'Pawns in this chess game': Questions remain about CPA Canada split
TORONTO — Chartered Professional Accountants in Quebec and Ontario are still looking for answers about how the decision for their provincial oversight bodies to split from CPA Canada was made and what it means for the future of their profession.
“It makes me feel that there’s politics involved, and we’re just … pawns in this chess game,” said Ryan Lazanis, founder of Future Firm and a member of the Quebec CPA Order.
The two departing organizations say the unification of the accounting profession will not be undone, and that they’re doing what’s best for their members, but CPA Canada says the decision puts the profession at risk.
CPA Canada was created in 2013 to unify the various professional accounting organizations and designations. The national organization, which is not a regulatory body, is responsible for standards and co-ordinates education and exams. Its counterparts are the provincial, territorial and Bermudian bodies, known collectively as the PTBs, which regulate and enforce the profession as well as administer exams.
In June, CPA Ontario and the Quebec CPA Order announced they would be exiting their agreement with CPA Canada, triggering an 18-month countdown to a split for which there’s no precedent.
Lazanis said he’s cautiously optimistic. He agreed with some of the concerns raised by the provincial bodies, particularly the talk of helping the profession be more competitive and nimble. But he still has questions.
“I still think it’s incredibly vague,” he said.
Stefanie Ricchio, a member of CPA Ontario, called the news a “bombshell.”
“We were all blindsided,” she said.
CPA Canada has also said the decision came as a surprise, but the provincial bodies say it shouldn’t have. The entire organization has been
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