RPA Canada’s 48th Annual General Meeting is fast approaching, and I am very pleased to update our membership and students on what has been an extraordinarily active year for our organization.
Over the past several months, RPA Canada has been vigorously engaged on every front that matters to our profession. We have advocated directly with elected officials and policymakers on the barriers facing accounting professionals and the small businesses they serve. We have reached out to post-secondary institutions and publishing partners to strengthen the academic and public-facing foundations of our profession. We have improved and redesigned our education and training programs to reflect where the profession is headed. We have collaborated with technology companies to ensure our members and students are prepared for a digital-first accounting environment. And we have marketed and communicated RPA Canada’s programs directly to Canada’s small and medium-sized enterprises, the businesses our members serve every day.
I am also pleased to report that we have successfully published four issues of Professional Accountant Magazine, completing our first full year of publication, and we remain on track to deliver our Fall issue before the 48th AGM so members can pick up their copy in person.
Our Education and Learning Innovation team has revised and reformed the Registered Accounting Analyst (RAA) certification. The renewed RAA is now open to high school graduates as an affordable, practical entry point into the profession, and to working bookkeeping professionals seeking a credentialed route to upskill into intermediate-level accounting practice, with a defined pathway toward the full Registered Professional Accountant designation.
Our newly launched PRO ACHIEVE 2026 program has been delivered successfully at Toronto University, and due to strong demand, we have scheduled a second delivery of PRO ACHIEVE 2026 for September 23 to 26 this year. I look forward to sharing many more of RPA Canada’s accomplishments at the AGM and at our Women Empowerment Gala Dinner, held to coincide with Small Business Week celebrations.
“The profession must evolve, not restrict. It must inspire, not exclude. And it must always protect the public before privilege.”
As we approach this milestone, I want to reaffirm the commitment that has guided RPA Canada for nearly five decades: competence, affordability, and public protection. These values define who we are and how we serve Canadians and the small and medium-sized enterprises that remain the true backbone of our economy.
Our advocacy work this year has been guided by an unwavering belief that a fair and transparent profession must serve the public first. Across Canada, thousands of accounting professionals dedicate their expertise to helping small businesses thrive, yet many continue to face unnecessary barriers and regulatory uncertainty caused by monopolistic control and outdated distinctions between “public” and “non-assurance” accounting.
Our message remains clear: professional diversity strengthens the profession. Canada deserves an open and inclusive accounting landscape that welcomes domestic and internationally trained accountants who bring knowledge, innovation, and experience to our economy. We continue to advocate that public accounting, limited to audit and assurance services, remain under provincial jurisdiction, while non-assurance services such as management accounting, taxation, compilation, and advisory work be recognized under a national framework. This clarity protects the public, promotes fairness, restores confidence in our profession, reduces regulations for small businesses, and eliminates barriers to entering the profession.
RPA Canada continues to lead this change with courage and conviction. We are advocating for a unified standard that preserves professional integrity, enhances accessibility, and supports the growth of small businesses nationwide. Our commitment extends beyond regulation; it is about ensuring that every Canadian, regardless of province or business size, has access to competent, ethical, and affordable accounting professionals.
As we head into our 48th Annual General Meeting, this remains a call to action for all governments, educators, and professional bodies to come together in shaping an equitable future for accounting in Canada. Together, we are building a future-ready, people-focused accounting profession that Canadians can trust and be proud of. I look forward to celebrating this year’s achievements with all of you at the 48th AGM.
Zubair Choudhry, RPA, APA
President & Chief Executive Officer
