Differences between canadian & french accounting

[nono_banou2003]

Hye everybody,


I'm a French student who have a "licence" (bachelor) in economics and management (but I had french accounting courses as well).

I want to work as a certified management accountant in Canada. So i'm contemplating a move to Canada in order to apply to an accounting program accredited by the CMA-Canada order.

My question is: since canadian and french accounting are different, do I have to apply to a bachelor or to a master?

All advices are welcome!!!

 

[nono_banou2003]

I'm sorry i don't know what you're talking about. Could you explain in a different way?

 

[SLM]

All accounting designation/certification programs in Canada only require a bachelors degree, so if they recognize the degree (don't know why they wouldn't but personally don't know about foreign degrees) you will be able to register for the CMA program. There is an entrance exam and you need 60% or greater to be accepted.

Provinces

 

[TenPenny]

You might have to take some more bachelor-level accounting courses that cover North American standards; your best bet is to check with the board.

 

[SLM]

Also might want to note, if you're thinking of heading into Quebec, they are merging the three accounting boards (CA, CMA, CGA) into one.

Home | Chartered Accountants of Canada

 

[nono_banou2003]

Thank you very much! Here in France there isn't an order for management accounts. It's not as regulated as it is in Canada. I suppose the laws of taxation and internal audit also aren't the same. I'll contact the CMA order and the universities for further datails. I think i'll also have to take the TOEFL exam. Thx!

In fact i was planning to move to Quebec or Ontario since my favourite universities (Concordia, McGill, York and Toronto) are located in these provinces. I had no clue they wanted to merge the accounting boards into one. Does it mean the entrance exam and the accredited CMA-diplomas will change?

 

[SLM]

Thank you very much! Here in France there isn't an order for management accounts. It's not as regulated as it is in Canada. I suppose the laws of taxation and internal audit also aren't the same. I'll contact the CMA order and the universities for further datails. I think i'll also have to take the TOEFL exam. Thx!

In fact i was planning to move to Quebec or Ontario since my favourite universities (Concordia, McGill, York and Toronto) are located in these provinces. I had no clue they wanted to merge the accounting boards into one. Does it mean the entrance exam and the accredited CMA-diplomas will change?

If you follow the link in my first post it will take you to the CMA webpage, the link in my second post is for CICA (Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants) and there is a news release/posting on the merger.

I work in a small CGA firm in Ontario but don't hold a designation myself.

Best of luck.

 

[nono_banou2003]

thx! i'll read the posting on the merger. Broadly speaking, what are the main tasks of a CGA?

 

[SLM]

thx! i'll read the posting on the merger. Broadly speaking, what are the main tasks of a CGA?

In a nutshell, in Canada only Chartered Accountants can do audited financial statements. I know there has been talk for years of changing that, but I can't honestly tell you how far that's gone. CGA (Certified General Accountants) generally perform the same work, public accounting, but our office only does Notice to Reader not Assurance. But the CA's set the standard in Canada, which is the reason I posted the link to CICA, they produce the handbook.

To the best of my knowledge, GAAP is pretty consistent almost worldwide (or is intended to be) but I do know there are differences with US GAAP and I'm not aware of how different it may be to what you are used to in Europe.

 

[nono_banou2003]

In a nutshell, in Canada only Chartered Accountants can do audited financial statements. I know there has been talk for years of changing that, but I can't honestly tell you how far that's gone. CGA (Certified General Accountants) generally perform the same work, public accounting, but our office only does Notice to Reader not Assurance. But the CA's set the standard in Canada, which is the reason I posted the link to CICA, they produce the handbook.

To the best of my knowledge, GAAP is pretty consistent almost worldwide (or is intended to be) but I do know there are differences with US GAAP and I'm not aware of how different it may be to what you are used to in Europe.

thanks for your informations. I really appreciate that!

By the way, do you think Certified Public Accountants are more well-rounded than CMAs and CGAs?