May 10, 2024

Building a Brighter Future for Accounting: A Call to Action from Your President

Dear CAAA Members,

Greetings! I'm thrilled to connect with you today as we embark on a transformative journey for The Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA)!

Evolving with Purpose: The New CAAA

Thank you for joining our second town hall meeting and sharing your valuable insights and feedback. Your engagement is crucial in shaping the future of the CAAA! Imagine an association that champions progress in accounting education, research, and practice, with streamlined processes to overcome bureaucratic hurdles and make positive change happen.

During our recent Board of Directors meeting, the topic of a potential name change for our association was discussed. While the board did not formally approve any changes at this time, we are excited to share some preliminary thoughts with you. To reflect our ongoing commitment to advancing the accounting profession, we are considering a brand refresh: the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Accounting (CAAA). This proposed update retains our familiar CAAA abbreviation while highlighting our dedication to propelling the profession forward.

It's important to note that this proposal is still in its early stages. The Board has accepted a report on connecting with the accounting profession and has established a task force to further explore the potential name change and its implementation. We want to ensure that any decision regarding our association's brand reflects the collective vision of our membership. As such, a motion to change the brand name will be brought forward for members' vote at the 2025 Annual General Meeting. We encourage you to share your thoughts and feedback as we continue to explore this exciting possibility.

Breaking Down Walls, Building Bridges

We understand the importance of collaboration. That's why the CAAA Board of Directors approved restructuring the CAAA Board with specialized committees aligned with our strategic goals. These committees will tackle critical areas like governance, diversity, research excellence, engaging events, and strategic partnerships. This isn't just about efficiency; it's about breaking down silos that have limited communication and collaboration. Together, we'll create a stronger, more vibrant CAAA.

Amplifying Our Impact: Reaching New Audiences

We recognize the crucial role of departmental liaisons – often the first point of contact for faculty, staff, and students. Through the innovative Institutional Liaison Program, we'll connect directly with these individuals. Imagine a vast network of informed liaisons spreading the word about CAAA's valuable resources and events. This program is a game-changer for expanding our reach and ensuring a thriving membership.

Join the Conversation: Events That Matter

Mark your calendars! We have two key events on the horizon:

• Join us for a dynamic webinar on May 24th, 2024 from 12:00 pm EDT to 1:30 PM EDT: "Building a Sustainable Accounting Pipeline": This exciting event brings together leading accounting minds, including Chrystelle Richard, President - Association Francophone de Comptabilité, Mark Clatworthy, President - European Accounting Association, Samir Trabelsi, President - The Canadian Academic Accounting Association, Mark Taylor, President - American Accounting Association, and Michael Walke - The Canadian Centre for Audit Quality (CCAQ).

Together, they will explore the current state of the accounting profession, focusing on strategies to attract and retain top talent. This insightful discussion will delve into the factors influencing the accounting pipeline and explore potential solutions to ensure a strong and vibrant accounting workforce for the future.

This webinar is a must-attend for anyone invested in the future of the accounting profession!

• Join us for the 2024 Annual Conference CAAA Curtain Raiser: Has Research Lost Its Way? on June 7th, 2024, from 12:00 PM EDT to 1:30 PM EDT.

During my term as President of The Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA), I've had conversations with many esteemed scholars, practitioners, and leaders of global institutions. These discussions have revealed a growing sentiment questioning whether accounting research has led to meaningful real-world social impact. This raises concerns about the return on investment in accounting research and challenges whether the current incentive system truly fosters groundbreaking change. Recent insights, particularly those articulated by several eminent scholars, underscore an urgent need for introspection within the accounting research community. The 2024 CAAA Annual Conference Curtain Raiser will feature a panel discussion addressing this critical topic. We are honored to have renowned scholars James Ohlson, Dan Simunic, Robert Kaplan, Henry Mintzberg, Shyam Sunder, John Hand, Stephen Ryan, and Stephen Penman among others participate in this thought-provoking exchange. This event sets the stage for the enriching discussions and enlightening sessions that our conference, that will be held in the beautiful city of Halifax June 14-15, 2024, is renowned for.

Your Voice Matters!

This is your CAAA! Share your ideas, volunteer your expertise, and join the conversation. Together, we can build a more impactful and inclusive association. Let's leverage our collective knowledge to shape the future of Canadian accounting!

Stay tuned for exciting updates. Thank you for your dedication to the CAAA. Let's embrace the future and make a lasting difference!

Samir Trabelsi
President, The Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA)

April 12, 2024

Dear CAAA Members,

I invite you to join me for an important virtual meeting today, from 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM EDT. During this meeting, I'll provide detailed updates on the progress made towards the strategic initiatives undertaken during my 2023-2024 presidency. These initiatives, outlined in my previous messages, include:

• Restructuring CAAA governance
• Fostering stronger connections between CAAA and the accounting profession
• Encouraging volunteerism within CAAA activities
• Supporting CAAA thought leadership and Francophone activities at the CAAA.

Register here

Your participation in this meeting is crucial. I encourage you to share your ideas, suggestions, and any concerns. Together, we can work towards amplifying the social impact and prestige of the CAAA.

I look forward to our virtual collaboration and building a strong future for the CAAA.

Best regards,

Samir Trabelsi
President 2023-2024, The Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA)

March 28, 2024

Dear CAAA Members,

I invite you to join me for an important virtual meeting on April 12, 2024, from 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM EDT. During this meeting, I'll provide detailed updates on the progress made towards the strategic initiatives undertaken during my 2023-2024 presidency. These initiatives, outlined in my previous messages, include:

• Restructuring CAAA governance
• Fostering stronger connections between CAAA and the accounting profession
• Encouraging volunteerism within CAAA activities
• Supporting CAAA thought leadership and Francophone activities at the CAAA.

Register here

Your participation in this meeting is crucial. I encourage you to share your ideas, suggestions, and any concerns. Together, we can work towards amplifying the social impact and prestige of the CAAA.

I look forward to our virtual collaboration and building a strong future for the CAAA.

Best regards,

Samir Trabelsi
President 2023-2024, The Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA)

Read minutes from September 2023 townhall (PDF)

February 26, 2024

Dear CAAA members,

I am so excited to bring to your attention the upcoming 2024 CAAA Annual Conference in Halifax. I take this opportunity to thank Vasiliki, Matt, Sonia, and each member of the Scientific Committee and Education Committee for the great work they are doing so that we can enjoy what looks like an amazing conference in beautiful Halifax. Hence, I urge you to register and join us for what promises to be an enriching experience filled with compelling research presentations and education workshops, insightful discussions, and valuable connections.

Samir Trabelsi
President 2023-2024, The Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA)

February 9, 2024

Dear CAAA members,

I hope this message finds you well and that the winter 2024 semester is going smoothly for everyone. As we navigate another exciting year at the Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA), I am very pleased to bring to your attention the following important key items:

2024 AP Emerging Scholars Symposium

The 2024 AP Emerging Scholars Symposium will be held on February 9, 2024. It is one of the milestones that the CAAA will be undertaking in the coming years to support, empower, and promote young scholar activities. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the presenters and discussants who will make the symposium a resounding success. The insightful research and engaging discussions that they will share with all of us will not only enrich our knowledge but also underscore the vital role of emerging scholars in shaping the future of the accounting profession. For those who are not registered yet, I encourage you to visit our symposium page for registration and additional information about the symposium program:

Nominate yourself or your peers for board and non-board positions

I joined the CAAA as a doctoral student back in 2000 and benefited a lot from the CAR Conference’s Doctoral/Junior Faculty Consortium and the CAAA Conference’s Craft of Accounting Workshop. Since then, I have not missed any of the annual conferences. However, I never imagined that one day I would be stepping in as the president of the association. This was an opportunity for me to give back and to express my gratitude for the support and opportunities the association has provided me throughout my career. This is to remind you how important it is to volunteer and consider nominating yourself or your colleagues for our board and non-board positions for the sustainability of our association. Your involvement and volunteering are key so our association has a social impact both in Canada and globally.

