How to Start a Marketing Consultancy in Canada (2026)

Most guides to starting a consultancy jump to logos and tool stacks. In Canada, the paperwork comes first: your legal structure, your business number, when GST/HST kicks in, and how Canada's anti-spam law affects the first newsletter you send. Sort these out in month one and you won't be untangling them at tax time.

We use Alberta as the worked example because many of our readers are there. The federal rules on business numbers, GST/HST and CASL apply everywhere in Canada.

1. Choose a business structure

You have three practical options.

Sole proprietorship. The simplest start. In Alberta, a business name "does not have a legal existence in its own right," so "the sole proprietor or partners are personally responsible for the debts and obligations of the business" (Alberta.ca, Register a business name). If a client sues or a debt goes unpaid, your personal assets are exposed.

Partnership. A partnership "is created when 2 or more individuals, or 2 or more corporations, do business together as partners," and "all partners share in the profits and the risks or debts of the business" (Alberta.ca). Going in with a co-founder? Get a written partnership agreement before your first client.

Corporation. A corporation "is an independent legal entity that exists separate and apart from its owners (shareholders)." It can make contracts, own assets, sue and be sued. And "a small business with only one owner can register as a corporation" (Alberta.ca, Incorporate an Alberta corporation).

Alberta "highly recommend[s]" getting legal advice on which structure fits (Alberta.ca). How you pay yourself, and whether incorporating saves anything at your income, is a question for an accountant.

Do you need to register a name?

The federal business site says that if you're "a sole proprietor operating a business under your legal name (for example, Jane Doe), you generally do not need to register your business name." Add anything to it and that changes: "Jane Doe Consulting" is the government's own example of a name that needs to be registered as a trade name. It also warns that "failing to register a name that you are using can result in significant fines and other legal consequences" (Canada.ca, Choosing a business name).

Trade names are registered with the provinces and territories, not Ottawa (Canada.ca).

2. Alberta: how registration works

Alberta does this differently from many provinces.

• No online filing. The federal site lists Alberta's business-name registration as something that "cannot be done online" (Canada.ca). You take your information to "an authorized Corporate Registry service provider" (a registry agent) with your business name information, valid ID and payment (Alberta.ca).
• Trade names use the Declaration of Trade Name (Alberta.ca).
• Names don't have to be unique, but that's a risk, not a loophole. If yours is the same as or similar to an existing business, corporation or trademark, "the owners could take your business to court." Registering "does not grant any right of ownership of the name" (Alberta.ca).
• No "Ltd.", "Inc." or "Corp." on an unincorporated name, since those imply a corporation (Alberta.ca).
• Incorporating takes more steps: an Alberta NUANS name report (unless you take a numbered name like "785843 Alberta Inc."), a registered office at a physical location in Alberta, at least one adult director, and an agent for service located in Alberta, who "does not need to be a lawyer" (Alberta.ca).
• Fees. Registry agents charge a government fee plus their own service fee (Alberta.ca). Service fees aren't regulated and vary by agent (Alberta.ca, Find a business registry). In Alberta's Registry Agent Product Catalogue effective October 1, 2026, the government fee is $10.61 to register a trade name or partnership and $291.75 to incorporate an Alberta corporation (Registry Agent Product Catalogue, Oct. 1, 2026). Expect to pay more at the counter once the agent's fee is added.

3. Federal vs. Alberta incorporation

You can incorporate federally with Corporations Canada or with your province (Canada.ca, Choosing between federal and provincial incorporation). Federal incorporation gives you:

• Name protection across the country. An approved federal name is "protected across the country." A provincial corporation's name is exclusive only in the province or territory where you incorporate (Canada.ca; Canada.ca).
• The right to carry on business anywhere in Canada (Canada.ca).
• Online filing with Corporations Canada, with no intermediary (Canada.ca).

The catch: provincial and territorial laws require a federal corporation to register in each province or territory where it does business. That typically includes having an address, P.O. box or phone number there, or offering services there. Most provinces charge for this. Corporations Canada says it has partnered with Alberta (and B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec) to make that registration easier (Corporations Canada, Register a federal corporation in a province or territory).

So for an Edmonton or Calgary consultant whose clients are mostly in Alberta, incorporating provincially is often the simpler route. If you're building a national brand, federal name protection may be worth the extra step. Either way, a registered trademark gives you exclusive rights across Canada for 15 years, renewable (Canada.ca).

4. Get a business number (BN)

The BN is the CRA's standard identifier for your business. You need one if you need a GST/HST, payroll or other CRA program account, or if you incorporate. If you're unincorporated, "you only need a BN when you register for program accounts" with the CRA. You can only have one BN per business or legal entity (CRA, When you need a BN).

In Alberta, it comes with registration. Alberta is one of the provinces where you receive a BN when you register or incorporate, and incorporating there also sets up your corporation income tax (RC) account (CRA). Alberta says you'll get an email when your federal BN is issued. If you already have one as an individual or corporation, you keep using it (Alberta.ca; Alberta.ca). Federal incorporation also issues a BN and RC account (CRA).

You still register separately for GST/HST or payroll once you have the BN (CRA). The CRA's "How to register" page has Option 1 for residents with a valid SIN and Option 2 for non-residents (CRA, How to register).

Start your registration from the CRA's How to register page: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/business-registration/business-number-program-account/how-register.html

5. GST/HST and the $30,000 small-supplier threshold

Here's how the CRA's rules work for most businesses (CRA, When to register for and start charging the GST/HST):

• Under $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, you're a small supplier and don't have to register. You can register voluntarily.
• Over $30,000 in a single quarter, you stop being a small supplier immediately. You must register and charge GST/HST starting with the sale that pushed you over.
• Over $30,000 across four (or fewer) quarters, but not in one, you stop being a small supplier at the end of the month after the quarter you went over.
• In the CRA's examples, you have to register within 29 days of your effective date of registration.
• It's not just this business. Sole proprietors count worldwide taxable revenue, before expenses, "from all your businesses and those of your associates" (CRA).

