B.C.'s Certified General Accountants Welcome 507 New Members

VANCOUVER, Nov. 27 /CNW/ - British Columbia's professional accounting community got a little bit bigger today with the graduation of 507 Certified General Accountants at the Association's 2010 Convocation. It is the second largest graduating class in the Association's 59-year history.

In an address to the new CGA members and some 2,000 family members, friends and supporters, John Pankratz, FCGA, CGA-BC's 2010 President, said that they had met the demanding and rigorous professional standards of the CGA program and are now poised to play a leadership role in the nation's business and economic life.

"Despite the economic challenge of our times, today's accounting practitioners stand at the threshold of greater opportunity, perhaps greater than ever before," Pankratz said. "In this era of fiscal prudence, amid public demand for greater fiscal transparency and accountability, CGAs — many of you in this room — are destined to become leaders in your own right, along the road to recovery."

Class valedictorian John Hoekstra, CGA, said that each graduate had worked hard to achieve their goal. "Today marks the end of a long and challenging journey, a journey that took an incredible amount of hard work and effort, determination, sacrifice and dedication," Hoekstra said. Hoekstra is the Chief Financial Officer of Bevo Agro Inc., Langley, B.C., and was awarded the CGA-BC Educational Foundation's W. Curry McCalpin Gold Medal for the highest average marks in all CGA courses.

He paid tribute to the family, friends and employers who had supported them during their studies. And he recognized the CGA Association and the tutors, lecturers and instructors who provided guidance and encouragement over the years.  "I can't say enough about how incredible this program is, with its amazing flexibility and incredible resources," Hoekstra said.

In her address, Joyce Evans, FCGA, the Chair of the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada, said that the need for sound leadership in the accounting profession had never been stronger. "As new CGA's, you are now carrying with you some 100-years of history and tradition," she said. "You now have the chance to become what you imagined and you can translate your dreams into action."

The audience included senior faculty and representatives from more than 30 post-secondary institutions and professional bodies from across the province.

The event also served as an opportunity to honour the ten graduates who achieved the highest overall marks on the CGA program and the CGA students who received scholarships and awards. 

Note: You can follow the CGA Convocation on twitter at #cgagrad

ABOUT CGA-BC
As the province's largest professional accounting association, CGA-BC represents more than 14,000 CGAs and students. Members work in industry, commerce, government and in public practice. The Association promotes the excellence of its members and advances the accounting profession through education, certification and the protection of the public interest. CGA-BC leads the profession in the integration of ethics into its academic program, and has now introduced a rules and standards course for all new graduates of the CGA program to complement an ongoing ethics requirement for members.

The Association also offers a wide range of employment services and programs to its members, students and the business community. These services include CGAjobs.org, a job postings website for finance and accounting professionals, and the Partners in Employment Program (PEP), which recognizes organizations that provide an effective working and training environment for CGAs and CGA students.

For further information:

Edward Downing, Director of Communications
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]