Nominations are now open, and further details can be found here.

CAAA Awards nominations!

Celebrating excellence in accounting education, research, and practice, and promoting and showcasing CAAA thought leaders is one of our strategic priorities. I encourage you to nominate deserving colleagues who have made significant impacts in their fields. Let's celebrate our wonderful colleagues' outstanding achievements together in Halifax.

First University of Waterloo CPAO Centre for Sustainability Reporting and Performance Management Symposium on Contemporary Issues in Sustainability Reporting

The CAAA is committed to empowering and supporting each member's initiatives. On behalf of Professors Elizabeth Demers and Mingyue Zhang, I am very pleased to share the invitation for the first University of Waterloo CPAO Centre for Sustainability Reporting and Performance Management Symposium on Contemporary Issues in Sustainability Reporting conference.

Topics to be covered include climate targets (Shirley Lu, HBS), TCFD disclosures (Jurian Hendrikse, Tilburg), human capital disclosures under the SEC’s “new” (2020) disclosure regulations (Ethan Rouen, HBS), executive race/ethnicity matters in S&P 500 firms (John Hand, UNC), ESG ratings (Zacharias Sautner, Zurich), a pedagogical session related to bringing sustainability reporting into the classroom (Richard Sloan, USC), and an update from the ISSB (Jeffrey Hales, ISSB and UT Austin).

There will be also a practitioner panel touching on materiality assessments and the academic papers will each have discussants. Further details related to speakers, panelists, and discussants, as well as a link to the registration page, can all be found here.

There is no charge to attend the symposium. With sustainability in mind, please register only if you plan to attend. Places are limited due to room capacity constraints.

Thank you all once again for your support and continued involvement and contributions to the CAAA's various strategic initiatives. Together, we are increasing the CAAA's social impact and prestige and advancing the field of accounting in academia and beyond, fostering a culture of inclusivity and collaboration that will carry us into the future.

Samir Trabelsi
President 2023-2024, The Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA)

January 19, 2024

Embracing 2024: Reflecting on CAAA's Year of Triumphs and Transformations

As we warmly welcome the advent of 2024, I extend my heartfelt wishes for a New Year filled with joy and prosperity. This momentous period offers us a unique vantage point to reflect on our collective journey over the past year at the CAAA, highlighting our achievements and setting our sights on the promise and potential of the year ahead. 2023 was a year marked by significant accomplishments in our strategic initiatives, which I am eager to share with you:

DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging): Our commitment to fostering equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging within accounting education and research has been unwavering. Understanding that a diverse and inclusive environment catalyzes creativity, innovation, and excellence, we have forged partnerships with professional bodies and initiated grants and mentorship programs. These endeavours aim to extend our support to accounting researchers in less privileged countries, thereby facilitating their integral participation in the global accounting research community. The DEIB Task Force, a vital part of the CAAA, has worked diligently to propose initiatives that promise to cultivate a more inclusive and equitable environment for academics, students, and professionals in the field. This year also marked a pivotal restructuring of our Board of Directors, signalling our journey towards more efficient, representative, and inclusive governance. I extend my profound gratitude to Professors Kate Bewley, Charles Cho, Abiodun Isiaka, Russell Evans, Alessandro Ghio, Erin Egeland, Erica Pimentel, and all the CAAA members who have contributed significantly to this endeavour.

Connecting CAAA with the Accounting Profession: The dedicated task force focused on enhancing the relationship between CAAA and the Accounting Profession has engaged in fruitful and insightful discussions with industry practitioners. These dialogues have led to a a discussion regarding the possibility of renaming our organization, among other changes. I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Professors Karim Jamal, Len Brooks, Efrim Boritz, Emilio Boulianne, and Guylaine Duval, Ms. Rebecca Villmann, and all CAAA members and practitioners who have contributed/contributing to these exchanges. Please feel free to share your insights with Dr. Karim Jamal, Chair of the Connecting CAAA with the Accounting Profession Task Force. Further updates will be shared later this year.

CAAA Thought Leaders and Francophone Activities: Our efforts have solidified the CAAA's position as a thought leader in accounting. We strive to shape the discourse on contemporary accounting issues both nationally and globally while bridging the gap between academic colleagues and the accounting profession. Our focus on Francophone activities ensures the representation and valorisation of French-speaking members' perspectives and contributions. I am delighted to announce our series of 13 webinars for the upcoming year, designed to showcase the diverse scholarly activities and social impact of our members' research. Our inaugural webinar on Sustainability for Accountants, featuring an all-female panel, attracted considerable participation and acclaim. I extend my thanks to Professors Irene Herremans, Amna Chalwati, Leanne Keddie, Irene Wiecek, and our moderator Rebecca Villmann for their invaluable contributions.

International Outreach and Global Impact of the CAAA: In today's interconnected world, our international outreach initiatives have been instrumental in fostering knowledge exchange, collaborative research, and sharing of best practices. Our presence on the international stage not only represents Canadian accounting educators but also amplifies the global perception of Canadian research and academic excellence in accounting. Our collaboration with IFAC’s International Panel on Accountancy Education is a testament to our commitment to empowering CAAA members and advancing accounting both in Canada and internationally. I extend my gratitude to Professors Irene Wiecek and Amna Chalwati for their leadership in this initiative.

I would be remiss if I did not underscore the outstanding work accomplished by our CAAA Executive Director, Ms. Carina Hackett, along with her exceptional staff members: Vittoria, Louise, Sadie, and Judy. Their tireless efforts, commitment to excellence, and dedication to serving our members have been a cornerstone of our association's success. The smooth operation of our organization, the successful execution of our initiatives, and the seamless coordination of our events are a direct result of their professionalism, expertise, and unwavering dedication. The CAAA owes much of its progress and achievements to their invaluable contributions, and for this, we are profoundly grateful.

As we stand at the threshold of 2024, let us take a moment to revel in the remarkable progress we have collectively achieved. Our journey thus far has been one of impactful innovation and transformative growth, and I am filled with anticipation and excitement for the continued journey of success and achievements that the new year promises.

Wishing you all a prosperous and impactful 2024.

Warmest regards, 

Samir Trabelsi
President, The Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA)

January 31, 2023

Dear CAAA Colleagues,

Happy 2023 and also welcome to the year of the Rabbit. I hope this new year will bring you all peace and great success in your endeavours. 

Here are some highlights of upcoming CAAA events and opportunities to take note of: 

• Thanks to everyone who submitted a paper to the CAAA Annual Conference and Qualitative Methods Symposium. We have had a very strong response to the call for papers and the Scientific Committee is underway with the review and selection process.

• Nominations 2023 for board and non-board positions are open. Please consider nominating yourself or someone you know by February 15.

• There is still time to nominate a colleague for one of our awards. These are due by February 15.

• Our Accounting Perspectives (AP) Symposium is coming up on February 10. This will be a virtual event. Please register to join in the activities and support our emerging scholars.

As always, nothing we do would be possible without the amazing talent and dedication of our wonderful staff, and the incredibly valuable time and wisdom that is contributed by our volunteers on the Board and committees. If you have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to contact me, or our President Elect, Samir Trabelsi, with your suggestions on how to make CAAA a valuable part of our community. I also invite you to follow our LinkedIn page.

With best wishes for good health and happy times ahead.

Kate

December 2022

Dear CAAA Colleagues,

Best wishes to you all, from all of us here at CAAA as we look ahead to a well-earned, recreative end-of-year break. Here is the latest news from your Association:

Our 2023 membership drive is now in full flight, and we look forward to welcoming back returning and new members to our CAAA community. The new year will include many valuable academic and professional development events and programs, with opportunities to work with colleagues, build your network, and achieve your career goals. Please get your renewal in soon, and pass the word along to your colleagues who may also benefit from membership.

The Calls for Papers for the 2023 CAAA Annual Conference can be found here and the Qualitative Symposium can be found here. The submission deadline is January 15, 2023. With the theme “Accounting for All,” we are looking forward to providing many opportunities to researchers and educators to present papers from a diverse range of topics and methods, in French and English. The Conference will be offered in a hybrid format, so there will be opportunities to participate in person and virtually as well. So many reasons to go for it!

