medical and life insurance plans

Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP)

Access to professional work opportunities and notifications through Equity’s eDrive

Support while on contract from Equity staff

Reciprocal agreements with other unions

Voting rights

Discounts through the Member Advantage Program

Participation in a community of professional artists

A voice in shaping the objectives of our member-driven Association

When is the right time to join Equity?

The decision to join Equity is a big step in your professional career.

For eligible disciplines, joining at the beginning of a contract gives you access to membership benefits — including expanded medical insurance coverage and RRSP contributions — through the duration of your contract.

Members

Contribute 8.25% of weekly fees, of which 6% is contributed to the member’s RRSP and 2.25% is paid in working dues
Pay Health and Insurance Benefit premiums for Accident & Sickness coverage while on contract
Off-contract insurance coverage is available the next year if you work a total of 8 weeks the current year

Permittees

Pay 8.25% of weekly fees as permittee filing fees to Equity, a percentage of which is used towards a credit on their eventual initiation fee (at a maximum of $400/contract)
Pay the equivalent Health and Insurance Benefit premiums for insurance coverage on contract up to 85% of policy maximums for accidental insurance only, with no possibility of off-contract coverage

Why might I want to wait to join Equity?

Joining Equity carries responsibilities set out in Equity’s Bylaws, including the requirement to accept work only on Equity contracts. For a new artist just starting out, joining immediately may not always be the best choice.

Please note that once you become an Equity member, you will be required to have an Equity contract when working in our jurisdiction and you will not be able to work on non-union productions. There are, however, a number of Equity engagement policies that allow members to work on collaborative and other small-scale projects, even with non-members.

What does it cost to join Equity?

Joining Equity also comes with a $1,200 initiation fee, which can seem daunting for many artists. In continuing to work as a permittee, a portion of the permittee filing fees you pay will be applied towards your initiation fee, allowing you to pay it off gradually as you work. Please note: permit filing fees applied to the initiation fee expire after 3 years.

If you are an ACTRA Full member in good standing, you are eligible to receive a $475 discount to the initiation fee. If you are an AEA member, please let us know when you apply to join Equity.

What are the steps of the joining process?

Once you have met the requirements for your discipline, Equity will contact you when you are eligible to join. You will then need to:

Complete a Membership Application form
Complete an RRSP Application form, if applicable
Pay the remaining balance of your joining fee

If I’m eligible to join, is there a time limit to join Equity?

No. Your eligibility to join Equity never expires. However, permit filing fees applied towards the initiation fee expire after three years.

Am I ever required to join Equity?

An artist may be required to join Equity if any of the following apply:

The artist has a significant existing professional career in live or recorded performance
The artist is a member of Actors’ Equity Association
The engagement is in excess of 10 weeks
The engagement is on a commercial (CTA/ITA Sector 2) contract
The conditions of the collective agreement require the artist to join

Ready to join or have questions?

Please do not hesitate to contact us at membership@caea.com.

Before making your decision, we encourage you to learn more about Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. Remember, Equity will always be there. If you don’t join today, we’ll be happy to have you as a member tomorrow.

Learn more about who we are and what we do

Rights & Responsibilities

Working as a Permittee

Joining Equity

To learn more about the joining process, select your discipline:

Performer

Stage Manager

Director

Choreographer

Fight Director

Intimacy Director