Report on Specialization in the Canadian Chartered Accountancy Profession – December 1981

The 148-page Report of the Committee to Study Specialization in the Canadian Chartered Accountancy Profession was issued in December 1981. The Chairman’s Letter by W.D. Grace, FCA, states that: “The issue of specialization within the profession is not easily resolved. The Committee believes that the recommendations for a voluntary structured plan of specialization would prove to be of significant long term benefit to the Canadian public and to all members of the chartered accountancy profession. The Committee has addressed the issue of specialization through a lengthy process of research, discussion, and debate and by consideration of the present de facto situation and the specialty experiences of other accounting bodies and other professions.” The Committee recommended that four specific areas of practice be initially recognized as specialties: taxation, insolvency, business valuation and computer audit.

According to the booklet called Another Great Leap - CA•Designated Specialists, Chartered Accountants in Canada now have access to six profession-endorsed specialist designations, some offered directly by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) and others through organizations that have been accredited by the CICA. Currently, more than 1,000 have earned the advantage of a CA specialist designation. Regardless of the route to the specialist designation, candidates for specialist certification need to demonstrate experience in the field, in addition to completing an evaluation process. As well, specialists must comply with continuing experience and professional development standards to maintain the designation.

For more information, read the CAmagazine article, “Breaking new ground” (published in December 1997, page 2). This article discusses the first specialist designation for investigative and forensic accounting. Also, refer to the CICA website section on CA Specialization and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta (ICAA) website section on Specialty Designations.

A century of CAmagazine

Small beginnings are no indication of ultimate results,” noted the foreword to the first issue of The Canadian Chartered Accountant in July 1911. Launched from temporary offices in Toronto with the slogan “Of the Profession; by the Profession; for the Profession,” the 32-page quarterly magazine was an effort to knit the far-flung members of the Dominion Association of Chartered Accountants (DACA) into a cohesive fraternity. At the time, there were only seven provincial accounting organizations, with Alberta having formed its institute the previous year. In September 1911 at the national convention in Montreal, the magazine received its first and most important review: “Let it be printed,” members voted. (Read the article “A century of CAmagazine” in the June-July 2011 issue of CAmagazine online.)

Chartered Accountants of Alberta - 2010 Centennial

This year marks a very special milestone for the Chartered Accountants of Alberta. Throughout 2010, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta (ICAA) is celebrating 100 years of dedication to protecting the public, providing accounting and business excellence, and adding value to Alberta’s communities through volunteering. The ICAA website includes information about the Alberta CA profession’s past—including details about former Council Presidents and the history of the Institute—as well as current initiatives to promote the centennial throughout the year. This centennial year presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate this milestone with members and external stakeholders, including the general public. (Visit the ICAA website for more information about all of the centennial initiatives.)