The CAAA Awards are now open for nominations – please consider nominating colleagues who have been outstanding role models and mentors to you and your colleagues, in the following categories:

• George Baxter Award for Outstanding Contributions to the CAAA
• L.S. Rosen Outstanding Educator Award
• Haim Falk Award for Distinguished Contribution to Accounting Thought
• Howard Teall Award for Innovation in Education

Details of the awards nomination and selection process are available at the links above, and nominations are due by email by February 15, 2023. The Awards ceremony is always a highlight of the Annual Conference, and we are looking forward to the opportunity to honour CAAA members who make extraordinary contributions to the many aspects that build a strong, vibrant academic community.

We also draw your attention to the Lazaridis Institute Prize for Best Paper on Accounting Issues Relevant to Technology Firms. Researchers submitting papers to the Annual Conference are invited to indicate whether they want their paper to be considered for this prize. Great thanks to the Lazaridis Institute for sponsoring this outstanding recognition of the importance of accounting research in the rapidly evolving technology industry.

With very sincere thanks to our staff and many volunteers, the CAAA’s Values Statement on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging has now been made available in French and English versions here, along with the comment page where we welcome your feedback and suggestions to improve our "living document" in the years ahead here.

Finally, I wish to extend my enormous gratitude to our dedicated CAAA staff, our extraordinary volunteers, and our wonderful sponsors, for all you do to support our mission to foster a strong community of accounting scholars devoted to excellence in research and education. I hope the coming weeks will offer all of you many opportunities to enjoy times with family and friends, and in quiet reflection.

With best wishes for good health and happy times ahead.

Kate Bewley
2022-2023 President

July 27, 2022

Dear CAAA friends,

As we look ahead to a new academic year, I hope everyone has been enjoying a summer of opportunities to recreate and reconnect. Our first in-person Annual Conference since 2019 certainly was a great launching point! Thank you to the Conference Chairs: Ganesh Vaidyanathan, Mark Klassen, and Sonia Dhaliwal, our sponsors, and to everyone who made it all come together for us in the beautiful lands of Saskatoon. It was also our first try at a ‘hybrid’ conference, and there are lots of lessons to be learned for how to continue to provide the reach and accessibility of online events to our members. Participant comments will be very helpful to guide us in this new direction, so thanks to everyone who provided feedback in the conference survey.

As I step into the CAAA President role for 2022-23, I am very grateful to Hanen Khemakhem for her amazing work as last year’s President, through an enormous range of unique challenges. Bravo, Hanen! I am also very honoured to be welcoming Samir Trabelsi (Brock University) as this year’s President Elect. I know Samir’s experience, energy and global perspectives will be instrumental in our continuing progress towards achieving our strategic goals. 

In the coming year, we plan to offer the CAR conference this October in Halifax in a hybrid format, building on the greatly expanded reach we have been able to achieve in the past two online offerings. We also plan to use the online format to be able to offer more frequent events, to meet the needs of students, education, and research-oriented members throughout the year, to expand beyond the Annual Conference. Ideas and proposals for these events are very welcome: please feel free to contact me or our President Elect with your suggestions.

Important goals for the coming year will be to continue to build our internal finance and administrative processes, to help ensure the Association’s continuing resilience and sustainability in the increasingly unpredictable future. We also expect to make progress in updating the Association website so that it can better meet the needs of our members in future. At the same time, we plan to review and rationalize our staff to better support the important work of the volunteers working on our Board of Directors, Committees, and Task Forces. With the holistic perspective of advancing the quality, integrity and capacity of Canadian accounting practice, we will further the initiatives that resulted from the recent strategic review, which include teaching circles, emerging scholars, special research interests, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. A priority in the coming year will be to work closely with our major partner, CPA Canada, in developing programming to meet the needs of the Canadian accounting profession, the new Competency Map, and the special challenges of reconciliation by bringing an understanding of Indigenous knowledge, views, and history into our accounting teaching and research. 

It is also a great pleasure to announce the appointment of Carina Hackett as the new CAAA Executive Director. Many of you will already know and have worked with Carina in her many roles managing our conferences and journals over the past 8 years. We are very fortunate to have Carina's unique capabilities, her wide experience with the CAAA's activities, her dedication, and her wonderful enthusiasm to lead our association forward. Working with our amazing and dedicated staff and our committed and highly capable Board members, I know Carina will keep our Association strong and vital for the future.

This year, we also look forward to welcoming the incoming Editors-in-Chief for our two journals. Partha Mohanram (University of Toronto) will take the EiC role for Contemporary Accounting Research on January 1, 2023, and Adam Presslee (University of Waterloo) will become the EiC of Accounting Perspectives starting April 1, 2023. More news will follow as these important transitions take place. 

And finally, next year’s Annual Conference will be held June in Quebec – we can hardly wait! 

In the meantime, please feel free to contact me or our President Elect, Samir Trabelsi, with your suggestions on how to make CAAA a valuable part of our community. I also invite you to follow our LinkedIn page.

With best wishes for good health and happy times ahead.

Kate Bewley
2022-2023 President

February 23, 2022

Important Changes to the CAAA

Dear CAAA members,

After many years of good and loyal service, Amber Goldie is no longer the Executive Director of the CAAA. Amber has played a critical role in the development and success of the CAAA after joining the organization in 2016. Amber served as the Interim Executive Director since 2017 before being appointed as Executive Director in 2019. Amber leaves the CAAA in a very strong position for continued growth. I would like to sincerely thank Amber for her commitment, vision, and leadership over the many years, and I wish Amber all the best for the future. 

I am also pleased to announce that Carina Hackett has agreed to take on the role of Interim Executive Director at the CAAA. Carina brings a wealth of experience, having worked in a variety roles at the CAAA since 2014. She has a strong understanding of the organization, including experience supporting Accounting Perspectives (AP) and Contemporary Accounting Research (CAR). I know that the CAAA will continue to thrive under Carina's leadership as we continue to grow to meet the evolving needs of our members. Please join me in welcoming Carina in her new role. 

Hanen Khemakhem 
2021-2022 President

January 20, 2022

Dear CAAA Members,

It is the start of another challenging year, requiring once again our resilience and our determination. These challenging times have affected the education and research activities of the academic accounting community. The CAAA, along with the staff, its volunteers and its board of directors, are now more determined than ever to be there for you. We are putting in all of our efforts to offer you many activities that should best meet your needs.

Highlighting the strengths of our members is more important than ever. If you know of any members in our community who have stood out, there is still time to nominate the member for any of the CAAA Awards.

To better accommodate you, the 2022 annual conference will be a hybrid conference, allowing you to attend online or in person in Saskatoon from June 9 to 11, 2022. The deadline to submit a research paper or an education proposal is January 25. The Qualitative Research Symposium is one of the novelties of the 2022 annual conference.

In December 2021, the CAAA celebrated its 45th anniversary. There is still time to underline this event with your messages and your wishes.

I wish you all a very happy and safe new year, full of prosperity.

Hanen Khemakhem
President 2021-2022

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone is keeping warm this time of the year. Spring will be coming soon enough and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our annual conference taking place in Saskatoon June 4 to 6. The organizers have been going all out to make this a spectacular conference with an exciting program. This year’s theme is Risky Business: Accounting in Times of Uncertainty. The conference will highlight some important questions for the future of the profession. For example, what role can accountants play to support decision makers in times of uncertainty? Or can new technologies and data analytic techniques allow us to measure uncertainties that we could not before? The professional development day on June 4 will also look at how we can prepare future generations of accounting practitioners. I want to encourage you to register early to take advantage of the special room rates we have negotiated with the conference hotel, the Delta Bessborough Hotel.

On the research front, please keep in mind the upcoming Accounting Perspectives special issue which will deal with blockchain and cryptoassets and the role accountants can play. The deadline for receiving submissions is on April 30, 2020.

