Strategic Crossroads for the CA Profession

The Report of the Task Force on Strategic Planning was completed in July 2004 and subsequently endorsed by each of the governing bodies of the Canadian CA profession. The Message from the Chair provides a perspective on the strategic planning process. It notes: “By early 2003, the profession’s last major “vision” project from the mid-1990s required a rethink, given the many shifts in our environment over the last decade. The Task Force on Strategic Planning was established in the summer of 2003. Member and market input and analysis occupied the initial period of the Task Force’s work.”

“This report can only capture a portion of the very valuable intelligence and ideas we garnered from this activity but we are satisfied that our recommendations are based on solid evidence and sound analysis. Past strategic planning by our profession was our starting place for this exercise. We found the underlying planning to be very strong but did observe problems with execution, given our complex decision-making framework and diverse priorities of the provincial Institutes/Ordre. We are confident this has been overcome by the strong support and cooperation among the senior management group, the Council of Senior Executives (CSE), regarding our work. We recommended a new vision “trusted, internationally recognized financial leaders in senior management, advisory, tax and assurance roles.” ...CAs enjoy a very strong starting position in achieving this vision but bold action is required in four areas — branding, education, member relations and the public trust.”

(Read the CICA report Strategic Crossroads for the CA Profession and the related Appendices, published in October 2004.)

Remembering Professor Edward Stamp (1928-1986)

As a scholar and professional of truly international renown, Professor Edward Stamp was a British subject by birth and a Canadian citizen by naturalization. He took his degree from Cambridge in Natural Sciences and in 1950 was a Fulbright Scholar. In 1951, he came to Canada joining the public accounting firm of Clarkson Gordon & Co., where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He was admitted to partnership in the firm in 1959 and practiced in both Toronto and Montreal. In 1976, he was given the rare honour of Fellowship by the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants.

His academic teaching interests began in 1957 when he was a Special Lecturer at the Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. His first full-time academic appointment was in 1962 at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand where he was later appointed Professor of Accountancy. In 1967, he was appointed Professor and Head of the Department of Accounting and Business Method in the University of Edinburgh, Scotland - positions which he held until his appointment as Professor of Accounting Theory and Head of the Department of Accounting and Finance at the University of Lancaster in 1971. In 1975 he was named the Endowed Research Professor at the University of Lancaster. He founded the International Centre for Research in Accounting at that University in 1971 and was appointed as the Director of the Centre.

Professor Stamp's research interests are particularly broad, covering financial accounting and reporting, accounting theory, international accounting and auditing, and public accounting and auditing. He is the co-author of the basic document of the British conceptual accounting framework (The Corporate Report, 1975) and the author of the counterpart document for Canada (Corporate Reporting - Its Future Evolution, 1980).

One of the particular achievements of Professor Stamp is bridging the gap between academe and practice. His continual and articulate urging of the profession to respond to the new findings and direction emanating from the universities prompted much professional progress. His professional experience as a partner in an international public accounting firm and his senior academic appointments provide a uniquely rich background for these endeavours.

Among many of Professor Stamp's achievements and honours are: Advisor to Her Majesty's Treasury; Distinguished International Visiting Lecturer of the American Accounting Association; and Visiting professorships in Europe, Africa, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan He was an executive member of the European Accounting Association and a Founding Member of the International Association for Accounting Education and Research in Japan. Professor Stamp was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws at the University of Saskatchewan in 1984. He continued as the Endowed Research Professor and Director of the International Centre for Research in Accounting at the University of Lancaster, England, until he passed away on January 10, 1986 in Toronto.

A Day of Recognition and Celebration for Quebec Chartered Accountants

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Quebec City CA Group and the 130th anniversary of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec (OCAQ). A day of activities under the theme "Active capital for your success!" was held in Quebec City on September 30, 2010 to celebrate these two important milestones for Quebec CAs. Read the OCAQ News Release and view the Photo Album online.

Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia - Centenary Website

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia (ICABC) celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005. It was marked with events, articles in Beyond Numbers, Centenary Artwork, an online timeline of the history of CAs in BC, and a calendar. An expanded look at these contributions is provided on the ICABC centenary website which describes the people and events that have shaped the profession in BC.

Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario - Innovation and Historical Milestones

There are approximately 72,000 Chartered Accountants (CAs) in Canada. Nearly half (33,000) are Ontario CAs. CAs work in large and small businesses, in government and in public accounting, in the not-for-profit sector, and as professors and teachers - at home and around the world. The year 2010 marks the 131st year of the CA designation in Ontario. From the province's origins as an agricultural society to its emergence as an economic powerhouse, CAs have played a key role in shaping Ontario’s progress. Our history bridges all the major milestones… the great waves of immigration of the early 1900s, the harnessing of Niagara Falls, the birth of Ontario Hydro, the First and Second World Wars... the huge building booms of the 1950s and 1960s, and the signing of the Auto Pact, the Free Trade Agreement and NAFTA. To learn more about CA Innovation since 1879,  Historical Milestones and the 125th anniversary in 2004, visit the website of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (ICAO).

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.)