Organization Name

Certified General Accountants' Association of Alberta

Contact Info

MEDIA INQUIRIES

Janice Harrington
Vice President, Communications and Government Relations 403.299.1323
For reporters near deadline
c 403.614.7941

Association Address and Contact Info
Suite 100, 325 Manning Road NE
Calgary, AB T2E 2P5
f 403.299.1339    t 1.800.661.1078
w www.cga-alberta.org

Mission

CGA Alberta is a self-regulating organization of professional accountants, created in the interests of Albertans, to:

  Establish, promote and enforce the professional competency and ethical standards of the CGA membership,

  Develop, promote and protect the CGA identity; and

  Contribute effectively to the evolving role of professional accountants in society.

CGA Association

  2008 marks the 100th Anniversary of the profession

 CGA was founded in 1908 by a group of accountants at Canadian Pacific Railway

  CGA Alberta established as CGA Canada - Prairie Region in 1961

  CGA Alberta signs affiliate agreement with CGA Canada in 1978

  CGA is Canada's preferred accounting designation, with approximatelytwo-thirds of students enrolled in a professional accounting program in Alberta registered with CGA

  CGA currently serves more than 71,000 CGA Members and students worldwide, including more than 7,600 in Alberta alone

  CGA Members have full practice rights across Canada

  CGA is responsible for Member's professional and ethical conduct, as well as maintaining and enhancing the Code of Ethical Principles and Rules of Conduct on behalf of Members

  CGAs work in government, public practice, industry and non-profit, filling roles as diverse as management, taxation, auditing, finance, IT and consulting.

  www.cga-canada.org

CGA Programs & Services

  CGA provides Members with advisory services, advocacy and policy development, as well as mandatory practice reviews of members in public practice and mandatory professional development.

  CGA Alberta delivers the program of Professional Studies to students pursuing their CGA designation

  The CGA Program incorporates accounting, auditing, business ethics, finance, management, taxation and information technology

  The CGA Program is highly accessible through the system of distance education delivery

  Completion time ranges from two to ten years of part-time studies, depending on previously completed post-secondary courses in a business diploma or degree program.

  Completion time for a full-time student is four years to finish the first four levels, equivalent to a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Accounting. The student then completes the two year certification level of the CGA Program

Membership Criteria

  Candidates must meet educational requirements determined by the Association

  Students must complete a demanding curriculum of professional studies within a specified time frame

  CGA requires a nationally recognized degree to exit the program

CGA Alberta Milestones

  1961-Established as Certified General Accountants Association, Canada-Prairie Region

  1982-Affiliation Agreement with CGA Canada

  1988-CGA Act

  2001- Regulated Accounting Profession Act (RAPA) Legislation

Number of Members

  More than 4,500 CGA Alberta members

  More than 3,800 Students

  73,000 Members and students worldwide

Governance

  Affiliate CGA Associations derive authority from charters granted by respective governments

  A formal mobility agreement across Canada is in place

  All professionally designated accountants in Alberta are governed under Regulated Accounting Profession Act (RAPA)

  Each year, CGAs elect a Board of Governors to manage their provincial Association

Community

  CGA Alberta Research and Education Foundation was established in 2004 to conduct, fund and promote research in the field of accounting, commerce, and related public policy issues, as well as provide scholarships to students in the CGA Program.

  There are a number of new research initiatives under consideration of the Foundation. One of the most important research projects to date has been the new multi-year Vision 2020 partnership with the Alberta Chambers of Commerce.