As I mentioned in my speech at our past conference, we are pursuing efforts to engage all accounting faculty throughout Canada and looking at the value the association can bring to our diverse community. Our conference includes a full professional development day and has an even split between research and education sessions. I have pledged to continue supporting the education community and Kim Trottier (kim_trottier@sfu.ca), our membership committee chair, has spearheaded this endeavor of inclusivity together with Hanen Khemakhem (khemakhem.hanen@uqam.ca), our education chair. If you wish to help and support them, please feel free to reach them directly.

I must finish this address on a sad note by noting the passing of our long-esteemed colleague, Jerry Feltham. Jerry made a huge contribution to the CAAA as past editor of CAR, among other things. As mentioned by Gord Richardson, he was the “finest Canadian accounting academic this country has ever produced.”

Michael Favere-Marchesi

President, Canadian Academic Accounting Association (2019-2020)

Dear Colleagues:

As you can imagine, we have been very busy at the CAAA in the last few weeks. We have had several meetings of the Conference Committee and the Executive Committee, and held a special meeting of the Board of Directors to assess the situation with regards to our annual conference scheduled June 4 to 6. While we have not yet made a formal announcement, I want to ask for your patience a while longer as we are in negotiation with the hotel in Saskatoon to explore all options. I will get back to you shortly as these deliberations should conclude in the next few days. 

In the meantime, we are suspending registration to the conference. However, I can guarantee you that, if the conference does not proceed, those who have already registered will receive a full refund of their registration fee.

We have been proactive in the matter and, even if we cannot hold an in-person conference, we have been actively engaged in exploring the possibility to deliver online activities to benefit all our members. Please keep the conference dates on your calendar open as most of these online activities, including the 44th Annual General Meeting of the Members of the CAAA, would take place during the days originally set aside.

I want to acknowledge the amazing work and dedication of our staff and all our volunteers in helping the association serve our membership in new and creative ways. As accounting researchers and educators, our work will be one of the languages in which this global challenge is parsed, explained, and confronted. Our research and teaching will be part of the solution. It is more important now than ever that the CAAA be a place where we can collaborate, question each other, share ideas, and be challenged to be better. I hope that you are all staying healthy and safe in these difficult times.

Michael Favere-Marchesi

President, Canadian Academic Accounting Association (2019-2020)

Update on 2020 CAAA Annual Conference

April 7, 2020 

Dear Colleagues:

I promised to get back to you with further news. After many deliberations with all the parties involved, I must sadly inform you that we have decided to not hold our annual CAAA conference that was scheduled to take place in Saskatoon on June 4 to 6.

This was a difficult decision as so much effort had been expanded to make this a memorable conference, but we had to bow in front of the mounting and justified restrictions to fight off the spread of COVID-19, both in terms of travel and gatherings. While we will certainly miss the wonderful network opportunities that are dear to all who attend the in-person conference and the opportunity to interact spontaneously in research and education sessions, in roundtable discussions and other activities that we have come to cherish, we are actively engaged in exploring the possibility to deliver online activities that will benefit all our members. Our conference committee is investigating the elements of our conference that could be provided online, and shortly we will have more precise details on what we will be offering. I ask that you please keep the conference dates on your calendar open as most of these online activities will take place during those days that we had all originally set aside.

The 44^th Annual General Meeting of Members of the CAAA will take place online on Friday, June 5th (time to be announced later). I want to strongly encourage everyone to attend because, among other things, a nomination slate of new candidates for various positions as approved by the Board of Directors will be presented to the membership for a vote. Your participation to the meeting and in this vote will ensure the smooth continuity of our association.

Thank you to all who have devoted countless hours to investigate the ways we will continue to provide benefits to our membership, as we all stand united in the face of this crisis.

Michael Favere-Marchesi

President, Canadian Academic Accounting Association (2019-2020)

May 15, 2020

Dear Colleagues:

Our conference chairs and education chair have been hard at work in the last few weeks to bring you a virtual conference to take place June 4 and 5, as well as a preconference webinar on June 3. By now, you will have received an invitation to register for the conference. The registration fees have been waived for members this year thanks to the generous support of our sponsors. I want to encourage all of you to register and participate in all the activities we have planned for you. This will be a new experience for all of us, and, while we won’t be able to shake hands, we will still be a thriving community as we have always been.

I want to remind you to attend the 44^th annual general meeting taking place on Friday, June 5^th at noon (CST). The meeting will take place in lieu of our traditional lunch. We look forward to have all of you participate in the election process. At the end of this meeting, I will transition to being Past-President and Samuel Sponem will take over the presidency. I must say that being President during these challenging times has been quite an adventure but, surrounded by all our volunteers and staff, we have stayed the course with tenacity and purpose, and I am very proud and thankful for the devotion of everyone involved in making the CAAA an exemplary organization to which we should all be proud to belong.

Michael Favere-Marchesi

President, Canadian Academic Accounting Association (2019-2020)

Summer 2020

Dear CAAA Members,

It is a great privilege to serve you as President of the CAAA this year.

I did not have the chance to greet you in person at our virtual conference. However, I was able to measure its success; almost 400 people participated in the different sessions, more than at most of our usual conferences.

A Conference in a New Format

We offered a full professional development day and research program online, plus the craft of accounting research workshop. The format allowed for exchange and collaboration, which many of you have continued after the conference. In this period of physical distance, I am pleased that the CAAA can contribute to providing the collaborative spaces we still need so much.

I thank the conference co-chairs Devan Mescall and Ganesh Vaidyanathan, the education committee chair Hanen Khemakhem, and all members of this committee, and the CAAA staff, for the incredible work to make this happen. We will use the knowledge gained from these efforts in the years to come, as we look for better ways to serve our members.

A Lively Association

The events of the past few months should not eclipse this year’s work by the Board of Directors, in particular the renewal of our publishing agreement with Wiley for the journals Contemporary Accounting Research and Accounting Perspectives, and the renewal of our funding agreement with CPA Canada. We thank Michael Favere-Marchesi for guiding the association in a collegial manner, with intelligence and serenity, in an uncertain context.

Our two journals are a major asset. Among the achievements during the mandate of Pascale Lapointe-Antunes and Mike Welker, we note:

• The renewal of the mandate, the increase in the impact factor, and the promotion in ABDC rankings for Accounting Perspectives,
• A reduction in pending articles and a record number of submissions for Contemporary Accounting Research.

Welcome to Leslie Berger and Alan Webb, who have taken over as Editors in Chief of the journals. Leslie is particularly active in developing calls for submissions for special thematic issues of Accounting Perspectives (the first one on “Literature Reviews on Emerging Topics in Accounting Research”). Alan is preparing the CAR conference and doctoral consortium to be held in October. A record number of submissions was received.

The association wants to honour individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of the Canadian accounting profession or have made contributions to the development of accounting in practice, through professional associations, regulatory bodies, or in academia. It is for this purpose that Canada’s Accounting Hall of Fame (CAHF) was created. Thank you to Alister K. Mason, who has accepted the role of director. He was the first CAAA president from accounting practice, in 1981-1982. In addition to recognizing individual contributions, the CAHF will provide a biographical history that highlighs the importance of accounting in the development of Canadian society.

Despite recent events, the association is not threatened in the short term. However, we must ensure that its operating model is sustainable in the long term.

Our Five-Year Strategic Review

One of my key responsibilities this year will be our strategic review, which takes place every five years. The last one formalized key elements of our strategy, including:

-          the vision (excellence in accounting research and education),

-          the mission (developing a community that advances accounting knowledge in the public interest),

-          and the values of the association (collegiality, diversity, integrity, independence, relevance and innovation).

From this basis, our new reflections will be guided by three questions: How can we take care of our members and potential members?How can we help our members to take care of their students?How can we, individually, and collectively as an academic community, contribute responsibly to society?

