Canada's Path to Standards Success

2005-06-03

Alice: Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?
Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to!
Alice: I don't much care where.
Cheshire Cat: Then, clearly any path will do.
–Excerpt from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), by Lewis Carroll

The Cheshire Cat may be a fictional character in a make believe place, but his advice to Alice as she attempts to find her way in Wonderland is guidance worthy of the real world. The underlying message, about the importance of having focus, is one that Canadians involved in the National Standards System (NSS) heard loud and clear five years ago.

The result was the Canadian Standards Strategy (CSS).

Launched in March 2000, the CSS has been referred to as Canada's blueprint or roadmap for standardization activities. Whichever analogy you prefer, the resulting document, which for the first time committed Canada's standardization goals to writing, was a significant milestone for the NSS and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).

The original CSS was commissioned by former Industry Minister John Manley and developed by a Stakeholders Advisory Council (SAG), which included representatives from industry, federal, provincial and territorial governments, non-governmental organizations, standards and conformity assessment bodies and the SCC.  What sets the CSS apart from previous strategic initiatives was the development of specific and measurable action items for each of the goals identified in the strategy.

This achievement was not only remarked upon by Canadians, it was also examined with interest by national standards bodies in countries including: China, France, Germany, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom. The Canadian strategy was developed at a time when nations across the globe were facing similar challenges in focusing their activities to meet their national goals.  Many of these countries have since developed their own national standards strategies based on similar principles as the CSS.

In June 2003, the SCC's governing Council approved a proposal to update the original CSS. The decision to refresh the strategy was a response to the fact that most of the action items had been successfully completed. It was also an acknowledgement of changing factors, emerging sectors and shifting priorities within both the international and national environments where NSS stakeholders are active. The resulting update document was published in February 2005.

Sondra Bruni, a 15-year veteran of the National Standards System and member of the SCC's Consumer and Public Interest Committee (CPIC), participated in both the development of the original CSS and the update. She credits the CSS for increasing Canada's profile in international standards circles and raising government awareness about the role of standards and conformity assessment in advancing Canada's economic and social agendas.

"I think that as a result of the CSS, the government was able to more clearly understand the area we work in, and how important it is to the everyday lives of Canadians," says Bruni.

In particular, she points to the federal government's increased interest in supporting international standards events hosted in Canada as well as the National Standards System Conference. Another important outcome of the original strategy, according to Bruni is the development by CPIC of a priority-setting mechanism that is in the process of being updated for organization-wide use by the Council. She says the tool is vital to effectively managing the almost endless possibilities for standardization to play a role in the everyday lives of Canadians.

"If you look at the public interest out there, it is just so broad that you could come up with almost anything. This will make sure we can focus more," says Bruni.

At the same time, she applauds the SCC's efforts to ensure that all stakeholders are given an opportunity to provide their input. Bruni admits that coming to consensus with a group of any size can be challenging, but she says that ultimately, bringing more individuals into the update process will make the outcomes even stronger.

"The more stakeholders are involved in the process of developing the strategy, the more committed they will be to doing their part to see the implementation plan is met," says Bruni.

Her comments are echoed by Dennis Durrant, who also has more than 15 years experience with the National Standards Systems. He is currently the chair of the SCC's Advisory Committee on Conformity Assessment (ACCA).

Durrant says the CSS has played a pivotal role in bringing coherence and structure to the diverse interests of stakeholders working within the NSS. While he admits it can be difficult to quantify the impact of the CSS in Canada, Durrant believes the strategy has raised the profile of standardization among industry leaders.

"I think the CSS has influenced some companies and sectors to at the very least inquire and look at the standards system and the tools that are there," says Durrant.

Durrant stresses the importance of continuing to actively involve a broad cross-section of interested Canadians in mapping out strategic directions.  He commends the SCC's work in leading the development of a national strategy, and more importantly in providing support and assistance to move beyond planning to actually implementing it.

"Did we accomplish every particular goal to 110 per cent? No, we didn't. But I daresay that any fair judgment would conclude that we were successful in implementing the original strategy," says Durrant.

He says the decision to update the strategy also acknowledges that the world we live in is changing and that our plans must be adapted to ensure that the goals we set out remain in focus.

Both Bruni and Durrant concur that there is still more to be accomplished. In particular, the update process has identified as a priority the need to improve awareness of the National Standards System in Canada.  However, it seems clear as Canadians prepare to begin implementing the updated strategy that - unlike Alice - they won't need to ask which path to take, because thanks to the Canadian Standards Strategy, they know exactly where they are headed.

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