News from CGA-Canada
FROM:
MAY-JUN 2005 ISSUE
CGAs Ask for AIT Panel
CGA-New Brunswick formally requested that a panel be constituted under the
Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) to help resolve the issue of access in Quebec to public accounting for its members.
Certified General Accountants are prevented from providing public accounting services in Quebec because of laws restricting that practice to Chartered Accountants. This long-standing inequity is at odds with virtually every other Canadian province and territory, where qualified CGAs have access to the practice of public accounting.
The AIT requires Quebec and all provinces to remove barriers that restrict the movement of competent professionals from one province to another. As it relates to accountants, the AIT requires that a province provide access to public accounting for those who are qualified for this occupation in another Canadian jurisdiction, based on an objective assessment of their competence, without regard to how this competence was acquired.
There is an existing precedent for CGA-New Brunswick's AIT challenge, based on those principles. In October 2001, an AIT panel concluded that Ontario's public accountant licensing regime unfairly denied CGAs from Manitoba the right to practice public accounting in Ontario.
The AIT provides a mechanism that allows a private party to challenge provincial laws that are inconsistent with the principles and provisions of the Agreement. This formal request for a panel is the next step in the process initiated by
CGA-New Brunswick last year.
For more information, go to the CGA-Canada Web site at
www.cga-online.org/canada.
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CGA-Canada Pushes for Changes to Not-For-Profit Act
CGA-Canada's Government and Regulatory Affairs department has been actively lobbying members of Parliament in an attempt to amend
Bill C-21,
An Act Respecting Not-For-Profit Corporations and Other Corporations Without Share Capital (the Canada Not-For-Profit Corporations Act).
Paragraph 179(1)(b) of the bill is inconsistent with the way other federal legislation defines the qualifications of auditors, as evidenced by the fact that CGAs in Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia are prohibited from performing audits for soliciting corporations, while the same CGAs are allowed to audit political parties or candidates' political campaigns.
Imposing a different regime on the not-for-profit sector than on other groups — within the same federal jurisdictions — unfairly penalizes these organizations. It also undermines both the letter and spirit of the
Agreement on Internal Trade. CGA-Canada is asking Parliamentarians to eliminate paragraph 179(1)(b) from the proposed legislation in order to bring public accounting regulations in line with other federal legislation and the stated objectives of Bill C-21, as well as promote national standards of good governance and fiscal responsibility.
Meetings held to date between representatives of the Government and Regulatory Affairs department and various MPs from all political parties have been productive. Most committee members have responded positively to the Association's position and arguments in favour of this change.
CGA-Canada appeared before the Standing Committee on Industry, Natural Resources, Science and Technology in March 2005 and presented the Association's case. A copy of the presentation is available on the
CGA-Canada Web site.
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New Standard for CPD
CGA-Canada's Board of Directors approved a new Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Standard at the March Board meeting that reinforces the Association's CPD guidelines, already among the strongest in the profession, to comply with a new international standard.
The new CPD standard requires CGAs meet 120 hours of professional development in a moving three-year period, and that a minimum of 60 of those hours be verifiable activity. Provincial and territorial associations may establish further conditions and the implementation dates may vary from one region to another. The most significant change is the move to measure professional development in hours rather than credits. Hours-based CPD reporting will be phased in over a three-year period.
The
Code of Ethical Principles and Rules of Conduct requires all CGAs to develop and maintain their professional competence and the Association relies on the professional judgment of each member to choose relevant CPD activities.
CGA-Canada is one of the few accounting organizations that has a mandatory professional development requirement for all its members, not just those in public practice. The requirement is one of several that the Association has in place to protect the interests of the public and the profession.
CGA-Canada's CPD standard complies with IES 7, an education standard published by the International Federation of Accountants last year. The complete text of the new CPD standard is on PD Network at
www.cga-pd.net.
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AcSB Welcomes Comments on Draft Plan
Following last summer's call for public comment on the Accounting Standards Board's (AcSB) "Future Directions" initiative, the Board has released a draft strategic plan for the period 2006-2011, and has once again asked for public comment.
The AcSB has decided it should pursue separate strategies for public companies, private businesses, and not-for-profit organizations. The draft plan outlines specific guidelines for each type of financial entity.
Notably, the AcSB is proposing that Canadian GAAP be merged with International Financial Reporting Standards over a five-year transitional period for public companies, with U.S. GAAP being an appropriate alternative when regulators and other competent authorities permit its use.
CGA-Canada supports adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards for Canada; however, the Association is still concerned that Canada's standard setter is not an independent body. CGA-Canada will submit comments on the draft strategic plan, and will continue to actively participate in the Canadian standards-setting process, as well as advocate on behalf of CGAs and further develop its relationship with the AcSB.
Individuals and organizations are invited to submit comments on the draft plan by July 31, 2005. The Invitation to Comment is available on the AcSB Web site at
www.acsbcanada.org.
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Redesigned Self-Assessment Tool Simplifies PD
A redesigned Competency Assessment Tool (CAT), available on PD Network, provides a convenient way for CGAs to assess their own professional development needs and identify resources for developing those competencies.
The new CAT features an intuitive and easy-to-use Flash format that allows users to evaluate their skill level in specific competencies and then compare their profile to target profiles. CAT immediately identifies the competencies that need development and provides links to courses, seminars, and articles on PD Network that address those competencies.
CAT has been updated to reflect the competencies validated in the Association's recent practice analysis survey, which ensures that the target profiles reflect the current needs and expectations of the marketplace. Included is a description of each competency statement, as well as the expectations for each of four skill levels. The focus on competencies rather than simply technical knowledge continues the competency-based approach to education through to
post-certification.