Regarding the first question, the CAAA must recognize research and linguistic diversity, while developing a sense of community and interaction from coast to coast. In this time of uncertainty, we need each other. We must also continue our efforts to serve faculty with a particular focus on teaching. Alan Richardson noted almost 20 years ago the difficulties that the CAAA has always experienced in this area[1]. The current digital revolution, which is changing the training needs for accountants and the competency map of CPA Canada, as well as the services now offered by the association (Accounting Perspectives, the existence of a case bank, professional development days, publishers' webinars) make the association attractive for teaching-focused faculty, to whom we must make our activities better known. We will also have to ensure that with recent events, the economic and organizational model of our conferences is sustainable, since some now wonder about the sustainability of face-to-face conferences[2].

Our students are affected by this crisis too. Distance learning is a revolution for us and for them. It involves unprecedented risks regarding their mental health and their academic achievement. We must help them to deal with the current upheavals and support them to cope with the changes in the profession. In this regard, the education workshops on data analytics and mental health organized during the professional development day were particularly useful (both are available to CAAA members as video recordings here.

The opportunity to attend online allowed new colleagues to benefit from it. As for doctoral students in accounting (and professors just starting their careers), it is a difficult time. We must think about the services that we can especially provide them.

Finally, as academics in accounting and as an academic community, we must ask ourselves how we can contribute to society. We must help organizations to get through the current economic, social, and climate crises and conduct relevant research to help the profession navigate this difficult phase. These crises should also question our research objects and methods. What is accounting value? How do we account for social and environmental externalities? What are the sustainable models of organization? These are questions we should ask ourselves more often.

Working groups are being set up to reflect and consult on these issues, and propose measures to be implemented in the coming years. I will keep you informed over the next few months of our progress.

Here are the tasks that await us. The challenge is great, the uncertainties high, but I’m fortunate to work with a board of directors that is both competent and representative of the diversity of the members of the association. I hope I can count on you too. The CAAA is a member-based organization and I strongly encourage you to engage with and volunteer with CAAA.

Esteemed members, and colleagues, be assured of my commitment to the association during the coming year.

Samuel Sponem, HEC Montréal

CAAA President 2020-2021

October 2020

Dear CAAA Members,

The Fall usually brings many of us back to campus where new students and colleagues await us. This year is special. We have to do everything remotely. Unfortunately, most of us have not been able to get back to our offices and classrooms.

In these troubled times, the CAAA staff and board of directors are mobilized to continue to serve you in the best possible way.

After having organized a free virtual version of the CAAA conference in 2020, we are also offering all our members the opportunity to attend the conference of our journal Contemporary Accounting Research on November 5 and 6, 2020, free of charge. You have received an email to register and you can do so until October 16 (subject to availability). For the first time, in addition to the regular program, sessions to discuss papers from a practice perspective will be held with CPA Canada. I would like to thank Alan Webb, the editor in chief, and his co-editors, for providing us with an unprecedented program and allowing CAAA members to attend one of North America's most popular accounting conferences.

As you know, for the past few years, the Accounting Perspectives journal has issued several calls for papers. You have until January 31, 2021, to submit your articles for the Special Issue of Literature Reviews on Emerging Topics in Accounting Research (/journals-and-research/accounting-perspectives-ap/). Literature reviews are important for our master's and doctoral students. They help to structure knowledge in our research fields, and are a good way for scholars to publish a relevant and often well-cited piece. I therefore invite you to submit articles. Stay tuned; more calls are being prepared for the next few months.

Finally, as I told you in my first letter, the Board of Directors is involved in our five-year strategic review. In connection with the 3 questions raised in my previous message (How can we take care of our members and potential members?  How can we help our members to take care of their students? How can we, individually, and collectively as an academic community, contribute responsibly to society?), four working groups were formed. They deal with 1/ the future of conferences; 2/ career support and development for junior scholars and students; 3/ CAAA offerings for education-oriented members; and 4/ research diversity and inclusivity. Consultations with some members have already been carried out. Work and consultations on these topics will continue in the coming weeks in order to formalize our strategic plan in 2021.

CAAA relies on the involvement of its members: your participation in our committees, working groups, Board, and conferences. Our membership fees are fundamental to offering these services, our journals, video workshops, and classroom-ready teaching notes. We regularly solicit nominations for positions on the Board, committees, and for recipients of the CAAA Awards; the deadline for these is in February 2021. You also have until November 13 to nominate peers to the Canadian Accounting Hall of Fame or participate in the Board of Electors (/fr/trcc/le-temple-de-la-renomm%C3%A9e-comptable-du-canada/). Self-nominations are encouraged in some instances - click the link above to find out more.

If you have any questions or remarks, please do not hesitate to contact me (samuel.sponem@hec.ca).

I wish you an excellent end of the fall session.

Samuel Sponem, HEC Montréal
CAAA President 2020-2021

Welcome!

It is January already bringing the start of a new year as well as a new teaching semester. I hope that 2018 was a good year for you, and best wishes for everyone in 2019.

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Amber Goldie will be the new Executive Director for the CAAA. Amber ably stepped into the breach when our previous Executive Director, Mary Henricksen, left the CAAA in November 2017 to pursue other interests. Amber did an outstanding job in the past year as Interim Executive Director leading to the decision to appoint her as the new Executive Director. I am excited by the opportunity to continue working with Amber in the new year.

 The Contemporary Accounting Research (CAR) conference was held in Banff in October. The Doctoral/Junior Faculty Consortium preceded the conference. The conference was fully subscribed again. Participants were very happy with the consortium and conference content as well as the opportunity to interact with colleagues. My thanks to the conference selection committee, consisting of Editor-in-Chief Mike Welker, Jeffrey Pittman, and Khim Kelly, for creating an outstanding program for the consortium and conference. The 2019 CAR conference will take place in Ottawa on October 25 & 26. The deadline to submit papers for the conference is April 5. I encourage you to submit your working papers to the conference.

 I am happy to announce that the Board of Directors approved the creation of the Canadian Accounting Hall of Fame (CAHF) at our November meeting. The CAHF will recognize and honour individuals who made significant contributions to the development of the Canadian accounting profession or, as Canadians, made contributions to the development of accounting elsewhere in the world. The Board is setting up a search committee to select the initial Director of the CAHF.

 This year will be an important year for our journals. Search committees have been set up to identify the next Editor-in-Chiefs for Accounting Perspectives (AP) and Contemporary Accounting Research (CAR) as the terms of our current editors, Pascale Lapointe-Antunes (AP) and Mike Welker (CAR), end in 2020. The current agreement with the publisher of our journals extends through 2019. The CAAA issued a Request for Proposals to companies who may wish to publish and distribute AP and CAR. We received a number of proposals and we are in the process of evaluating them.

 Our conference co-chairs, Camilo Lento and Naqi Sayed, and CAAA staff are planning for the 2019 CAAA Conference. The conference will take place at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel on May 31 and June 1, preceded by a Professional Development Day on May 30. Information will be updated regularly on the conference webpage. There is still time to submit papers for both research and education sessions; the deadline is January 18. I encourage members of the Association to take an active role in the conference as a reviewer, discussant or moderator (contact Naqi). I look forward to seeing you at the conference.

Duane Kennedy

CAAA President

Greetings!

Welcome!

As I started my term as President of our amazing association during the last annual conference in Ottawa, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful members from all parts of Canada and many international delegates as well. Our organization is vibrant, as witnessed by the enthusiasm of those in attendance. It was an honour for me to begin my term in our capital city and I want to thank all who were active contributors and participants, and made this conference a huge success.

