Professional inspection
Who is subject to inspection?
All CGA-Quebec members who practice accounting on a self-employed basis or in association with a CGA firm, whether full-time or part-time. Members are inspected on an individual basis.
When?
Within 12 months of the firm’s opening date and every three years thereafter. However, members may be inspected more than once during the standard four-year period.
By whom?
The Inspection Committee is made up of six members selected by CGA-Quebec’s Board of Directors, all of whom practice in accounting firms. The Inspection and Professional Inspection Department, which includes a director and various inspectors, is in charge of managing the program.
Procedure
Inspections are based on an evaluation of members’ compliance with the standards set out in the Handbook of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), including independence standards, control standards and quality standards, in addition to their compliance with the standards set out in the CGA-Canada Public Practice Manual, tax legislation and CGA-Quebec regulations.
Compliance is evaluated by examining a number of files selected from among the various accounting engagements undertaken. The inspectors may examine audit engagements, in-depth review engagements, review engagements and compilation engagements. They also evaluate the application and scope of the review procedures, the appropriateness of the file documentation and the contents of the working papers.
Pursuant to Quebec’s Professional Code, inspectors have access to all files and documents pertaining to the member being inspected.
The inspectors report on the deficiencies they observe. The director of the Inspection and Professional Practice Department submits their reports to the Professional Inspection Committee. The files are then examined and reviewed by the Committee, which may request a second inspection to ensure that the recommendations stemming from the first inspection have been applied.