Complaints Inquiry Committee - Member

CPA Alberta’s Complaints Inquiry Committee

The Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta (CPA Alberta) is the professional regulatory body for the CPA profession in Alberta. Under the Chartered Professional Accountants Act (the CPA Act), the purpose of CPA Alberta is to: protect the public, protect the integrity of the accounting profession regulated under the CPA Act, promote and increase the competence of registrants, and regulate the conduct of registrants.

Part 8 of the CPA Act prescribes the establishment of a Complaints Inquiry Committee (Committee). Section 80 of the CPA Act sets out the duties of the Committee. Specifically, the Committee is a statutory decision maker who, following the receipt of an investigator’s report, determines whether to refer allegations of unprofessional conduct to the Discipline Tribunal Roster Chair for a hearing, or to dismiss the matter.  Additionally, the investigated party may attempt to settle allegations of unprofessional conduct by way of a sanction agreement, rather than proceed to a discipline hearing. Committee members will sit on a panel that determines whether to recommend approval of a proposed settlement (Panel). If a Panel makes such a recommendation, then the remainder of Committee members vote on whether to approve or reject the proposed settlement.

Committee Member Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Review and be familiar with the Committee’s responsibilities under Part 5 and Part 8 of the CPA Act and the Committee’s Terms of Reference;
  • Review and be familiar with authoritative sources of the Committee’s work including the CPA Act, its regulations as well as CPA Alberta’s Bylaws, Directives, Resolutions and Rules of Professional Conduct;
  • Participate frankly and openly in discussions and work cooperatively with other Committee members in sharing ideas, concerns, knowledge and expertise;
  • Deal with conflicting and diverging points of view while maintaining decorum, process, as well as professional and respectful interactions;
  • Prepare for, attend and participate in Committee and Panel meetings;
  • Carry out the duties and responsibilities of a Committee member in a way that is objective and free from bias and conflicts of interest.

Competencies and Skills:

  • An appreciation and understanding of the responsibility and accountability that CPA Alberta must govern its members to protect the public;
  • Well-developed analytical, problem solving, investigative and strategic and critical thinking skills;
  • Good organizational skills;
  • Communication and interpersonal skills that demonstrate integrity, accountability and tact;
  • Ability to formulate reasoned decisions and communicate them;
  • An appreciation of the need for confidentiality and sensitivity.

Location:

Alberta, with in-person meetings in Calgary and Edmonton.

Time Commitment/Expectations:

One eight-hour meeting day four times per year, with an additional minimum preparation time of 10 hours for each eight-hour meeting day.

Occasional Panel meetings conducted on an ad hoc basis throughout the year.

A minimum three-year term.

Qualifications

  • Active member of CPA Alberta in good standing ordinarily resident in Alberta.
  • Consequential experience in the designated accounting profession which demonstrates an understanding of the profession and the practice of the profession, well-developed analytical, problem solving, investigative, and strategic and critical thinking skills.
  • Prior experience on statutory committees, with governance procedures, or with regulatory processes an asset.

Contact

Larry Brownoff CPA, CA (he/him/his)

Director, Member Relations

lbrownoff@cpaalberta.ca

D. 780.670.2428