A panel has ruled in favour of four western Canadian provinces in a trade dispute against unnecessary barriers to Certified General Accountants.

In November 2010, Manitoba initiated dispute resolution proceedings against Ontario under the national Agreement on Internal Trade. Manitoba objected to measures maintained by Ontario that subjected Certified General Accountants certified by other provinces to practise public accounting to undergo an additional assessment in order to become certified in Ontario.

British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta also objected to Ontario's measures as unnecessarily restricting labour mobility, and intervened as parties with a substantial interest in the dispute.

In November 2011, a dispute resolution panel convened in Toronto to consider the matter.

The dispute resolution panel has now issued its report, which finds in favour of the four western provinces. The panel found that Ontario's measures were inconsistent with the Agreement on Internal Trade, and recommended Ontario change its measures to bring itself into compliance by April 15, 2012.

The recently revised Agreement on Internal Trade now includes financial penalties for provinces that fail to comply with panel rulings, in order to ensure dispute panel rulings are implemented. Under the agreement, an appeal process is available to Ontario.

Quick Facts:

• Of the approximately 2,200 Certified General Accountant in Canada that practise public accounting, 1,200 live and work in British Columbia.

• Since 2001, B.C. has reduced regulatory requirements by approximately 43 per cent.

• The Province has committed to a zero-net increase in regulations - a commitment now being extended to 2015.

Learn More:

http://www.ait-aci.ca/index_en/dispute.htm

Contact:

Sheldon Johnson
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
250 213-5811