Becoming a member of the Quebec CPA Order by affiliation

Are you a member of a CPA body in another Canadian province or territory or Bermuda and want to become a member of the Quebec CPA Order?

Duly complete and sign the following forms and email them, using a secure transmission method to protect confidential information*, with all other required documents attached, where applicable, to tableauCPA@cpaquebec.ca.

Forms

* For example, a secure link, a secure email, a password-protected document sent in a separate email, an encrypted USB key, etc.

Fees charged

A $440 fee will be charged to file your application. In case of cancellation of your admission application, these fees are non-refundable.

Within a few days of your admission to the Order, you will also receive your first dues notice, which include your professional liability insurance premium, if applicable. The fees must be paid within 30 days following the date on which you are admitted to the Order.

KNOWLEDGE OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE

All members of the Order must have an appropriate knowledge of French to practice the profession.

You will have to demonstrate this knowledge by submitting one of the following documents:

Official transcript indicating that you received no less than three years of full-time instruction delivered in French, regardless of the country.
Secondary school transcript issued by Quebec’s Ministère de l’Éducation, indicating that you passed the fourth or fifth year secondary level examination for French as a first language.
Secondary school diploma issued by Quebec’s Ministère de l’Éducation as of and after the 1985-1986 school year.
Certificate attesting that you passed the exam of the Office québécois de la langue française.

If you cannot provide any of these documents, you must pass the French exam from the Office québécois de la langue française.

The Order will inform you if you are eligible to obtain a regular permit, a temporary permit or a restricted permit.

Regular permit

To be eligible for this permit, you must demonstrate that your knowledge of the French language is appropriate for practicing the profession by submitting one of the documents listed above

Temporary permit

This permit is valid for one year and may be renewed a maximum of three times so that you may continue to learn French and pass the examination of the Office québécois de la langue française.

To be eligible for this permit, you must have acquired the professional competencies required for the CPA permit outside Quebec.

Restricted permit

This permit is valid for as long as you meet the requirements for obtaining it. You do not have to pass the examination of the Office québécois de la langue française if you hold a restricted permit.

To be eligible for this permit, you must practice your profession on behalf of a single employer in a position where you do not deal with the public.

The amendments made to the Charter of the French Language under the Act respecting French, the official and common language of Quebec (Bill 96) are meant to strengthen the status of French in all spheres of Quebec society. Toward that end, several new provisions directly concern professional orders, their members and candidates for the practice of a profession

One of these provisions requires the Order to communicate exclusively in French, both orally and in writing, with its members and candidates for the profession.

Once you become a member of the Order, you must maintain knowledge of the French language that is appropriate to the practice of the profession for as long as you hold a CPA permit. This is a requirement that you must fulfill if you wish to practice the CPA profession or any other profession in Quebec.

See all obligations concerning use of the French language (in French only) >

PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE

Members must subscribe to the Fonds d’assurance de la responsabilité professionnelle des CPA du Québec and carry coverage for liability they may incur owing to errors or negligence committed in the practice of the profession under the Règlement sur l’assurance de la responsabilité professionnelle des comptables professionnels agréés (in French only).

You are required to complete the professional liability insurance declaration, attach it to your application for admission and, in due course, pay the insurance premium in full. The Order will inform you of the fees payable.

Note that although you must pay the insurance premium before the admission date, your professional liability insurance contract will only take effect on the date of your reinstatement on the roll of the Order.

For more information, go to Assurance responsabilité professionnelle page (in French Only).

CPA auditor designation

To prepare assurance reports, either for audits or reviews of historical financial information, you must hold a public accountancy permit issued by the Quebec CPA Order (CPA auditor designation or CPA auditor limited to review engagements designation).

If you are eligible for a public accountancy permit, it will be issued to you automatically when you are admitted as a member.

FCPA title

If you hold a Fellow title (FCPA) in a Canadian province or territory or in Bermuda, a Fellow title will be automatically granted to you by the Quebec CPA Order when you are admitted as a member.

Conditions

If the Quebec CPA Order believes that your level of competence falls short of the requirements for the protection of the public, it may require you to complete a refresher training period or refresher courses in accordance with the Regulation respecting the refresher training periods and the refresher courses of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec and, in certain cases, the Regulation respecting the public accountancy permit of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec.

Processing time

The departments that oversee the protection of the public may need a minimum of 30 to 60 days to review your application. Please note that applications for admission are not processed from March to mid-April. Additional information may be requested to review your file and ensure that it complies with the regulations. The departments may object to an applicant being admitted as a member for such reasons as conduct, competence or the qualities needed to practice the profession. An application for admission intended solely to obtain the CPA designation but not to practice will go through the same steps.

If no objection is made, you will be entered on the roll of the Order. You are authorized to use the professional designation of Chartered Professional Accountant and the “CPA” initials only from the date on which the Order approves your application for admission.

Please note that if you do not pay your admission invoice within three months of its issue, your application for admission will be closed. Therefore, if you wish to register with the CPA Order after that period of time, you will need to send a new application for admission and fill out the forms again.

Useful Resources

Many resources are available to you to help you become a CPA in Quebec.

Consult them here!

Questions?

If you have any question about the admission by affiliation process, please contact us by phone at 514 288-3256, ext. 2612 or toll-free at 1 800 363-4688, or by email at tableauCPA@cpaquebec.ca.