Chartered Professional Accounts

Each active Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) is required to complete 120 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) during each triennial period (each rolling three years). The CPD year runs from January 1st to December 31st each year. 

In addition to the rolling 3-year requirement, CPAs must complete a minimum of 20 hours each calendar year, and no less than 50% of the CPD credits obtained must be verifiable, both annually and triennially. 

In addition to the above, CPAs must complete a total of 4 ethics related CPD hours during each triennial period.

For CPA professionals, CPD reporting (and auditing) is conducted to the provincial chapter, and not to CPA Canada. As such, the guidelines that are set out for CPAs in each province will be a little different. 

To learn more about how each provincial chapter determines what constitutes or qualifies for CPD credits, please continue reading below. In each case, we've cited the source of the information. Should any link be broken, please use the Contact Us page to advise us.

At the current time, no provincial CPA chapter approves CPD courses.  

Alberta

The Alberta chapter provides the following information on their website. 

Source: https://www.cpaalberta.ca/Members/CPD-Reporting

British Columbia

The following guidance is provided for CPAs in the province of BC.

"CPD is learning that develops and maintains professional competence to enable members to continue to perform their professional roles. Any new learning and development that is relevant and appropriate to a member’s work/professional responsibilities and growth as a CPA will qualify for CPD."

Source: https://www.bccpa.ca/member-practice-regulation/continuing-professional-development-cpd/

Manitoba

The following guidance around CPD is provided in the FAQs section of the website.

"Learning activities offer significant intellectual or practical content that provides a member the opportunity to develop new or existing competencies in areas relevant to a member’s professional responsibilities and growth."

Source: https://cpamb.ca/main/Regulatory/Continuing-Professional-Development--CPD-.aspx

New Brunswick

The following is published on the New Brunswick CPA website.

“A member shall sustain professional competence by keeping informed of, and complying with, developments in professional standards in all functions in which the member provides professional services or is relied upon because of the member’s calling”

Source: https://www.cpanewbrunswick.ca/

Newfoundland & Labrador

No guidelines were available when consulting the public website for Newfoundland & Labrador.

Source: https://www.cpanl.ca/

Northwest Territories & Nunavut

The following information is available on their website.

Source: https://www.cpa-nwt-nu.ca/en/professional-development/cpd-policy-and-requirements

Nova Scotia

In Nova Scotia, the following information is published on their website:

If the Member has a Public Accountants Board of Nova Scotia license to perform audit engagement, they must undertake CPD related to public accounting, and will be required to complete an annual self-assessment and declaration in accordance with national guidelines which have been established to address IES 8 - Professional Competence for Engagement Partners. 

Source: https://cpans.ca/Main/Main/CPA-Nova-Scotia.aspx

Ontario

In Ontario, all CPD must:

  • Be relevant to your professional responsibilities and competencies as a CPA.
  • Be quantifiable, meaning it's able to be expressed in terms if a specific time requirement- contain significant intellectual or practical content.
  • Pertain to activities directly related to the competencies needed to engage in the practice of public accounting, if you are applying for or renewing a Public Accounting License.

Source: https://www.cpaontario.ca/

Prince Edward Island

In PEI, the following guidance has been provided in the CPAPEI CPD Policy. Learning activities must:

  • Be quantifiable in terms of hours or parts  of an hour.
  • Be directly related to the competencies the member is required to demonstrate to practice as a chartered professional accountant or, where the member is a licensee, as a public accountant.
  • Be relevant to the member's current practice or long-term career interests.
  • Contain significant intellectual or practical content related to practice as a chartered professional accountant or, where  the member is a licensee, as a public accountant.

Source: https://www.cpapei.ca/

Quebec

The CPA chapter in Quebec provides guidelines for all CPAs regarding what qualifies for CPD credits. Additional information is available here.

Point number three specifies the following: "Every continuing education activity must allow members to maintain, update, improve or extend the skills and knowledge required for the practice of public accountancy."

Source: https://cpaquebec.ca/en/

Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan chapter provides its members with a Guide for CPD Reporting which is available on their website. 

Source: https://cpask.ca/member/fees-cpd

Yukon

The CPD requirements in the territory of Yukon are aligned to those in the province of British Columbia. Please visit their webpage for further information.

Source: https://www.bccpa.ca/