Thank you, Mr. Chair and honourable members.
The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants--together with the provincial, territorial, and Bermuda institutes, and the ordre of chartered accountants--represents a membership of approximately 74,000 CAs and 10,000 students in Canada and Bermuda.
The CICA conducts research into current business issues and supports the setting of accounting, auditing, and assurance standards for business, not-for-profit organizations, and government. It issues guidance on control and governance, publishes professional literature, develops continuing education programs, and represents the CA profession nationally and internationally.
The role of the provincial and territorial institutes of chartered accountants, by contrast, is to serve as the qualifying and regulatory bodies of all those who have earned the CA designation and go on to work in positions in public practice, in corporate environments, in the not-for-profit sector, and in the academic world.
We appreciate the opportunity to present the views of Canada's chartered accountants to the committee today. Our commentary will focus on the provisions of Bill C-4 that deal with the requirements to be a public accountant of a not-for-profit corporation.
With me today is Tom Warner, of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario; and Christiane Brizard, of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec. They will provide you with an overview of our submission.
Thank you.
Tom.