On December 5, 2019, the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) and the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of British Columbia (AFOA BC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation (MOUC) to work together to strengthen First Nations program and service delivery through the enhancement of financial and management skills within Indigenous communities.
Right, Geoff Dodds, CPA, CA, First Vice Chair of CPABC and Left, Carol Reimer, Vice President of AFOA BC
Both CPABC and AFOA BC believe that the key to building First Nations governance capacity and creating a better life for Canada’s First Nations’ peoples lies in developing capacity in financial management and government administration, as well as, in improving the skills of those responsible for the stewardship and management of First Nations resources.
To facilitate creating greater capacity, both organizations will support and promote the attainment of Certified Aboriginal Financial Management designation, other First Nations certifications and designations, and/or the CPA designation. They will also work towards better identifying the number of Indigenous professionals currently working in the financial and accounting sector.
“Part of our core mandate is to enhance the accessibility of the profession and serve all of society, including Indigenous peoples. We look forward to working with AFOA BC to enhance First Nations financial and management skills, which will ultimately strengthen First Nations program and service delivery. This agreement is an important milestone in strengthening CPABC’s partnership with AFOA BC,” said Lori Mathison, FCPA, FCGA, LLB, President and CEO of CPABC
“Support from Indigenous institutions is a critical component of self-determination for Indigenous peoples. Given the current agendas of both the federal and provincial governments, this is an important time for Indigenous institutional development to support what First Nations communities have been working to reclaim for generations. AFOA BC is pleased to be entering into this Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation with CPABC and commits to continuing to deliver capacity support based on the needs of communities, as we have done for more than 20 years,” said Carol Reimer, Vice President of AFOA BC.
