Quality Management Standards

Updated: February 23, 2026

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What We Heard at the Canadian Technology Quality Management Roundtable

On October 30, 2025, the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (AASB) partnered with the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) to host an in-person Technology Quality Management roundtable in Toronto. We were pleased to welcome IAASB representatives Tom Seidenstein (Chair), Nancy Cheng (Board member), Willie Botha (Program and Senior Director), Angelo Giardina (Principal), and Kevin Reinhardt (Staff Fellow).

This Canadian session was part of the IAASB’s global outreach series, exploring how emerging technologies – especially artificial intelligence (AI) – are used in audit and assurance engagements, and how quality management standards apply to these tools.

The roundtable brought together 25 attendees from across the external reporting ecosystem, including practitioners from firms of various sizes, regulators, professional accounting organizations, tool providers, and other users of audit reports.

The IAASB received valuable input to help determine what additional support it can provide to help firms and practitioners operationalize the principles in the quality management standards for emerging technologies.

The AASB’s participation in IAASB initiatives ensures that Canadian perspectives are heard and considered, since the IAASB’s quality management standards are adopted in Canada as:

  • Canadian Standard on Quality Management (CSQM) 1, Quality Management for Firms that Perform Audits or Reviews of Financial Statements, or Other Assurance or Related Services Engagements, and
  • Canadian Auditing Standard (CAS) 220, Quality Management for an Audit of Financial Statements.

This publication summarizes the key insights from the Canadian session, outlines the next steps the IAASB is taking, and highlights how you can contribute to its future direction.

Canadian Standards on Quality Management

Inside the CSQM Free Risk Assessment Planner, you'll discover:

  • A practical proven approach in how to get started with your SQM implementation plan
  • My "Risk Brainstorming Meeting Method"; how to prepare for, and execute a productive risk brainstorming session
  • A risk documentation worksheet to guide you in identifying quality risks based on the nature and circumstances of your firm

Free download: CSQM 1 - Risk Assessment Planner

THIS is a critical time in the Canadian accounting profession for chartered professional accountants in public practice. Many accounting standards are evolving, with none perhaps more important than the recently approved suite of quality management standards.\

These standards strengthen the overall proficiency of firms and the engagements they perform by promoting a robust, proactive and scalable approach to quality management. The suite of quality management standards is comprised of CSQM 1, CSQM 2, and CAS 220, which replace extant CSQC.

Kirsten S. Albo of ASK KSA Consulting Inc. kicks off a four-part series on CSQM 1

Read more: Preparing for the new quality management standards: An overview for Canadian practitioners

Three new and revised standards strengthen and modernize the audit firm’s approach to quality management. Through the standards, the IAASB is addressing an evolving and increasingly complex audit ecosystem, including growing stakeholder expectations and a need for quality management systems that are proactive and adaptable.

The standards direct audit firms to improve the robustness of their monitoring and remediation, embed quality into their corporate culture and the “tone at the top”, and improve the robustness of engagement quality reviews.

The standards became effective December 15, 2022. They replaced the IAASB’s International Standard on Quality Control 1 and International Standard on Auditing 220.

Read more: IAASB - Quality Management

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