Alberta investment board appointee used CPA title without accreditation: report

A recent case involving an Alberta government appointee who used the certified public accountant (CPA) title without accreditation highlights for HR professionals the importance of rigorous credential checks in senior hiring. 

An Edmonton businessman repeatedly claimed accounting designations he does not hold, reported The Globe and Mail.

Financial statements show that Sam Jaber – who owns several accounting and tax preparation firms and was appointed to the board of Invest Alberta – has for more than a decade identified himself as a “CPA,” “certified public accountant” and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), reported The Globe and Mail.

Professional bodies in Alberta and the United States told the publication that he has never been a member of their organisations.

Previously, the Supreme Court of British Columbia dealt with a wrongful dismissal claim involving a CPA who received eight months' working notice in October 2022.

Use of CPA title and professional memberships

The Globe and Mail report cited 26 publicly available financial statements prepared by Jaber for six organisations between 2013 and 2025, including four Alberta non‑profits and two private businesses.

In 10 of those statements, he described himself as a “certified public accountant,” a term not used for accredited accountants in Canada, where the recognised designation is “Chartered Professional Accountant,” according to The Globe and Mail. In another six, he signed using the “CPA” designation, and in a further 10 he was listed as an AICPA member.

Representatives of CPA Alberta and the AICPA told the newspaper that their records show no trace of him as a member. CPA Alberta spokesperson Joanne Rosnau said “a review of CPA Alberta’s records does not indicate that an individual by the name Sam Jaber is or has been a member of CPA Alberta or its legacy organizations,” and added that no one with that name has applied for membership, according to the report.

Regulatory status and international affiliations

While anyone in Canada may call themselves an “accountant” and operate an accounting business, the use of the “CPA” designation in Alberta requires formal accreditation and registration with CPA Alberta.

The financial statements reviewed by The Globe and Mail do not indicate that Jaber performed work for which he was unqualified, but his use of the CPA title suggests credentials he does not have, based on information from the Canadian and U.S. bodies.

The documents also show that he has described himself 10 times as a member of the Lebanese Association of Certified Public Accountants and 11 times as a member of the Association of International Accountants (AIA), a British organisation. AIA policy director David Potts told the newspaper that Mr. Jaber has been an AIA member since 2009, while The Globe and Mail said it was unable to reach representatives of the Lebanese association.

A Quebec worker who refused to provide his Social Insurance Number to enable proper payroll processing cannot later claim he was entitled to employee benefits and protections, a provincial court previously ruled. The case involved an arrangement that raised red flags for the company's accountant.

Appointment to Invest Alberta and procurement context

In late 2023, Premier Danielle Smith appointed Jaber to the board of Invest Alberta, a Crown corporation responsible for attracting investment to the province.

E‑mails obtained by The Globe and Mail through access‑to‑information laws show a government official wrote on Oct. 26, 2023, that the Premier’s Office had identified his appointment as a “priority for immediate action,” and he was named to the board by order‑in‑council four weeks later.

The newspaper reported that he also served as chief financial officer of MHCare Medical Corp., a medical‑supply company that has received more than $600‑million from Alberta’s health agency since 2020 and is at the centre of a procurement controversy involving the province.

Legal actions and official responses

In March, the RCMP executed a search warrant at MHCare’s offices and at Jaberson & Associates Inc., one of Jaber’s accounting firms, as part of a probe into government purchasing. He subsequently took a voluntary leave of absence from the Invest Alberta board.

The search followed a February 2025 wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed by former Alberta Health Services chief executive Athana Mentzelopoulos, who alleged she was removed for pursuing an internal probe into possible procurement conflicts involving companies including MHCare. The government denies her allegations, saying she was not implementing its agenda; none of the claims has been tested in court, and MHCare and its chief executive, Sam Mraiche, are not parties to the suit.

A spokesperson for Smith did not respond to questions from The Globe and Mail about what credentials Jaber provided before his appointment. After the March police search, his lawyer, Matthew Nathanson, said in a statement that Jaber is a “law‑abiding professional who has done nothing wrong,” adding that he has not been charged with any offence and “steadfastly maintains his innocence,” and that any future accusation “will be vigorously contested.”

Per the Government of Alberta, Alberta's three regulated accounting designations (Chartered Accountants, Certified General Accountants, and Certified Management Accountants) merged into a single designation, Chartered Professional Accountant, on July 1, 2015. CPAs are regulated under provincial legislation and must register with CPA Alberta: