Letters Assurance please
I READ WITH CONCERN David Descô- teaux’s “Capitalism is Compatible with the Environment” (January/February online edition). My concern is one of informational accuracy, because we ac- countants are, aſter all, in that business. Descôteaux makes statements about
air and water quality, forest cover, food production, consumption and cost, and development of natural gas produc- tion and hydropower, all attributed to a Pierre Desrochers, associate researcher at the Montreal Economic Institute and associate professor of geography at the University of Toronto. He extends these statements, saying that capitalism, “the benefits of
competition and the quest for profits,” is the main reason for these positive things that have happened. He concludes by stating that he thinks our economic system and sustainable development go hand in hand. If I were to apply rudimentary assurance standards to the information in this article, I would find Descôteaux is currently listed as a staff member of the Montreal Economic Institute, his source of facts, showing a clear lack of indepen- dence from his sources. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in political science. A quick review of articles he has written show nothing recent with even a passing reference to the environment. He seems to equate “the environment” and “good
for the environment” and “sustainable development,” and implies that all his positive statements about improve- ments in the human condition support his argument. There is no standard to compare these various facts with, nor even definitions of the interchangeable terms that he uses. Byron Reynolds SASKATOON
Relevant, but...
I’VE JUST read some of the special digital issue (January/February) sourced through the CPA Canada website. Looks like relevant, well-written material, in- cluding good feature articles, although I’d have liked to have seen more about the ways in which the profession
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4 | CPA MAGAZINE | APRIL 2015
DIFFERENCE
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