Do I actually need both the CIRE and the RSE?

It depends on whether you want to advise clients or just execute their trades. The CIRE alone registers you as an Investment Representative (IR) — you can take a client's order and place it, but you can't tell them whether it's a good idea. The moment your job involves recommending investments, building portfolios, or guiding decisions, you've crossed into advice, which means registering as a Registered Representative (RR) — and that requires the CIRE plus the Retail Securities Exam (RSE).

For a bank advisory role, that's you: CIRE first, then RSE. There's no skipping ahead — the CIRE is a hard prerequisite, so you can't book the RSE until you've passed it. The rough way to remember the split: the CIRE answers 'can this trade be done?' (rules and conduct), while the RSE answers 'should this person do it?' (judgment and suitability). If you were only ever going to work an order-execution desk with no advice, the CIRE on its own would be enough — but for advising retail clients, you need both.