OCAQ - The CA profession

The CA profession

The chartered accountants of Quebec

The 17,400 Quebec CAs are involved in all sectors of the economy. Approximately 45% of them are in public practice, while 65% work in business and industry, government or education. Women account for 37% of the Ordre's membership, but represent 56% of new members.

CAs and public accounting

All CAs, at some time in their careers, have practiced public accounting. Accordingly, they may be called upon to provide services in such areas as business and accounting consulting, for instance in taxation for SMEs, auditing, information technology, personal financial planning, business valuations, receivership, insolvency and investigative and forensic accounting.

CAs in business and in industry

Since corporate finances today are scrutinized very closely, many efforts are directed at monitoring practices and ensuring their quality. The competencies of CAs in business and in industry and their commitment to comply with the Code of Ethics add value and credibility to an enterprise's management. They manage finances and cash, develop financial and administrative policies, analyze information, provide strategic leadership and manage computer systems. A number of CAs hold key positions in organizations as directors, presidents, treasurers or controllers.

CAs in government

The expertise of CAs is needed at all levels of government to guide financial planning and control public finances. In addition to the provincial and federal auditors general, who are always chartered accountants, CAs are employed in various government departments, Crown corporations and organizations as senior public servants, internal auditors or financial analysts. Some are appointed ministers or deputy ministers and become leaders capable of suggesting and implementing innovative solutions to improve the performance of government bodies.

CAs in education

Many CAs make a significant contribution to society by teaching future leaders what they need to know not only about accounting and taxation, but also about finance, business, values and ethics. They are also key contributors to the advancement of accounting sciences in innovative fields.

Breakdown of members by sector

Area of activity	Percentage of members
Business and industry	44%
Public practice	45%
Education	3%
Federal and provincial governments	8%

A few statistics* by region

Regions	Distribution of membership	Distribution of CA firms
Abitibi-Témiscamingue	1%	2%
Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie, Côte-Nord	2%	4%
Eastern Townships	4%	5%
Outside Quebec	5%	-
Laval, Laurentians, Lanaudière	14%	18%
Mauricie and Central Quebec	2%	4%
Montérégie (including Longueuil)	15%	16%
Montreal	39%	35%
Outaouais	4%	3%
Quebec	13%	11%
Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean	1%	2%
*Last update: July, 2008

The different CA titles and designations

FCA:	The FCA title recognizes the achievements of chartered accountants who have demonstrated their professionalism or their remarkable commitment to the profession or the community.
CA•IFA:	To better meet expectations in matters of investigative and forensic accounting and information technology, the Ordre grants the CA•IFA designation to CAs who have successfully completed the rigorous and objective designation process that attests to their skills and experience.
CA•IT:	The Ordre grants the CA•IT designation to chartered accountants who satisfy a number of rigorous requirements in information technology.

Holders of the CA•IFA and CA•IT designations are recognized across Canada. For more information on these designations, visit the Specialized fields section of the website.

Visit the CAs in the spotlight section of the Media centre to find out about the most recent appointments.