Members will find CAT to be useful both as a self-assessment tool and as a method of setting career goals and planning career development strategies. Members can access PD Network at
www.cga-pd.net free of charge and locate CAT by clicking on "competency" on the top toolbar.
Another new feature to PD Network is a service called HR Answers Now. Until August 9, 2005, PD Network subscribers will have free access to this human resources information service on a trial basis; the service normally costs $499 per year. HR Answers Now is a quick source of expert guidance and straightforward answers to HR-related questions of relevance to Canadian business.
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Board Committees 2004-05
Audit Committee
Brenda L. Waechter, FCGA (BC) – Chair
Chris Edworthy, FCGA (AB)
John McCulloch, CGA (NS)
Finance Committee/Comité des finances
Jackie Poirier, FCGA (NS) – Chair
Susan McGillivray, CGA (ON)
Len Pietrzykowski, FCGA (BC)
Pierre Samson, FCGA (QC)
Louise Usick, CGA (SK)
Honours & Awards Committee
John J. Nagy, FCGA (BC) – Chair
Ernie J. Boudreau, FCGA (NB)
Michel Guindon, FCGA (QC)
Shirley Reilly, FCGA (ON)
Laura Leigh White, FCGA (AB)
International Committee
Joyce Evans, FCGA (ON) – Chair
Derek C. Huestis, CGA (PEI)
Moe Jones, CGA (BC)
Gregory M. Kuzminski, FCGA (MB)
John J. Nagy, FCGA (BC)
Luc Provencher, FCGA (QC)
National Education Committee
James C. Gaa, FCGA (AB) – Chair
Emilio Boulianne, CGA (QC)
John Carter, CGA (NWT/Nunavut)
Diana Eisenhauer, FCGA (NS)
Rita M. Estock, FCGA (BC)
Joyce Evans, FCGA (ON)
Debra J. Feltham, CGA (NL)
Paula Gallant, CGA (PEI)
Alac Ho, CGA (International)
David Inhaber, CGA (AB)
Egbert McGraw, FCGA (NB)
Catherine Mengel, CGA (SK)
Ladi Millard, CGA (YK)
Debbie Mortimer, CGA (MB)
National Professional Standards Committee
Bruce Hutton, FCGA (ON) – Chair
Gordon Clissold, CGA (BC)
Ginette Fortin, FCGA (QC)
Rod Goetz, CGA (ON)
Robert Harrison, FCGA (NB)
Don Hillstead, CGA (SK)
Trevor McCormick, CGA (NL)
Michael McKay, CGA (YK)
Laurie Ouellette, FCGA (NWT/Nunavut)
Brenda Reid, FCGA (NS)
Alex Robert, CGA (PEI)
Stephen N. Rosenfield, FCGA (MB)
Laura Leigh White, FCGA (AB)
Professional Liability Insurance Committee
Kent D. Ferguson, FCGA (NWT/Nunavut) – Chair
D. Scott Anderson, FCGA (MB)
Gordon Chan, FCGA (BC)
Bruce Hutton, FCGA (ON)
Strategic Planning Committee
Dany Girard, FCGA (QC) – Chair
John S. Carpenter, FCGA (AB)
Ron Colucci, FCGA (ON)
Michael Geiger-Wolf, FCGA (MB)
Alain Laplante, FCGA (QC)
Terry LeBlanc, FCGA (NB)
Gordon H. Ruth, FCGA (BC)
Tax & Fiscal Policy Committee
Everett Colby, FCGA (ON) – Chair
James Dunphy, FCGA (AB)
Bob Harvey, FCGA (BC)
Grant Kirkup, FCGA (MB)
Magazine Editorial Advisory Board
Laura Leigh White, FCGA (AB) – Chair
Sandra Bishop, FCGA (NL)
Patrick Keller, CGA (BC)
Michel Laliberté, FCGA (QC)
Cameron Morrill, CGA (MB)
Chief Operating Officers Group
Anthony Ariganello, FCGA (CGA-Canada)
Bill Caulfield, CGA (Hon.) (BC)
John Carpenter, FCGA (AB)
Lin March, FCGA (SK)
Len Hampson, FCGA (MB)
Diane Burgess, CGA (ON)
Alain Girard, FCGA (QC)
Trudy Dryden, FCGA (NB)
Robert Landry, CGA (PEI)
Nova Scotia – TBD
Newfoundland-Labrador – TBD
Degree Steering Group
David R. White, FCGA (NL) – Chair
Grant Christensen, FCGA (MB)
Roger Hébert, FCGA (NB)
Bill Johnson, FCGA (BC)
Alain Laplante, FCGA (QC)
Legacy Review Task Force
Jackie Poirier, FCGA (NS) – Chair
John S. Carpenter, FCGA (AB)
Bill Caulfield, CGA (Hon.) (BC)
Research Foundation Board
Diana Eisenhauer, FCGA (NS) – President
Lynda Carson, FCGA (CGA-Canada)
Stephen Spector, FCGA (BC)
Daniel Zéghal, FCGA (ON)
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CGA-Canada Hosts Parliamentary Reception
CGA-Canada held its second annual parliamentary reception at the Rideau Club to welcome legislators back to the capital in February. The event was hosted by Association Chair Louise Nesterenko, FCGA, and President and CEO Anthony Ariganello, FCGA.
Over 100 guests attended the reception, including ministers, senators, members of Parliament and their staff, representatives of non-government organizations, public servants, and CGAs. The event provides CGAs an informal opportunity to bring relevant issues to the attention of federal politicians.
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