We had amazing keynote speakers. On Friday, Russell Golden, Chair of the U.S. FASB, delivered an amazing address, and on Saturday, Professor Mark DeFond of Leventhal School of Accounting at University of Southern California and former Senior Editor of The Accounting Review shared with us his remarkable insights into audit quality. Prior to the conference, we had a wonderful PD Day with our Craft of Accounting Research workshop, a full-day Accounting Perspectives workshop, and several educational workshops. Current topics reflecting the profound transformation taking place in the accounting world were discussed, such as distributed ledger technology, blockchain accounting, and Big Data. Our mix of concurrent research and education sessions appealed to a broad range of delegates. Many of the education sessions and panel discussions were focused on disruptive technologies and how to bring into the classroom these technologies to help better prepare all our graduates for a future that is fast becoming very different from the one that most of us have known. For example, a panel discussion that drew a lot of attention focused on how technological innovation is reshaping auditing practice and education, and benefited from the participation of Ken Charbonneau, Chair of the Canadian Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, Carol Paradine, CEO of the Canadian Public Accountability Board, and Linda Mezon, Chair of the Canadian Accounting Standards Board.  I also want to thank all of those who so generously supported the conference and gave of their time to make the whole event successful. Of course, a big thank you from all the membership goes to the conference co-organizers, Naqi Sayed and Camillo Lento. Last, but not least, I want to acknowledge the astonishing work of our executive director, Amber Goldie, and our wonderful staff, whose tireless efforts make it seem like a breeze year after year.

On other news, we have two new Editors-in-Chief for the association journals. Alan Webb will become Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Accounting Research on May 1, 2020, taking over from Mike Welker, and Leslie Berger will become Editor-in-Chief of Accounting Perspectives on June 1, 2020, taking over from Pascale Lapointe-Antunes.

As I mentioned in my address in Ottawa, high on my agenda is to increase our membership by ensuring that we provide as much value as possible to the diverse range of accounting faculty in Canada. We are starting a dialogue with colleagues in various institutions that are teaching-focused in order to be more inclusive in all the activities provided by the Association. Additionally, we are striving to increase the international visibility of our Association. We have developed a collaboration agreement with the European Accounting Association that will benefit our student membership. I would like to continue exploring avenues that will increase our level of international engagement.

In the immediate future, we are sponsoring the Qualitative Accounting Research symposium at the end of November, for which you will have seen the call for papers in last week’s email. We are making plans for our 2020 annual conference in Saskatoon: the call for papers is on our website and submissions will open in October. I encourage all of you to attend. The venue is amazing and the conference co-organizers, Devan Mescall and Ganesh Vaidyanathan, are working hard to make it an outstanding conference. We also have the honour to host the 3^rd Yuji Ijiri lecture, previously hosted by the Japanese Accounting Association and the American Accounting Association, which will be delivered by Professor Paul Fischer of the University of Pennsylvania.

I encourage all of you to volunteer to help out for the conference or in any other capacity with the Association. This is your Association and your engagement is what will keep it vibrant and growing. I am honoured that you have entrusted me to lead it. I wish you all a successful start of Fall.

Michael Favere-Marchesi

CAAA President

Greetings!

I would like to report on a very successful 34^th annual CAR conference that took place in Ottawa on October 25 and 26, preceded by the Doctoral/Junior Faculty Consortium on October 24.  Approximately, 140 Canadian and international delegates attended the conference. I want to thank and congratulate Michael Welker, the current CAR editor-in-chief, Alan Webb, the incoming CAR editor-in-chief, and all who helped make this conference a continued success. Special thanks to Carina Hackett, Judith Russell, and Amber Goldie who provided invaluable staff support.

By now, CAAA members will have received an e-mail from the Association encouraging you to renew your membership. Remember this is your Association and your financial support through membership fees is essential to sustaining our programs and benefits. The Association also relies heavily on your participation. Consider volunteering to serve on its various committees. Soon we will solicit nominations to serve on the Board of Directors and for award recipients. Consider nominating a colleague for a board position or to receive one of our four awards. Self-nominations are also welcome.

Our next annual conference will take place in Saskatoon on June 4 to 6, 2020. Our conference co-chairs, Ganesh Vaidyanathan and Devan Mescall, as well as our education chair, Hanen Khemakhem, have been hard at work to put together a spectacular program. The theme of the conference will be Risky Business: Accounting in Times of Uncertainty. Submissions will soon open for both education and research, and the submission deadline will be January 17, 2020.

Finally, I am pleased to announce that we have concluding a collaboration agreement with the European Accounting Association. The first phase of this agreement will take place next year with the exchange of distinguished speakers at our respective doctoral events, as well as the exchange of selected doctoral students to attend each other’s conferences.

I wish you all a great remaining fall semester and will have further announcements after the new year.

Michael Favere-Marchesi

President, Canadian Academic Accounting Association (2019-2020)

It is September already and the Fall academic term is beginning. I hope that everyone had a great summer. The Fall term brings most of us back to campus where we will be greeted by new students and new and familiar colleagues. 

It is a privilege to serve as CAAA President for the next year. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with many of you at the CAAA conference in Calgary. It was a great opportunity to renew old friendships and form new friendships. The conference went well with over 100 participants in the various sessions in the Professional Development Day on Thursday and over 300 attendees in the sessions on Friday and Saturday. We were fortunate to have two outstanding keynote speakers at the conference. James Ohlson (Hong Kong Polytechnic University) spoke at the opening plenary session on Friday morning. Stephen Zeff (Rice University) spoke at the President’s Lunch on Saturday. Presentation materials from many of the education sessions are available on the conference website. My thanks to the CAAA office team of Vittoria Fortunato, Amber Goldie, Carina Hackett, and Louise Laroche for their outstanding assistance in making the conference a success.

The 33^rdannual Contemporary Accounting Research (CAR) conference will be held on October 26 and 27 in Banff. The conference will be preceded by the Doctoral/Junior Faculty Consortium on Thursday. Both events are sold out. The conference selection committee, consisting of Editor-in-Chief Mike Welker (Queen’s University), Jeffrey Pittman (Memorial University) and Khim Kelly (University of Central Florida), have put together an outstanding program for the conference.  

Planning is underway for the 2019 Annual CAAA Conference in Ottawa. I extend a warm welcome to everyone to attend the conference, at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel, on May 31 and June 1, 2019. As always, the Professional Development Day will occur on the Thursday prior to the conference (May 30). This is a beautiful time of year in Ottawa. The conference call for papers is now on the CAAA website here, and  further information about the conference is being updated regularly on this webpage.

I will conclude by noting that the CAAA is a member-based organization. The success of the CAAA is dependent on the support of our members. I encourage all members to be engaged with the Association through a variety of means such as serving on committees, reviewing papers for our journals or conferences, or serving as a discussant or moderator at the conferences. 

I wish you a successful Fall term.

 It is October and we are more than half way through the Fall semester already. I hope that the semester is going well for everyone.

 It is a busy time of year for your Association. The new Board of Directors held their first meeting on September 22 with the next meeting in mid-November. I am excited by the opportunity to work with these people during the next year. I am happy to announce that we reached agreement with CPA Canada to extend our current funding arrangement for a year. CPA Canada is a valuable partner to the CAAA and an active participant in many Association activities. We greatly appreciate the funding that they provide.

 The Board is in the process of setting up search committees to identify the next Editors-in-Chief for Accounting Perspectives (AP) and Contemporary Accounting Research (CAR). The goal is to appoint the next Editors-in-Chief by the AGM so that they have the opportunity to work in the following year with our current editors, Pascale Lapointe-Antunes (AP) and Mike Welker (CAR), to ensure a smooth transition between editors.

 The current agreement with the publisher of our journals extends through 2019. The Association issued a Request for Proposals inviting publishers to submit proposals for the opportunity to publish and distribute AP and CAR. A number of publishers have expressed interest in submitting proposals.

 The 33^rd annual Contemporary Accounting Research (CAR) conference will be held on October 26 and 27 in Banff. The conference will be preceded by the Doctoral/Junior Faculty Consortium on Thursday. The conference selection committee, consisting of Editor-in-Chief Mike Welker (Queen’s University), Jeffrey Pittman (Memorial University) and Khim Kelly (University of Central Florida), created an outstanding program for the conference. 

 Meanwhile, the conference co-chairs and our CAAA staff are busy planning for the 2019 CAAA Conference in Ottawa. The conference takes place at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel on May 31 and June 1, 2019 with the Professional Development Day on May 30. The call for papers is posted on the CAAA website and further information about the conference is also available on the website. I encourage all members of the Association to attend the conference.

