All accountants in Quebec who were previously members of either the Ordre des CA, the Ordre des CGA, or the Ordre des CMA will now all be a part of the new, Comptables Professionnels Agréés du Québec. After five attempts spanning nearly forty years, the merger of orders was approved on May 16, 2012. The organization now has 35,000 members, making it the third largest professional order in Quebec and the only unified accountant order in Canada.
Over the next ten years, the three professional distinctions will dissolve into one. Those who already hold a CA, CGA, or CMA certification will be allowed to keep their title and CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant).
Though it is not well-received by all, the unification will allow regulations and standards to come from a single body rather than three different organizations with three different governing styles. Accountants in all of the economic sectors will have business credentials recognized by everyone of all distinctions.
According to the new president of the Ordre, Daniel McMahon, “It’s in the public interest to have a single order with uniform standards, disciplinary procedures and ethics, which the public can easily identify and approach with a complaint or inquiry, and it helps the profession to have one globally recognized business credential.”
Those who opposed the change were upset because the decision was never put to a vote for all of the members but decided solely by the members on each of the board of directors. Any information that was shared with members was just that, information related without room for opinions.
Regardless of whether members are happy or not, a change has come to the accounting profession that many have been seeking for decades. The new Ordre will need cohesion to succeed and the new board of directors hopes that success in Quebec will inspire other provinces who still operate under divided Ordres to unite.
Audrey Porterman is the main researcher and writer for doctoralprograms.org. Her most recent accomplishment includes graduating from Ohio State, with a degree in business management. Her current focus for the site involves a part time phd and doctorate in education online.
