Canada isn't just a country you can fall in love with because of its natural beauty, cold winters and cosmopolitan cities, it is also a great country to find work as a CPA.
With the signing in April 2008 of agreements with the two leading accounting bodies in Canada, the Certified General Accountants Association and Certified Management Accountants Canada, CPAs now have increased recognition when it comes to getting a job in Canada.
Canada, the second largest and most sparsely populated country in the world, is largely known for its winter sports, mounted police, moose and vast wilderness. But, it is also home to major cities and financial centres.
Toronto, at just over 2.5 million, is Canada's most populous city, followed by Montreal at about 1.6 million. Vancouver, Ottawa (Canadas capital), Calgary and Quebec are also large cities.
Most Canadians speak English, but about one-quarter speak French as their primary language.
For a graduate accountant or CPA, your best bet for finding employment, but definitely not your only option, is Toronto.
Bay Street in Toronto is Canada's major financial centre. Four of Canada's five major banks, the Bank of Montreal, Scotiabank, CIBC and Toronto-Dominion Bank, have offices there.
Toronto is also home to Canada's big 5 accounting firms: BDO Dunwoody, Deloitte & Touche, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG Canada and Ernst & Young Canada.
Other options for work include manufacturing, mining, and services (including financial services) employers, who employ about three-quarters of the population.
Canada is the world's largest producer of zinc and uranium and a big exporter of gold, nickel, aluminium and lead.
It is also one of the world's biggest suppliers of agricultural products, especially wheat, canola and other grains.
If you are looking to move to Canada you could either apply for permanent residency as a skilled worker or professional, or apply to work temporarily.
To work temporarily, you generally must already have a job offer from a Canadian employer and a work permit issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
