Labour Day is often seen as a point of transition. Cottages are closed down for the year. Camping trailers are returned to storage for the winter. Summer turns into fall. This  September 1, 2014, Labour Day marked another transition of sorts in New Brunswick. September 1st this year marked the official launch of the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA)  of New Brunswick. This new organization is the result of the merger of three legacy accounting groups in NB – Chartered Accountants (CA), Certified General Accountants (CGA) and Certified Management Accountants (CMA).

New Brunswick accountants, along with their colleagues in the other Canadian provinces, have been engaged in this merger process for the last several years. There has been substantial media coverage of various aspects of the merger. But one point of interest regarding the official start date of CPA New Brunswick  was the general absence of discussion of the September 1 launch. A Google search resulted in zero hits for news surrounding the official combination of the three organizations.

Several factors might explain this quiet merger. Perhaps it was that the matter was lost in the midst of the Labour Day holiday and the busyness of an ongoing election campaign in NB. Possibly the “big” news was the actual passing of the merger legislation in the NB Legislature, and now this official start date was going unnoticed. Or, there may be other factors at work.

Questions

1) Why do you think the official launch of CPA New Brunswick went unnoticed?

2) If you are a student, do you see yourself pursuing a career as a CPA? Why or why not?

3) What do you think are the advantages of a merged accounting professi0n? The disadvantages?