Designation - Chartered Accountant (CA)

You may think of chartered accountants as “number crunchers” or people who only do tax. But the CA profession has changed dramatically over the past half century, keeping pace with the rapid evolution of business. CAs are still the leading authority on tax issues and auditing, but did you know they’re also at the forefront of new business valuations; corporate and personal financial planning; insolvency; and environmental and forensic accounting and assurance?

Today, more BC CAs work in industry than in public practice—as presidents, chief executive officers, and chief financial officers, for instance—and many are entrepreneurs, running their own businesses. Roughly 30% work in public practice as partners, employees, and sole-practitioners, providing a wide range of business advice and services to individuals and large and small business clients. The remainder work in the public sector, in government, and in education.

If the individual you select to help you with your personal or professional financial needs has a “CA” after their name, rest assured that you are dealing with someone who has experienced the most diverse and in-depth training of any professional accountant.

By virtue of an unparalleled and rigorous academic program, a minimum entry requirement of a university degree (or equivalent), and the requisite 30 months of experience in a CA public practice office, the recipients of the CA designation achieve superior and unique qualifications.

In short: CAs are trained to find solutions to complex business problems.

What can a CA do for you?

A chartered accountant (CA) is a business leader who upholds the highest of standards. Trust, integrity, independence—these values set CAs apart, and make choosing a CA the best business decision, period.

CAs can help you with:

• Starting a business and knowing when to expand
• Assessing how much your business is worth
• Making the most of your personal and corporate wealth
• Business planning and forecasting
• Assessing risk
• Taking your business global
• Securing financing
• Developing a tax strategy
• Financial reporting
• Managing insolvency, bankruptcy, and receivership
• Tough questions about technology
• Finding and investigating fraud

And the list goes on. Whatever the challenge, a CA will help you make the right business decisions.  

Integrity & Accountability

CAs are trained by professionals who share the core values of fairness, trust, and integrity. These values are reaffirmed by membership in a 100-year-old professional organization.

The CA designation is backed by a code of conduct and ethics that guides all members in their professional decisions and actions. CAs are accountable to their clients and to the CA profession, and their professional conduct is held to high standards by provincial and national governing bodies. In addition, all CAs working in public practice are reviewed at least once every four years by the provincial institute.

Any concern about professional conduct is investigated thoroughly, and any CA who contravenes the rules is disciplined accordingly. Punishments range from a reprimand or remedial education to suspension or expulsion from CA membership.

Click here for more information on how Institute protects the public interest.

Knowledge & Experience

To become a CA, individuals complete university-level studies, work for three years in public practice accounting, and complete intensive specialized studies in one of the toughest professional education programs the world has to offer.

The requirement for training in public practice accounting is unique to the CA profession. It gives CAs exposure to a wide range of businesses and organizations--giving them direct experience in a number of industries and the ability to understand a variety of businesses--and ensures professional mentorship in the early years. 

And the learning doesn't stop after they complete their exams. CAs are continually updating, refreshing, and enhancing skills to make sure they're able to provide you with the best service. In fact, all CAs in BC are required to complete annual professional development courses based on their areas of practice.

Go to CA Education and Training for more information.

Hiring a CA puts an experienced professional on your team

Thinking about hiring a CA? A free referral service is available to help you locate a CA in your area. Call 604-681-3264 in the Lower Mainland, toll free at 1-800-663-2677, or click here: Find a CA Firm.

Private and public sector employers looking for CAs to take on management or financial roles can also take advantage of our employment services, available at: Post a Job.

Click here for a PDF brochure on Why a CA is the Right Choice for You!

(Viewing or downloading PDFs requires Adobe Acrobat software. If you don't have a copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader, download a free copy here.)

CA Education and Training

Chartered accountants trained in Canada hold the most prestigious professional accounting designation in the country. There are other accounting designations, of course, but the CA is the most widely recognized and most highly prized.

All CAs must have a university degree or equivalent to apply to the Institute’s CA School of Business (CASB). CASB provides them with a rigorous academic program that covers assurance, taxation, advanced accounting, and written communications. At the same time, CA students are employed at an approved CA firm where they must spend a minimum of 30 months—this is known as the “articling” period. Most CAs identify the articling phase as the most valuable and unique part of their training since it gives them exposure to a wide variety of businesses and organizations, and introduces them to the high standards of business practice, behaviours, and ethics they will be expected to emulate throughout their careers. The CA program is the only accounting program to require this unique and invaluable training experience in public practice.

If you are working with a chartered accountant and have national or international interests, you’re in luck too. CAs are the only professional accountants who are authorized to practice all aspects of public accounting, including the audits of public companies, everywhere in Canada. Also, CAs set the national accounting and assurance standards for Canada to which all accountants must adhere. The CA designation is internationally recognized with reciprocity to many countries throughout the world.

Learn more about becoming a CA or visit the CASB website at www.casb.com.