 I hope that the remainder of your Fall term is successful.

Diversity and community are essential threads of our national fabric.  In the wake of the horrific events in Quebec and their aftermath, these two parts of our shared identity can be shaken and less than secure.  Many of us have been motivated more than ever to reach out to family, friends, colleagues and strangers to reinforce our belief in their essential nature and affirm our unity.  It is easy to say, ‘what can we do?’ but most of us react otherwise.

 As academics, we have a vast array of opportunities to foster diversity and community on our own campuses, in our research networks, and in our community.  Many of us are involved in our home towns or cities, whether it be sitting on a neighbourhood committee, working with a charity, or coaching a sports team. We all have opened our doors to assist international students and faculty from around the globe to settle and find their bearings in their new home. We help out in any number of small and seemingly insignificant ways that demonstrate our commitment to creating a welcoming community.

 At the CAAA, we are also a community with diversity in terms of membership, research and teaching interests, our time and talents.  As your current president, I have had the opportunity to meet many of you over the last several months.  These chats have left me frequently humbled when I learn of the activities and contributions of our members on so many fronts – most of them done with little fanfare or expectation of recognition.  We all know these colleagues who always seem to be too busy yet willing to take on another task, another committee, another manuscript review – colleagues who make us simply tired just by listening to their agenda.

I will be the first to admit that ‘saying no’ is not my strong suit.  While not recommending or urging this attitude, as we look to this year’s CAAA conference in Montreal, I would ask that you take advantage of opportunities within the CAAA to be part of your academic community.  Accept to sit on one of our committees, represent us as your campus liaison, act as a chair or discussant at one of the conference sessions.  We all don’t have time all of the time, but perhaps we can have time some of the time!

 We have made great strides this year in fostering our networks and establishing new collaborations to enrich our programmes and activities. Our upcoming conference and its theme of ‘Fearless Disruption’ will showcase some of them.  Do be in touch with me or our president-elect Khalid Nainar to provide your input on how we can make the CAAA a vital part of your academic community. You also can keep up to date and contact the CAAA here on our website, and engage with us via Twitter

Cheryl S. M^cWatters

President

Message from the Outgoing President

Walking on campus in May, signs of spring are everywhere. In my case, final grades submitted, committees having those end-of-term meetings, and plans developing for a busy and productive summer. In Ottawa, we are awaiting tulips and tourists as we celebrate in full force Canada’s sesquicentennial. We are also dealing with the impact of climate change; its effects felt by many colleagues and friends due to flooding in Ottawa-Gatineau, Greater Montreal, la Mauricie, as well as extreme weather in many other parts of the country. As always, we have come together to help – on our campus, for example, our being quickly mobilised to provide assistance, share accommodation, and simply working from home to free up roadways for emergency workers and our armed forces. We have all been touched when learning of those who have lost everything in the last short while. In the midst of this gloom, we also have had stories that remind us of our sense of community and the small miracles that alleviate the sense of helplessness.

Last week, we met at our annual general meeting and conference in Montreal. My term as CAAA president has come to an end and the baton has been passed to the capable hands of Khalid Nainar. As president, I have had the great privilege to represent you and to learn and appreciate the sheer diversity of the activities and interests that link us as a community of scholars. I know that Khalid can count on all of our support in his leadership role as together we continue to build our teaching and research community. Our conference convenor, Richard Fontaine, our CAAA staff and many of our members, volunteers and stakeholders worked tirelessly to challenge us to embrace ‘Fearless Disruption’! I very much enjoyed greeting you all there.

While I finish my presidential term with some disappointment of projects and plans left as work-in-process -- it seems that one never accomplishes all that one believes possible or do-able --, I wish to thank the CAAA Board, our staff and all of you for your support over the past year. We have worked to develop and refine an actionable strategic plan to make the CAAA an essential part of your academic landscape. Do be in touch with me or with our new president Khalid Nainar to offer your ideas and insights into how the CAAA can best serve and support you. You can always keep up to date and contact the CAAA here on our website and follow us on Twitter.

Dear Colleagues:

Greetings, and I hope you are all having a great start to this academic year.

It is a great privilege to be your CAAA President for this year. As I noted in my remarks at the Montreal CAAA meeting this past June, the association is continuing the work started by the recent Presidents Gaa, Richardson, Bujaki and McWatters, with splendid assistance and support from the CAAA office team of Mary Henricksen, Louise Laroche, Carina Hackett, Vittoria Fortunato, and Amber Goldie.

The Strat Plan passed last year is now being implemented and we should all see its positive results in the coming years. The CAAA Board had its first meeting for the year last month, on September 23^rd. Some notable things that came up at the Board meeting:

(1) Efforts are underway towards a balanced budget to break away from the recent experience of deficits,

(2) To broaden and deepen the engagement of CAAA with its membership across the country, two regional events are being planned for this year,

(3) Hopefully, you all have experienced the revamped and energized CAAA website,

(4) A taskforce is being formed to enable accounting academics to function as public intellectuals. Two areas were identified in my remarks at the 2017 Montreal meetings: Pensions and Bank Capital. The taskforce will in all likelihood broaden its mandate beyond these two identified areas in the coming months. More details to come as the taskforce begins its work.

The 32^nd Contemporary Accounting Research (CAR) conference is coming up on October 27^th and 28^th in Quebec City along with a Doctoral Consortium. Both events are fully sold out and I am sure they will be as successful under the able direction of Professor Mike Welker, CAR’s Editor-in- Chief, and the CAAA office team as in recent years. These events have become quite notable in the academic community and are a great testament to the wisdom of founding of CAR as a journal and the great work of its past editors, beginning from the founding editor, Professor Haim Falk (McMaster University), with the able and sustained support of the editorial board members and the CAAA secretariat.

Looking more to the longer-term in this year, I extend a warm welcome to each of you to the CAAA 2018 meetings in Calgary on June 15 and 16, 2018, with the theme of Accounting and the Public Trust under the conference chairmanship of Professor Mark Anderson (University of Calgary). It is worth noting that the Rockies are a great place to be in June, and the CAAA team has some additional events planned to take advantage of such a first-class location. For our international colleagues, if there was ever a time to visit Canada, this is it!

Finally, I should note the CAAA is a member-based organization and I strongly encourage each and every one of you to engage with and volunteer with CAAA, particularly my junior colleagues. Personally, my academic years have been greatly enriched by my CAAA association, be it applying for research grants, annual conferences, or networking, meeting colleagues across the country, giving me a better sense of the academic community beyond my university campus.

I wish you all a productive Fall term!

Khalid

S.M. Khalid Nainar, McMaster University

President / President, CAAA  2017-18

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

Hope you all had a productive Fall semester and the grading of the exams are all behind you. Since the last communication, the association had some notable things that are worth reporting and a brief summary is outlined below.

First, I must announce with a sense of loss that our capable and very personable Executive Director for the past few years, Mary Henricksen, resigned from her position and has moved on to other pursuits. It came as a surprise to many of us. Her last day was November 30, 2017. Mary has accomplished many things in her years with the Association and her positive presence will be missed. The Board and Executive are pleased that we have found an able successor to Mary: Amber Goldie, a familiar face to many of you, will be taking over as Interim Executive Director as we move the CAAA forward over the coming year.

Second, as has been the case in past years, this year’s CAR conference in Quebec City was a grand success under the able leadership of Mike Welker, Khim Kelly, and Jeff Pittman, underlined by the meticulous organization of Carina Hackett.

Third, the Board met on November 18, 2017, with two notable things on the Agenda. One, on the basis of a proposal from colleagues of Professor Yuji Ijiri of Carnegie Mellon University, the Board adopted a motion to accept a rotating memorial lecture series in Professor Ijiri’s honour at the annual CAAA conference. The Board volunteered the dates as the Ottawa 2019 meetings or more likely, the 2020 Vancouver (the Asian Gateway) conference. The MOU is being drafted and will be consulted with other sister associations (AAA, EAA and like). Two, the Board also passed a motion on further transparency of Board proceedings. It was adopted that the Board meeting summaries will be available from 2018 onwards. Further, a 5 year lookback and future AGM meeting minutes will be posted on members only section of the association website.

