Labor peace in the Canadian Football League will depend on what happens in 2026.
A valid collective bargaining agreement ratified by the CFL and its Players Association. after a short strike in 2022runs for a seven-year term that expires 30 days before the first day of training camp in 2029.. However, the agreement contains an opt-out clause before the 2027 season that would allow either side to force the other back to the negotiating table.
In a State of the Union address earlier this month, CFLPA President Solomon Elimimian confirmed that the organization would review its options ahead of that deadline.
“There is an option for 2027, and obviously this period ends in 2029. I would expect us to look at 2027,” he said. “We will look at the language with our members and see if this is the best option to open a collective bargaining agreement at that time.”
The opt-out provision is due to the CFL's television broadcast agreement with TSN, which expires on December 31, 2026. If the league enters into a new contract before that date in which the base fee is adjusted in either direction, positive or negative, then either party may notify the other of the termination of the CBA two years earlier.
CFLPA made historic progress amid a tense negotiation process in 2022. For the first time, they provided the right to partially guaranteed contracts for veteran players and established a revenue-sharing formula with the league. That paid off in 2025, when the formula unexpectedly jumped the salary cap by more than $400,000. which the CFLPA called the second-largest increase in league history..
Elimimian said the union is optimistic about this year's preliminary numbers and believes another bump in revenue sharing could be on the horizon. However, the execution of the deal left much to be desired, since delays in providing proper financial documentation to the PA led to the cap increase being announced on February 5th, after many players had already agreed to contracts during the free agency negotiating window.
The late announcement caught teams by surprise and prompted several HR executives publicly state that they will stick to their original budgets. Others have manipulated the system by placing healthy players on the one-game injured list to use up extra cap space, leading to a complaint by the CFLPA and $50,000 tax exemption added to cap as part of league agreement.
“It's something that we're constantly investigating, we're looking at, we're negotiating with the league. It's all about revenue sharing,” said CFLPA executive director David Mackie. “As I mentioned, there are some positive changes, but they're not perfect. We need to continue to work with the league so that when revenues go up, everyone involved benefits. If the cap goes up, how does everyone benefit? You want to make sure the bottom line continues to grow, and that's what we're fighting for.”
To prevent future problems, the PA informed the league that it would strictly adhere to the January 15 deadline for submitting financial documents. Despite early setbacks regarding rule changesThey believe the league's new leadership, under commissioner Stuart Johnston, is committed to being more transparent than ever before.
“In terms of our relationship with the commissioner, I think it's getting better. I think in the past we learned a lot the first time (when the public found out). I think Stuart is open to hearing our opinions and really listens to our thoughts and how it affects the players,” Elimimian said.
“There's a lot to learn here. I think he's teaching us, we're learning him. We're always going to push back against what supports our members, and I felt like we really fought back hard and ended up getting what we wanted.”
That transparency has so far extended to CFL Ventures, the league's tax arm, where the PA has two non-voting seats on the Board of Directors.
“I think during my first report on Ventures with Randy (Ambrosie), we talked for five minutes and I said, 'This is not what we expected.' We deserve to see these numbers. We deserve to see growth,” Mackie said, pointing out that Johnston now provides access to virtually the entire pre-vote call.
“They're giving us access to these numbers and looking at this value here. We've talked about relationships and they're open about some of these things.”
If this transparency continues and revenue share continues to grow, it will be in players' best interests to keep the existing CBA intact. However, failure to meet deadlines or promises can quickly sour the relationship, continuing the long history of bad blood between the CFL and the Players Association.
Even if the good relationship continues, the details of the next TV deal will remain the determining factor in whether the CBA survives next season. If the contract produces a windfall, players will want their fair share. If the payout is less than expected, the league may want to return some of the union's profits.
