Chartered Professional Accountants work to address labour shortage: Historic agreement with France will ease process for French immigrants to work in New Brunswick
Mylène Lapierre, President and CEO of CPA NB, proudly signs the first-ever Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Agreement between CPA New Brunswick and l'Ordre des experts-comptables de France.
Moncton, March 16, 2023 – The Chartered Professional Accountants of New Brunswick (CPA NB) are proud to announce that they have signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with L'Ordre des Experts-Comptables de France, which allows members of L’Ordre to have their credentials recognized in New Brunswick and to access the many available and well-paying jobs in this respected profession. CPA NB is facilitating foreign credential recognition to attract qualified international candidates, in order to address workforce shortages in the profession.
“We are leveraging our New Brunswick-specific advantages, like our bilingualism and envied quality of life, to entice economic immigrants to live and work in our beautiful province, and we are thrilled to have signed our first MRA with France,” notes Mylène Lapierre, President & CEO of CPA NB.
“Canada, and specifically New Brunswick, are highly regarded in la Francophonie,” says Madame Cécile de Saint Michel, President of the National Council of L'Ordre des Experts-Comptables de France. “We are proud to initiate this historic partnership, and we look forward to our members having the option to work as CPAs in New Brunswick.”
CPA NB is also pursuing MRAs with other Francophone countries. This represents only one piece of their immigration strategy. They are also seeking support to fund the development of an online resource Pathways tool to permit internationally-trained accountants to easily assess their quickest path to CPA NB membership; as well as to adapt two courses in both official languages on Canadian taxation, law, and ethics, as supplementary education to foreign candidates' existing credentials.
“Investing in these programs is an investment in New Brunswick’s overall workforce, and the health of our growing economy,” states Lapierre, “and we invite interested organizations with similar goals to partner with us. We all have a part to play in making our province a welcoming space for our newest arrivals.”
The work that CPAs do is critical to the economy, and they also generate significant economic activity through business-related spending and the spending of household income in the province. As highlighted in “The Economic Impact of NB’s CPAs” (Jupia Consultants, March 2023), in 2021, the business and household spending associated with the 2,253 active CPAs in the province boosted provincial GDP by $418 million, and generated $136 million in tax revenue for governments, including $77.5 million for provincial and local governments. An additional 500 CPAs in New Brunswick would boost annual GDP by $93 million, total income by more than $70 million and provincial/local tax revenue by $17 million.
“Our organization is not untouched by the challenges still impacting our economy: an aging population, recruitment, and labour force shortages, for example. This is why we launched an immigration program to speed up foreign credential recognition, to ease the path to working in New Brunswick for accountants trained abroad,” says Lapierre.
International Credential Recognition
CPA New Brunswick currently has agreements with several international accounting bodies. If you are an internationally trained accountant, learn the eligibility and application requirements of earning the Canadian CPA designation by clicking HERE.
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Who are the Chartered Professional Accountants of New Brunswick
Chartered Professional Accountants of New Brunswick is a professional organization representing more than 3,000 active and retired members and 300 future CPAs in New Brunswick, and it is responsible for regulating the professional development of its members, and the protection of the public through its ethical standards and discipline process. CPAs work in every sector of New Brunswick. They are involved in a wide range of complex disciplines – from financial reporting, finance, and taxation; to strategy and governance, assurance, performance management, and information technology – and they volunteer their time and expertise for numerous community projects and charitable organizations. They offer a strong set of accounting and managerial skills required for today’s complex and evolving environment. Throughout their professional careers, CPAs are subject to ongoing regulation to protect the public interest. Chartered Professional Accountants are dedicated to moving their local and business communities forward.
www.cpanewbrunswick.ca
Who is L’Ordre des Experts-Comptables de France
The Ordre des Experts-Comptables is a national institution, established by the order of 1945 and placed under the supervision of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance. Its role is to represent, promote, defend, and develop the profession of Chartered Accountant, both in France and abroad.
In addition to this collaborative role, the Ordre des experts-comptables also makes proposals to the public authorities. Its proximity to the business world enables it to intervene on issues aimed at ensuring greater efficiency for companies, and to make recommendations in this area.
https://www.experts-comptables.fr/l-institution/l-institution