The Canadian Public Accountability Board has issued an order finding that Ernst & Young LLP’s Canadian firm committed a violation event after more than 500 current and former professionals improperly shared answers to internal continuing professional education assessments. The order, effective July 31, 2026, publicly censures EY Canada and requires independent oversight, enhanced controls and monitoring, remedial action based on a cultural assessment, and payment of CPAB’s compliance-monitoring costs. Improper answer sharing was widespread from 2017 to mid-2020 and continued at a significantly lower level until 2024. CPAB found that EY Canada breached applicable quality control and professional conduct requirements by failing to detect the conduct, test the effectiveness of its preventive controls or establish monitoring designed to detect cheating until 2024, despite becoming aware in 2019 of a related EY US investigation. An external consultant must assess EY Canada’s compliance and report to CPAB for 20 months, with a final assessment due within 24 months. EY Canada must implement suitably designed controls within 12 months, demonstrate that they operate effectively for at least two consecutive quarters, submit its cultural assessment within 150 days and provide quarterly results from its Canadian and global monitoring programs. EY Canada entered into a settlement and neither admitted nor denied CPAB’s findings.
Canadian Public Accountability Board2026-08-06
Canadian Public Accountability Board censures Ernst & Young Canada and orders remediation over assessment cheating by more than 500 professionals
The Canadian Public Accountability Board censured Ernst & Young Canada after finding improper answer sharing by more than 500 current and former professionals and failures to monitor whether anti-cheating controls were effective. EY Canada must strengthen its controls, undergo independent oversight for up to 24 months and report monitoring results to CPAB.