The strange and confusing world of Canadian accountants

The strange and confusing world of Canadian accountants

The word "accountant" is not protected by legislation in Canada. Anyone can claim to one. I've seen people call themselves a practical accountant, small business accountant, tax accountant, registered public accountant and many other similar names.

To complicate matters there are three accounting bodies recognized by legislation – Chartered Accountants ("CA"), Certified General Accountants ("CGA") and Certified Management Accountants ("CMA"). They have varying amounts of experience, skill and training. Another organization – The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants ("ACCA"), which is not recognized by legislation, and claims to be the global body for professional accountants, offers their services. There are also thousands of Certified Public Accountants ("CPA") from the United States and elsewhere.

For a country of about 34 million the accounting landscape is very complex. Contrast this with the United States, with a population of over 300 million, where a single designation is the most prominent – Certified Public Accountant.

Given all the choices how do you pick a Canadian accountant? I'm a Chartered Accountant (and a licensed public accountant in Ontario), and perhaps a little biased, but I believe Chartered Accountants are the best option. Regardless, start first by deciding why you need an accountant. Often the need is to prepare a tax return, help with special tax situations and planning, bookkeeping or just general advice. Then develop an image of the ideal accountant and try to find a match. Get a referral from your banker, a business colleague or friend that uses an accountant or knows one. A referral from a trusted source is one of the best ways to find a good one.

If you are a business owner, and give your financial statements to anyone other than the tax department, you need a licensed public accountant. Almost all public accountants in Ontario are Chartered Accountants but in the rest of the country a public accountant could be a CGA or CMA. If you don't distribute financial statements, or are not a business owner, you can usually pick an accountant of your choice – licensed or not. 

If you come up short check the member directories of the accounting associations. Every professional body maintains a complete list of members and the directory is searchable.

Another way is to search Google. Search for the word "accountant" and the city where you live. We're located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada so you'd search "Mississauga Accountant" or "Accountant Mississauga" and the names of local accountants are listed. Google is a good way to find names but not necessarily the best accountant.