History

1919 – The National Association of Purchasing Agents (N.A.P.A.), a U.S. association, forms first Canadian chapter in Montreal, QC.

1921 – N.A.P.A. chapters form the Council of Canadian Purchasing Agents Association (C.A.P.A.), a direct affiliate of the American association.

1931 – The C.A.P.A. develops its own Constitution and bylaws and is granted its Letters Patent under the Province of Ontario Corporations Act.

1948 – First Fellowship Award (Fellow of the Purchasing Management Association of Canada - FPMAC) presented to Mr. John Eaton of the Montreal District. 

1955 – Formal independence from the American association occurs with the proclamation of the independent Canadian Association of Purchasing Agents (C.A.P.A.). 

1966 – The first Board of Examiners (oral examinations) confers eight Professional Purchaser (P.P.) designations.

1969 – The Canadian Association of Purchasing Agents name is changed to the Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC), in recognition of the fact that the practitioner is now identified as a professional purchasing manager.

1969 – Inaugural running of the In-Residence Week (formally known as the Advanced Purchasing Management Course) at the University of Western Ontario. It represents part of the professional accreditation program. 

1974 – PMAC is one of the founders of the International Federation of Purchasing and Materials Management (IFPMM), an international federation of procurement bodies, now known as IFPSM. 

1981 – At the Annual General Meeting, a Code of Ethics is presented and approved. All members become bound to the requirements of the Code.

1985 – The association embarks on a province-by-province process to provincially certify the professional designation of C.P.P. (Certified Professional Purchaser).

1995 – The National association and the provincial Institutes sign formal Affiliation Agreements.

1996 – PMAC moves from the oral Board of Examiners process to a National Uniform Written Exam process. Exam writers that pass are granted use of the professional designation.

1999 – The Canadian Purchasing Research Fund evolves into the Canadian Purchasing Research Foundation, a charitable foundation.

2005 – PMAC redefines its field of practice from purchasing to comprehensive strategic supply chain management to recognize the broader scope and growing influence of the profession.

2007 – The Strategic Supply Chain Management Leadership Program (SSCMLP) launches as the path to professional accreditation. The competency-based program delivers both advanced supply chain management knowledge and high-level business skills.

2009 – A new professional designation, the SCMP (Supply Chain Management Professional), is announced to replace the C.P.P. The new designation represents strategic, global and integrated thinking. All C.P.P.s in good standing will receive the SCMP.