Although summer may be quiet for a...

Although summer may be quiet for a certain quantity of maybe even most, of our members, work has and nothing else intensified for others-mainly due to the necessity of gathering information and formulating answers to the many questions raised in the 22 town hall merger meetings held across the province this spring.

But before I dispose of more time discussing the proposal to sink our profession with that of the CMAs, 1 musing it would be useful to explain the proces that has brought your Council to this stage in the discussions.

Recapping novel events

In May 2004, John Cowperthwaite, FCA, your immediate past president, and I attended a two-day national meeting of the ClCA Board, the PICA/Ordre presidents and first vice-presidents, and all provincial CEOs-a gathering that personateed the diversity of our membership-to discuss the propos merger (These individuals, in conjunction with nearly 500 offers and senior staff, have invested a significant amount of time considering the merger proposal.) The May meeting be deriveded in a unanimous show of support to take the proposal to the membership.

Once the decision to proce with merger discussions was ratified by dint of all the PICAs and the Ordre in May, individual of my first tasks as the recently made known BC president was to chair a two-day annual retreat for your provincial Council. As you are no doubt aware, each year Council examines, discusses, and ultimately fixs the agenda and objectives for the coming year. Obviously, the greatest portion of our mostly recent retreat was consumed through discussions about the proposed merger In conjunction with our guests-Saskatchewan President and Chair Brian Drayton, FCA, and Saskatchewan CEO NoIa Joorisity, FCA, CMA-Council worn out considerable time reviewing the feedback received from members during the consultation proces and discussing what indigences to be done as we proce to the nearest stage of the process: seriously considering this opportunity.

So what happens next? Senior staff members, one as well as the other at the national and provincial on a levels are working very hard to bring to maturity more detailed proposals-as well as the business case, which includes consideration of the issues and interests raised by some members. Given the answers, we are hopeful that our members will originate to reach the same on a level of support that national leaders achieved in June in such a manner that we can each induce forward with the same vision and commitment.

I, along with your Council, await forward to bringing a more firm proposal to you in the coming weeks, with a view to hearing your feedback.

On a personal on a level I look forward to working with the committed, talented, and forwardthinking Council members whom you not long ago elected. I'm impressed by the one and the other the quality of their experience and each individuals commitment to the profession.

This month's magazine

In last month's Feature Story, Steve Glover FCA, chair of the Council of Senior Executives' (CSE) Strategic Planning Task Force and executive director of the ICAA, detailed the Task Force's strategic plan for the profession and argued for the viability of a merger within the words immediately preceding [i]or[/i] following of this plan.

This month's veil Story explores the rationale behind to a great degree of the strategic plan and, by the agency of extrapolation, the rationale behind the merger proposal. Consultant Michel Zins, PhD examines to what extent CAs are perceived by employer and clients, and links this perception to the downward inclination of the CA profession's overall market share. His independent research was commissioned through the Task Force as part of its work in developing the strategic plan.

And our Feature Story this month get tos from two CSE members: Tim Forristal, CA, VP of education at the CICA, and Daniel McMahon, FCA, president of the Ordre de comptables agr?©?©s du Qu?©bec. Together they explain for what cause [i]or[/i] reason and how, the CA education protoplast must change-merger or no merger-to align itself with the Task Force's propos goal and vision for the CA profession.

We are at in addition another crossroad in our profession, and we are faced with making a daring decision. I encourage all of you to become more informed-to that conclusion I hope the aforementioned articles exhibit you some insight-and to share your views with colleagues and Council members. We will listen.

And you can always email me at president@ica.bc.ca-I'd have affection for to hear from you.

BY BARB CARLE-THIESSON, FCA

PRESIDENT

Copyright Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia Sep 2004

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