CA Institute supports Ontario goals for internationally trained professionals

CAs set the standard for access

TORONTO (October 13, 2005) - The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario welcomes the announcement in the Speech from the Throne that the province is working to help employers better integrate immigrants into Ontario workplaces. The Institute has already been recognized for its fair and transparent registration and appeals process for access to the CA profession and fully supports welcoming qualified professionals.

"We support helping internationally trained professionals use their skills in Ontario. Our province depends on developing a workforce that reflects the world in which we do business," said Institute President and CEO Brian Hunt, FCA. "This province's professional bodies have a major role to play in ensuring timely access and in evaluating the professional credentials that will enable skilled immigrants to get access to employment in the professions."

Hunt notes that, in the case of the CA profession, the access process for internationally trained professionals is at best-practice levels. In January 2005, a progress report issued by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities ranked the Institute second among 10 professional bodies evaluated, in terms of their response to barriers identified by internationally trained professionals.

For more than two decades, the CA profession has been acknowledged by the Ontario government as leading the way in ensuring that access. Former Citizenship Minister Bob Wong said in 1989:

"It is very encouraging to see a group such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario taking the vital step towards improving fair access to the profession of accounting. I am very interested to see if your example will be followed by the other self-governing occupations."

In December 2003, the Honourable Mary Ann Chambers, MPP, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, wrote:

"The Ministry recognizes the role the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario has played to improve access for internationally trained accountants, including working with the Ministry on an occupational fact sheet, the Sector-specific Terminology Information and Counseling Project, and the CD-based Competency Matching Tool. As well, senior staff from your organization play a leadership role on the Ontario Regulators for Access Steering Committee."

Other highlights of the Institute's record include:

participation in the International Qualifications Appraisal Board, which assesses the qualification standards of accounting bodies in other countries against Canadian CA standards
transparent registration and appeals processes that include full participation by public representatives (persons who are not accountants) as voting members

The CA profession is working successfully with the province to provide access to for internationally trained accountants, while saving the time and cost of setting up an additional government approval system.

"The Institute is already seen by the Ontario government as doing a solid job of providing access to internationally trained professionals," said Hunt. "We all want new Canadians to succeed. Let's build on our progress with a realistic system of standardized best practices that identifies achievable goals."

- 30 -

About the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario:

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario is the qualifying and regulatory body of Ontario's 31,000 CAs and 3,500 CA students. Since 1879, the Institute has protected the public interest through the CA profession's high standards of qualification and the enforcement of its rules of professional conduct. The Institute Web site is: www.icao.on.ca

For more information please contact:

Perry Jensen
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario
Direct: 416-969-4271
Toll free: 1-800-387-0735 ext. 271
E-mail: pjensen@icao.on.ca