Continuing Professional Development Policy

All members of CGI of Canada are encouraged to partake in professional development and must maintain their annual membership in good standing to access their CGI of Canada certifications. In addition, members holding chartered certifications (ACIS/FCIS) are governed by the following policy to ensure ongoing professional development and growth. 

Continuing professional development (CPD) is the maintenance, enhancement and continuous improvement of knowledge, skills and abilities. Undertaking CPD allows you to keep your knowledge and business skills up to date, develop your personal skills, support professional growth and may further your career. The focus of CPD is firmly on results – the benefits that professional development can bring you in the real world. Mandatory CPD is a commitment to the public to ensure the highest standards in the profession.

Effective January 1, 2012 all Associates and Fellows of the Institute, except those who have retired, are required to undertake a minimum of twenty (20) hours of continuing professional development annually in order to remain members in good standing. This activity must consist of at least five (5) hours of structured activities; the balance may be unstructured activities.

Effective as of the 2013 renewals, members are now asked to make an annual declaration that they have met the minimum number of CPD hours required as part of the renewal process. The policy is below.

What do I need to record/keep track of?

It is good practice to maintain records of your personal continuing professional development efforts. You will only need to demonstrate your activities if you are selected at random audit, where we will work with you to determine if the policy criteria has been met:

• What type of CPD the activity falls into (structured or unstructured)
• The name of the course or event, if applicable
• What the activity involved
• The date/s you completed the activity
• How many hours you spent on the activity
• Your feedback/thoughts on the activity – what you learned and how this has helped you/will help you

CPD Audit Trail Form - You may download this excel format form to keep track of the CPD you complete throughout the year.

Policy:

All Associates and Fellows of the CGI of Canada, other than those who are retired, must undertake and certify a minimum of twenty (20) hours of qualifying continuing professional development activity annually, and must be able to substantiate such activity in the event of a verification process. All Associates and Fellows are responsible for developing and maintaining their professional competence including the knowledge, skills, ethics, attitudes and values relevant to them within their professional environment. This requirement is designed to sustain professional competence and enhance the commitment of CGI members to lifelong learning. It reinforces the credibility of the CGI's designation, both nationally and internationally, and maintains public trust.

Procedure: 

All Associates and Fellows of the CGI of Canada, except those who have retired, are required to undertake a minimum of twenty (20) hours of continuing professional development annually in order to remain members in good standing. This activity must consist of at least five (5) hours of structured activities; the balance may be unstructured activities.

All Associates and Fellows are required to track their activities annually, as well as complete the annual declaration acknowledging whether or not they have met their obligations to maintain the knowledge and skills necessary to perform their professional work competently.

Exemptions:
Retired and honorary CGI of Canada members are exempt from the program. Exemption from the continuing professional development requirements may be granted to CGI of Canada members who have extenuating circumstances (such as continuing ill health). Exemption may also be granted for other reasons that the CGI of Canada may feel appropriate (such as CGI of Canada members on parental and family leave who are entitled to a lifetime exemption of two years).

Structured Activities:
Include, but are not limited to:

• attendance at seminars, workshops, symposia, conferences, webinars (including pre-recorded) or other events presented by the Institute or by professional groups or with the profession;
• participation in such events as a speaker, presenter or facilitator; writing an article for CGI of Canada's magazine or for another periodical or website, where the topic of such article relates to the profession;
• writing educational materials for courses run by the Institute or for another professional body related to corporate governance, or another educational body in a matter related to governance;
• conducting scholarly research on topics related to the profession; 
• attending group-learning activities, e.g., seminars, in-house formal training, non-credit courses, post-secondary courses or special interest study groups;
• teaching or presenting seminars, in-house training, post-secondary courses and non-credit courses;
• tutoring or marking assignments for post-secondary credit courses or distance-education courses;
• participating in technology-assisted activities that provide a certificate of completion or an assessment process, e.g., an online course or webcast;
• Authoring, critiquing or reviewing an article, book or course that is published by a third party; and,
• Developing a seminar or course presented to a third party.

Unstructured Activities:
Unstructured activities include, but are not limited to:

• reading the CGI of Canada's magazine;
• reading articles in other periodicals related to the profession;
• serving on Boards of Directors or Committees of the Institute or other organizations (both for-profit and not-for-profit);
• researching relevant professional material on the Internet;
• independent study using published learning materials (e.g., study manuals, video or course CD without an assessment process), and other forms of self-directed learning such as technical reading or self-study of published materials; and,
• undertaking non-remunerative responsibilities as an officer or committee member of a professional or not-for-profit organization that result in learning new skills.

Process:
With each renewal notice, the member will be asked to make a declaration that they have met the minimum number of CPD hours required.

Members will be required to maintain records of their qualifying activity. They should record the following information:

• What type of CPD the activity falls into (structured or unstructured)
• The name of the course or event, if applicable
• What the activity involved
• The date/s you completed the activity
• How many hours you spent on the activity
• Your feedback/thoughts on the activity – what you learned and how this has helped you/will help you.

Non-compliance: 
Any Associate and Fellow who fails to complete the annual declaration will not be in compliance with the rules of the CGI of Canada, after sending of notice, be suspended from membership by the board of directors, and/or face disciplinary action.

If a non-exempt member fails to declare the required minimum of 20 verifiable hours in a calendar year, they are required to submit a plan for making up the shortfall. Based on receipt and approval of an appropriate action plan to remedy the shortfall, the Institute may allow an extension period of up to one year.

If the Associate or Fellow does not submit a plan within the required time, the extension will not be granted. The Associate or Fellow will then not be in compliance with the policies of the CGI of Canada and may after sending of notice, be suspended from membership by the board of directors, and/or face disciplinary action. Following the extension period, if the Associate or Fellow is still found to have accumulated fewer than the required number of hours, the individual will not be in compliance with the rules of the CGI of Caanda and may, after sending of notice, be suspended from membership by the board of directors, and/or face disciplinary action.

Verification:
The Board or a Committee thereof may perform periodic random verifications of members’ continuing professional development activities.

The Board will determine the timing of any verification, and the number of members to be reviewed at that time. Members being audited will be selected at random.

Selected members will receive a notice advising them of the verification. They will be requested to provide photocopies of supporting materials for a given year or range of years, and will have a deadline by which they must comply. Materials submitted will not be returned.

Submissions will be assessed by a Committee. Where the Committee deems that the activity or supporting documentation does not meet standards, the member may be requested to attend continuing professional development events and will results in a notice being placed in the member’s file that s/he is a member not in good standing, and such information may be communicated to individuals inquiring about the member. Such communication will be in the format “This is to certify that _____________ is a member of the Institute holding the qualification ACIS/FCIS, but that s/he has not maintained required professional development activity.”

Qualifying Activities: 
Notwithstanding the definitions given above, the CGI of Canada recognizes continuing professional development activities undertaken by practicing lawyers and accountants to maintain their status within those professions as being acceptable to the CGI of Canada.

The CGI of Canada recognizes activities presented by any international, national, provincial or territorial association provided that such activities:

1. Deal with governance or corporate secretaryship, or with implications for governance or corporate secretaryship; and
2. Are presented at a level of competence commensurate with the member’s knowledge and professional designation.

For information about the standard, the credit granting policy or your personal CPD situation, contact the CGI of Canada.