Talks on merging the orders of chartered accountants (CA), certified general accountants (CGA) and certified management accountants (CMA) of Quebec have just entered a second phase. The boards of directors of the three orders have voted on the merger proposal and given their consent to move on to member consultation.

The accounting bodies submitted their proposal to the Office des professions du Québec. This validation process enables the Office to ensure that the project suits the Quebec professional context before being submitted to the members of the three organizations.

The three orders have announced that starting at the end of the summer, they will travel throughout Quebec to inform members and consult with them. The tour schedule will be released in August.

According to the chairs of the three organizations, Josée De La Durantaye, Claude Gauvin, and Luc Provencher, the meetings will offer an opportunity to answer all of members’ questions that such an undertaking may reasonably raise. These information and discussion sessions will allow individuals to express their point of view and clearly understand the implications of the plan.

This tour will be the prelude to a vote to be held in the fall in which all Quebec CAs, CGAs and CMAs will be asked to express their view on the future structure of their profession. Officers of the three professional orders say they are confident that once their members have all the relevant information in hand and have analyzed it thoroughly, they will agree on the desirability of this new direction for the accounting profession in Quebec.

Finally, if a simple majority of the members who vote in each of the three orders is in favor of the proposal, the government will have to make legislative changes before the merger can become official.