Submit an Issue

Members of the public are encouraged to submit issues for possible consideration by the Accounting Standards Board (AcSB) as part of its guidance framework. The AcSB will discuss issues meeting the criteria set out below and consider whether further guidance is needed.

Guidance Framework

Criteria

To be considered by the AcSB, the issue should meet the following criteria:

• the issue is prevalent;
• there is diversity in practice; and
• the accounting outcome will impact financial statement users’ decisions.

Those submitting issues are encouraged to address these items in their submission. As needed, the AcSB may consult with its Private Enterprise Advisory Committee, Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee, and/or Pension Plan Advisory Committee to gather input on whether these criteria are met for a submitted issue.

What happens when an issue meets the criteria?

The AcSB will seek further input on the issue from the relevant advisory committee(s) to understand the judgments involved in reaching an accounting conclusion.

The AcSB will then discuss the issue as a Board, considering the input from the advisory committee(s). The Board will discuss whether further guidance is needed to address the issue.

The AcSB may decide that further guidance is needed to address the issue. Guidance could be non-authoritative or authoritative.

Non-authoritative guidance could include items such as:

• clarifying the issue and judgments to be considered in the AcSB’s decision summary;
• issuing a written resource such as an In Brief; or
• addressing the issue in a webinar or podcast.

Authoritative guidance would require standard setting and could include:

• an annual improvement; or
• a narrow-scope amendment.

These items are further explained in the AcSB Standard-setting Due Process Manual.

In some cases, the AcSB may decide that no further action is needed.

A summary of the issues discussed and the AcSB’s decisions regarding the issues will be included in the Board’s decision summaries, which are publicly available.

How do I submit my issue?

Issues should be submitted by email and include the following:

• identification of the issue;
• explanation of how the issue meets the criteria in the guidance framework; and
• description of the current accounting practices in accordance with the relevant framework, including any alternative views.

The AcSB staff will contact the submitter to let them know if the issue will be discussed further. The staff may also reach out to the submitter for further information or clarifications regarding the issue. If the submitter is unsure of whether an issue meets the criteria for consideration, please contact the relevant staff member below for more information.

Contacts