Michael R. Johnson CPA, CA
My involvement with the Army Cadet program started in 2011 when my two oldest kids joined the 2290 British Columbia (DCO) RCACC, located in downtown Vancouver. After helping out as a parent volunteer when called upon, I decided to join the 2290 Support Committee in 2013 and took on the treasurer’s role there. In 2016 I also took on an additional role as the Treasurer for the BC Branch of the Army Cadet League, and have maintained both roles since that time.
As Treasurer in BC I was able to use my professional experience as an accountant to update the Branch’s financial accounting and reporting systems, and provide guidance to numerous Support Committee treasurers through one-on-one training, as well as leading group financial training seminars during the BC Branch’s annual Pillars conference.
My experience dealing with a number of treasurers across BC made me appreciate the challenge many corps were facing in terms of financial reporting. To simplify and standardize reporting across support committees I introduced an Excel-based financial reporting tool designed to help treasurers who do not have a formal accounting background, and am proud that many corps in BC have adopted it.
In 2019 I agreed to join the Finance and Audit Committee of the Army Cadet League of Canada. Currently I’m the Chief Financial Officer of a real estate development company in Vancouver but I spent ten years working in public practice providing tax and auditing services for various clients, including not-for-profit organizations. I realized my background in accounting and finance, together with my experience as the BC Branch treasurer and a Support Committee treasurer, would be ideal for helping our current National treasurer push through various initiatives she undertook over the past two years.
I think I was able to have a positive impact on the Army Cadet League’s operations in BC and now I’m looking forward to seeing what help I can bring to the Army Cadet League of Canada at the national level.