Exploring Reputation, Reporting Duties, and Client Engagement in the Accounting Profession
In this in-depth exploration of ethics within the accounting profession, participants will engage with rich dialogue and real-world scenarios presented during an Ethics Roundtable event hosted by CPA Alberta. The course is designed to provide a holistic view of the ethical challenges and considerations that Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) face, fostering a collaborative environment for discussion and learning.
The course begins with an insightful introduction to the event, led by Brad Webb from Copoint, who details the services and success of Copoint in tax credit submissions. Participants will get to know the esteemed panel of accounting professionals including Randy Nichols, Larry Brownoff, Erica Kubik, and possibly Terry Harder, as their backgrounds and contributions to the accounting field are highlighted.
Randy Nichols kick-starts the roundtable with a presentation on the vital role of ethical considerations in accounting. He draws attention to the CPA code of conduct, providing participants with guidance on how to navigate ethical dilemmas and highlighting the imperative of making ethical decisions to uphold trust in the profession.
The course then delves into a series of scenarios and discussions led by the panel. Topics range from handling situations of previous negligent work by other CPAs, the duty to report breaches of rules, verifying facts, and the importance of maintaining the reputation of the accounting profession. Participants will be encouraged to actively engage, share experiences, and voice opinions, creating a dynamic learning experience.
Building upon these discussions, the course addresses specific themes such as the balance between building a reputation and making sound ethical decisions, client communication challenges, legal fee considerations, reporting breaches from other provinces, and navigating ethical dilemmas in client acceptance and resignation.
Further exploration into ethical considerations in client engagements, transparency, professionalism, and adherence to legal and ethical standards is undertaken. Participants will examine the importance of maintaining client confidentiality, addressing potential conflicts of interest, and the protection of whistleblowers.
In addition to accounting-specific topics, the course touches on the relevance and challenges of integrating artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, into the accounting and tax domain. The limitations, accuracy, and the need for human oversight when using such tools will be critically examined.
The course concludes with a session from Rachel Miller, CEO of CPA Alberta, who shares strategic priorities for the CPA Alberta, the development of new certification programs, and the importance of recruitment efforts in sustaining and growing the accounting profession.
Throughout the course, participants will be immersed in discussions on regulatory challenges, ongoing collaborations, and the future landscape of the CPA profession in Alberta. The course not only provides a comprehensive understanding of ethical considerations in accounting but also fosters critical thinking, ethical judgment, and a commitment to maintaining the highest standards of professional conduct.
Participants will leave this course with a deepened understanding of the complexities of ethical decision-making in accounting, equipped with the knowledge and skills to navigate ethical dilemmas confidently and uphold the integrity of the profession.
The CPA Small Practitioners’ Forum was created to offer an inviting, semi-causal, and easygoing professional development weekend that provides substantial professional development value to small practitioners. All profit earned by the CPA Small Practitioners’ Forum is donated to the Alberta CPA Education Foundation, so you are helping young people in Canada get scholarships for university. All these courses are reviewed by the delegates at the Forum in Banff annually so we have a great lineup that is adjusted every year to keep things relevant to small practitioners. If you work at a public accounting firm in Canada with employees of 1-50 people, you are our target demographic and you should find this course useful.
Director, Member Engagement and Technical Advisory | CPA Alberta
Prior to joining CPA Alberta, Randy was an Instructor at Red Deer Polytechnic where he taught various accounting courses in the Diploma and Degree programs. During his time there he played a leadership role in establishing senior accounting courses that met prerequisite requirements for CPA PREP, thereby enabling prospective Central Alberta CPA’s to remain in the region for their post-secondary education. Randy began his professional career in Winnipeg with Arthur Andersen & Co, where he obtained his Chartered Accountant designation and was a member of the firm’s audit, assurance and business advisory services practice. Subsequent to achieving his designation Randy moved into industry positions, eventually moving into CFO roles with both private and publicly listed companies. He has extensive leadership experience with retail, distribution and oilfield services companies.
Director, Member Relations | CPA Alberta
Larry Brownoff is the Director, Member Relations with CPA Alberta. He has an extensive network of accounting professionals and over a decade of experience recruiting for companies across multiple industry sectors where strong financial leadership has enabled growth. Larry has held various leadership roles within Robert Half International where he specialized in senior finance and accounting recruitment, placement of senior project financial professionals and executive search. In addition to his decade of recruiting expertise, Larry brings 17 years of senior level industry experience to his recruitment assignments enabling him to effectively assist clients in creating high performance strategic leadership teams.
CPA, CGA
After 35 years of service, Terry retired from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in 2019. During his career he held progressively more responsible roles in Audit, Criminal Investigations and Collections. Terry ultimately assumed the role of Director of a Tax Services Office until his retirement. As a Tax Service Office Director, he was responsible for over 1,200 employees and had an $84 million budget. Terry spent 22 years working in criminal investigations. During this time, he conducted, led investigative teams and ultimately the Division. As an investigator and leader, he and his team successfully completed many of the most complex criminal investigations conducted by the CRA. In addition, he developed strong working relationships with Public Prosecution Service of Canada, the Department of Justice, and Head Office. Terry has a proven ability to; lead and manage diverse groups, adapt to change, apply complex legislation, conduct interviews, problem solve, assist in creating Income Tax policy and deliver excellent program results. Terry is recognized by tax professionals for his honesty and integrity and is also a recipient of the CRA award of Excellence for team achievement.
Affirm LLP Chartered Professional Accountants
Erika is a Partner at Affirm LLP Chartered Professional Accountants, a boutique accounting firm with offices in Calgary and Vancouver. Affirm has been built on a foundation of client excellence and an approachableness to clients all while maintaining a supportive work environment where staff feel supported, elevated and can thrive. Erika’s career started at KPMG after which she moved to an in-house tax role in industry. After having her third child, Erika stepped away from Corporate Calgary and joined Affirm where she and the other Partners had all worked together at KPMG. She was born and raised in Calgary, and her greatest accomplishment is her family. She loves spending her time outdoors camping, hiking, running and playing ball in the yard with her 3 young kids.
CEO of CPA Alberta
Rachel Miller FCPA, FCA is Chief Executive Officer of CPA Alberta. Since becoming CEO of CPA Alberta (previously CPA Alberta Joint Venture) on January 1, 2015, Rachel has led the evolution of the profession under the Chartered Professional Accountants banner. She is instrumental in setting the vision and foundation for the organization. Rachel was previously CEO and Executive Director of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta (ICAA) and CMA Alberta, and the ICAA’s Director of Practice Review from 2006 – 2013.
Provincial regulators of CPAs in Canada do not require that independent providers of CPD be approved to offer courses. Instead, individual CPAs are responsible for assessing whether a CPD activity meets their requirements, and may take activities from any source provided those requirements are met.
Every course offered on LearnFormula is delivered by a qualified subject matter expert or learning organization, and advances learning objectives that are relevant to the responsibilities or professional competencies of Canadian CPAs. All activities on LearnFormula are quantifiable in terms of hours, and are also verifiable, in that users receive documented evidence of their attendance via a certificate of completion after finishing a course (and this certificate is stored by LearnFormula indefinitely). Nearly 100,000 Canadian CPAs successfully satisfy their CPD requirements via LearnFormula on an annual basis.