The CRA's Example 2 is a consulting business earning $2,000, $10,000, then $38,000 across three quarters. It stopped being a small supplier the day it went over $30,000 in the third quarter (CRA). One big retainer can do that, so track your running total.

Whether to register voluntarily, say to claim input tax credits or because larger clients expect a GST number, is a question for your accountant. We haven't covered rates or input tax credits here.

6. CASL: the rules for your marketing email

Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) applies to a commercial electronic message (CEM) sent to an electronic address: email, texts, and direct messages such as LinkedIn messaging. A general public social post typically isn't covered. Messages sent into Canada from abroad must comply too (CRTC, CASL FAQ).

There are three requirements: get consent, identify yourself, and include an unsubscribe mechanism (CRTC).

Consent

• Consent is express or implied. Express consent doesn't expire, but people can withdraw it any time.
• No pre-checked boxes. The person has to take a positive action, like ticking a blank box.
• The onus is on you to prove consent, so record how and when you got it.
• A business card or a conspicuously published address can imply consent, but only for messages relevant to the person's business role, and not if they said they don't want them.
• Purchases and inquiries create time-limited implied consent: two years after a purchase or contract, six months after an inquiry (CASL, s. 10(10)). When unsure, the CRTC says ask for express consent.
• After a qualifying referral you can send one message without consent. It must give the referrer's full name and say it's sent because of a referral.

All per the CRTC FAQ (CRTC).

Identification. Name yourself and anyone you're sending on behalf of, which matters when you run campaigns for clients. Include a valid mailing address. It doesn't have to be your home; a P.O. box works if you can be contacted there. It must stay valid for at least 60 days after you send (CRTC).

Unsubscribe. It must be "readily performed": simple, quick and easy. Forcing a login and several clicks fails. The link must work for at least 60 days, and you must process requests without delay, no later than 10 business days (CRTC).

Why it matters. The maximum penalty is $1 million per violation for an individual and $10 million for a business. Directors and officers can be personally liable if they directed, authorized or took part in the violation. You can also be liable for aiding a violation, which agencies sending for clients should note (CRTC). More background is on the federal CASL site (ISED, Canada's anti-spam legislation).

7. Insurance and contracts

There's no federal or Alberta government page telling consultants which insurance to carry, so this is general advice only:

• Talk to a licensed insurance broker about professional liability (errors and omissions) and general liability. Advice-based work carries the risk of a client blaming you for a loss.
• Put every engagement in writing: scope, deliverables, fees and payment terms, ownership of the work, confidentiality, termination, and who's responsible for CASL compliance on email you send for the client.
• Have a lawyer review your template contract once.

Where Albertans can get free help

Business Link Alberta says it helps "Alberta small businesses start and succeed," with free one-to-one business guidance, a Business Launch Program, a Digital Marketing Program and market research, plus webinars and workshops (businesslinkalberta.ca). A free guidance session is a good first call.

Your first-month checklist

1. Pick a structure; get legal and accounting advice if you're weighing incorporation.
2. Register your trade name or incorporate through an Alberta registry agent (or your province's registry).
3. Watch for your BN email, or register with the CRA.
4. Track taxable revenue against the $30,000 threshold, or register for GST/HST voluntarily.
5. Build CASL-compliant sign-up forms and footers before you send anything.
6. Get insurance quotes and a contract template.
7. Book a free Business Link Alberta session if you're in the province.

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Sources

All sources last checked Oct 15, 2026.

1. Alberta.ca, Register a business name: https://www.alberta.ca/register-business-name
2. Alberta.ca, Incorporate an Alberta corporation: https://www.alberta.ca/incorporate-alberta-corporation
3. Alberta.ca, Find a business registry: https://www.alberta.ca/find-business-registry
4. Government of Alberta, Registry Agent Product Catalogue (effective October 1, 2026): https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/4883fcbd-8a22-400f-80d0-89f590100a9b/resource/b012651f-1677-40fc-8f97-5107111b3534/download/sartr-registry-agent-product-catalogue-2026-10.pdf
5. Canada.ca, Choosing a business name: 3. Register your name: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/business/start/choosing-a-business-name-3.html
6. Canada.ca, Choosing between federal incorporation and provincial/territorial incorporation: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/business/start/register-with-gov/register-corp/register-corp-fed-or-prov.html
7. Corporations Canada (ISED), Register a federal corporation in a province or territory: https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/corporations-canada/en/register-federal-corporation-province-or-territory
8. CRA, When you need a BN: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/registering-your-business/you-need-a-business-number-a-program-account.html
9. CRA, How to register: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/registering-your-business/register.html
10. CRA, When to register for and start charging the GST/HST: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst-businesses/when-register-charge.html
11. CRTC, Frequently Asked Questions about Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation: https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/com500/faq500.htm
12. ISED, Canada's anti-spam legislation: https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/canada-anti-spam-legislation/en
13. Business Link Alberta: https://businesslinkalberta.ca/
14. Justice Laws Website, Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23), s. 10(10): https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/E-1.6/page-2.html
15. CRA, How to register (business number and program accounts): https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/business-registration/business-number-program-account/how-register.html

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Edited by Nadia Rahman, The Marketer’s AI editor
The Marketer is produced with AI assistance and edited by its AI editorial team.