Specifications

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About CGA-Canada
CGA-Canada today
CGA is the fastest-growing accounting designation in Canada. The CGA designation focuses
on integrity, ethics and the highest education requirements. Recognized as the country’s
accounting business leaders, CGAs provide strategic counsel, financial leadership, and overall
direction to all sectors of the Canadian economy.
The Certified General Accountants Association of Canada — CGA-Canada — sets standards,
develops education programs, publishes professional materials, advocates on public policy
issues, and represents CGAs nationally and internationally. The Association represents
75,000 CGAs and students in Canada, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Hong Kong and China.
Mission
CGA-Canada advances the interests of its members and the public through national and
international representation and the establishment of professional standards, practices, and
services.
A proud history
CGA-Canada was founded in Montréal in 1908 under the leadership of John Leslie, vice-
president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. From the beginning, its objective was to
encourage improvement in skills and job performance — a goal the Association holds to this
day.
On April 14, 1913, Canada’s Parliament passed the Act that incorporated CGA-Canada as a
self-regulating professional Association. Over the decades that followed, branches became
associations in their own right, affiliated with the national body.
A revised Act of Incorporation, passed in 1999, updated CGA-Canada’s powers and reflected
the Association’s objectives and initiatives for the next millennium. The Act also established
a French name for CGA-Canada — Association des comptables généraux accrédités du
Canada.
Structure and roles
CGA-Canada is governed by a Board of Directors that includes regional representation as
well as a public representative. An Affiliation Council, comprised of representatives of each
CGA affiliate, sets the strategic plan of CGA-Canada and approves national policy. Individual
CGAs are represented nationally through CGA-Canada, and regionally through their
provincial/territorial/regional associations and local chapters.
The Association:
 ensures national recognition for the profession and advocates on policy issues of concern to
the profession
 raises the profile of the CGA designation and represents members internationally
 sets national educational standards, and develops and maintains an internationally
competitive program of professional studies and examinations to certify CGAs in Canada
and overseas
 provides a range of services to affiliates and members