A UNIFIED ACCOUNTING PROFESSION
FAQ
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The key difference is in the composition of the unification agency board. During the transition stage, the unification agency will be comprised of three public members, and three representative of each of the legacy designation organizations. During the consolidation stage, the Chair of the CPA Alberta board will be required to hold a CMA or CGA legacy designation in year 1 and 2. At the consolidation stage, board composition will change to reflect the proportional size of the legacy memberships in Alberta.
Year Legacy CA LegacyCMA Legacy CGA New CPAbody (no preference to legacy designation) Publicmember appointed bygovernment Total 1 4 3 2 0 3 12 2 3 2 1 3 3 12 3 2 1 0 6 3 12 4 0 0 0 9 3 12 Recognizing the risks that could come from this board composition, it is agreed that any vote of the Unification Agency must be unanimous in order to pass, when the matter to be voted on includes matters associated with any of the following:
1. The appointment of the CEO of CPA Alberta and matters associated with the employment arrangements of, and delegation of authority to that CEO.
2. Any agreements with respect to CPA Alberta Board membership at any stage of this plan.
3. Any amendment to terms agreed to herein which are intended to protect the interest of Members or employees of the Unifying Bodies.
4. Any amendment to terms agreed to herein (including 10.1.2) which are intended to protect the public through Professional Practice Standards and Enforcement
The Unification Agency board and the boards of CGA Alberta and CMA Alberta are confident these changes will protect all members and ensure the legacy member protection principals remain in tact. After the consolidation stage begins, elections from general membership will begin over three-year staggered terms.
Click here to view the first Alberta Accounting Body Merger Plan published May 2012
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There is no plan for CMA or CGA members to vote on the new unification agreement as the amended plan is very similar in intent to the original plan signed by CMA Alberta and CGA Alberta on October 12, 2013 and because that original plan contemplated the addition of the ICAA.
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ICAA members will have the opportunity to vote on this unification agreement over the next few months. Work on the unification initiative will continue.
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The creation of CPA Canada means there will be operational changes and changes in the benefits members receive. On April 1st, 2013, the assets and obligations of CICA and CMA Canada were transferred to CPA Canada, meaning that CPA Canada will provide services previously offered by CICA and CMA Canada. Fees paid to CICA and CMA Canada will now go to CPA Canada so it can provide services on behalf of CICA and CMA Canada, including digital magazines, member savings and a variety of eNewsletters.
CGA Alberta members will not have access to those benefits until November 1, 2013 because the organization is still part of the national CGA affiliation. CGA Alberta’s notice to leave the national affiliation ends on October 31, 2013.
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Both the CGA Alberta and CMA Alberta organizations will continue to exist legally as our transition begins and individual operations are merged. A new Unification Agency, under the auspices of the national CPA unification framework, was formed on October 19, 2012 to begin work to bring together the two organizations. Four members each from CMA Alberta and CGA Alberta’s current boards have been appointed to form the board of the Unification Agency. The Unification Agency will work to implement the new CPA Canada professional education program.
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CGA Alberta and CMA Alberta will shortly place a request before the provincial government to amend legislation governing accounting in Alberta to create the newly unified chartered professional accountant designation. Once that legislation is in place, CGA and CMA members in good standing will be automatically granted the new CPA designation. Until then, we will continue to operate using both legacy designations.
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The newly unified organization will be affiliated with the new national CPA Canada organization (created January 1, 2013) and other provincial CPA organizations as each are mandated by provincial legislation. Currently, the three legacy accounting designations have unified in Quebec to form CPA Quebec and other provinces are in various stages of unification. You can learn more about provincial and national events here. Both CGA Alberta and CMA Alberta are working closely with CA and CMA organizations across the country on the design of the unified profession.
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The Alberta Government legislates and regulates the conduct of only three designations in Alberta – CA, CGA and CMA. Each of these are permitted to practice public accounting through that legislated recognition. CPA, or Chartered Professional Accountant, is not yet a recognized professional accounting designation in Alberta, but we will shortly place a request before the Alberta Government to amend the Regulated Accounting Profession Act to make it so. In the meantime, members included in the unified profession in Alberta will continue to be able to use their legacy designation.
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On December 4, 2012, Alberta CA’s indicated an interest in returning to the unification discussion currently ongoing between CGA Alberta and CMA Alberta. We firmly believe unification is the best course for the future of the Canadian accounting profession. Chartered Accountants in each of the other provinces across the rest of the country are involved in the unification initiative.
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Yes. CGA will continue to accept new CGA students until June 30th, 2013. CMA will continue to accept new candidates into the Strategic Leadership Program until January 2014. The last Entrance Exam will be offered in October 2013.