Wish you all a Merry Christmas and a joyous holiday season. If you are travelling, safe travels!

 S.M. Khalid Nainar

President, CAAA (2017-18)

Dear Colleagues:

It is hard to believe that a year has gone by! It looks like it was only yesterday we were all at the Montreal meetings last year when I assumed the presidency of the association. As I looked forward to a rather uneventful year hopefully to be marked by some outreach and funding initiatives, fate had other things in store.

The year from my perspective appears framed by two very important issues: (1) Budgetary problems and (2) Mary Henricksen’s resignation. Let me address them one by one.

Budgetary issues

As you might have surmised from the financial statements, the association has been running deficits for the past few years that are not sustainable! At the late September 2017 Board meeting, when Mary presented the deficit budget for this year, it was not accepted as the sentiment at the Board was to wrestle the deficit down and to have paths identified for a balanced budget. The Board asked Mary to return to the Board by the next meeting with more budget clarity. Thereafter, in late October after the conclusion of a successful CAR conference in Quebec City, Mary resigned in a career move to return to the entertainment industry from where she came. The exec committee with the stellar help from our Treasurer Umar and the CAAA secretariat team of Amber, Vittoria, Carina and Louise worked to keep the deficit down materially from the September 2017 iteration and strove to identify pathways to budgetary balance. I must thank my executive colleagues Cheryl and Duane for their dedication and graciousness to this rather arduous task. The outcome of all these efforts is in the financials that have been presented for your approval.

Mary Henricksen Departure

As noted above, Mary decided to return to her roots in the entertainment industry. Her departure was a shock to the administrative structure of the association. I am profoundly grateful to my executive committee colleagues, Cheryl for her invaluable counsel and adept judgement and Duane for his sage advice and graciously easing into some administrative roles in my absence when I was away overseas on research visits. Duane and I held weekly meetings with the CAAA secretariat team till we arrived at a solution to Mary’s departure. Thankfully, Amber stepped up into the Interim Executive Director role and adroitly managed the day-to-day situation. We all (Exec Committee and CAAA Secretariat) have worked to keep the affairs of association to a steady hum and provide uninterrupted service to you all, the membership. Given the apparent lack of any complaints to my knowledge, I think we all owe a big thank you to Cheryl and Duane and the CAAA Secretariat team of Amber, Vittoria, Louise and Carina.

I salute Cheryl our outgoing Past President for her invaluable guidance and service to the association. I wish Duane our incoming President all the best for already showing his capable and deft handling of admin tasks facing the association. As the association looks forward to the renewal of the CPA funding agreement and the regularization of the Executive Director role, we can all be assured that the association is in capable hands. I thank Mark and Raj for having put together an outstanding program and for being gracious hosts displaying outstanding Albertan hospitality. Further, I thank the outgoing board members: Brenda Collings, Cheryl McWatters, Penny Parker, Mark Anderson, Anne Fortin, Morley Lemon, & Raj Mashruwala, our 2018 conference co-chair, for their valuable counsel and service to the association.

I wish the very best to our incoming board members,

• Ganesh Vaidyanathan, Annual Conference Chair
• Jenny Zhang, Member at Large
• Michel Magnan, Member at Large
• Kiridaran (Giri) Kanagaretnam, Research Chair
• Hanen Khemakhem, Education Chair

and our Non-Board committee chairs

• Merridee Bujaki, George Baxter Committee Chair
• Partha Mohanram, Haim Falk Committee Chair
• Devan Mescall, L.S. Rosen Committee Chair & CAAA Conference Co-chair

as they step up to guide the association to even greater heights.

Finally, I recognize our continuing board members: Michael Favere-Marchesi (President- elect), Stephanie Ibach (Secretary), Duane Kennedy (President), Kim Trottier (Membership), Mike Welker (EIC, CAR), Pascale Lapointe Antunes (EIC, AP), Umar Saeed (Treasurer), Naqi Sayed (2019 Conference Co-Chair), and Sandy Hilton (Member at Large), for their work maintaining and sharing their institutional understanding and leadership of the CAAA with our incoming members.

As for me, I will step back into the Past-President role and try to salvage whatever I had hoped to do in my Presidential year!

Thank you / Merci Beaucoup !

Khalid Nainar

While the summer is a time for renewal and relaxation, it is also a busy time for us at the CAAA as we transition to a new executive and focus on the upcoming year.  Our annual conference in St. John’s proved to be a great success and provided me with a wonderful opportunity to meet many of you who made the trek to the Atlantic Coast.  For those of you who were not able to be with us, this note offers a brief update of decisions taken at our recent Annual General Meeting and Board Meeting, along with outlining some plans for the upcoming year. 

Strategic Plan and Governance Review:

The development of our strategic plan will remain my key priority for the upcoming months, building on the work which Merridee Bujaki (Past President, Carleton University) led during her presidency.  After a very engaging strategic retreat held at the end of April, which included both incoming and the then current members of the Board, we are now working on the detailed plan to guide our programming and activities for the next five years.  A strong strategic document will enable us to move forward with a number of key initiatives to make the CAAA vibrant and of value to our members and stakeholders.

I am also happy to announce that Merridee has agreed to chair an ad hoc committee to undertake a complete governance review of the CAAA.  This initiative is critical as we refine our strategic plan, CAAA vision and mission.  We want all of these pieces to mesh and work together, thus it is important to have this review dovetail with our strategic planning process.

CAR Editor-in-Chief:

We are also very pleased to have our new editor-in-chief of CAR, Professor Mike Welker of Queen’s University in place for 2017 to take over the reins from Professor Pat O’Brien of the University of Waterloo.  CAR remains our flagship and its reputation and success are key to our ability to be the viable organization that we are and wish to remain.

Accounting Perspectives Editor-in-Chief:

We also are very happy to announce that we will be formally approving at our next CAAA Board Meeting the appointment of our new editor-in-chief of Accounting Perspectives, Professor Pascale Lapointe-Antunes of Brock University who will succeed Professor Claude Laurin of HEC.  Claude has worked tremendously to move Accounting Perspectives forward as a vehicle for our varied stakeholders, particularly to bridge the research-teaching gap.

CAAA Staff:

The professionalism of our staff enables us to deliver on our engagement to you to provide programmes and services effectively, responsively, and efficiently.  For many of us, our staff is the true face of the CAAA and our on-going link to the Association over the years.  I have received much support and assistance from our Executive Director, Mary Henricksen, Louise Laroche, Carina Hackett and Vittoria Fortunato and Amber Goldie who has recently joined us to build and maintain our web and social media presence.  Do take time to visit our website to match faces and names with roles and responsibilities.

Web Presence and Social Media:

The CAAA has dedicated major resources to the development of our new website, www.caaa.ca, which we hope will become a go-to destination for our members in search of information about the CAAA, research programmes, and teaching opportunities.  We are working diligently on this project which has consumed more time and energy than we had anticipated, particularly dealing with legacy systems and data retention.  An immediate priority is the completion of the French-language website to provide these resources in both official languages and to demonstrate our commitment to bilingualism in our service offerings.

Member Outreach:

The CAAA relies on its engaged membership.  Do be in touch if you are interested in a greater level of involvement with the CAAA and opportunities to contribute to shaping the future of the Association. I plan to continue the ‘road trip’ begun last year to meet as many of our current and potential CAAA members and to learn from you on your campus what you expect from the CAAA and how we can best serve your interests and preferences.  Let me know if you have time for a chat or if a visit to your campus might be welcome.  While I cannot visit every campus, there often are ways to combine such visits with other meetings and conferences.

Click here to email me

In the interim, I hope that you have time for rest and relaxation during the summer days ahead.

Cheryl S. M^cWatters

President

Cheryl S. M^cWatters

President