Accreditation now open to WTO members

2002-08-29

The Standards Council of Canada is now authorized to offer accreditation to conformity assessment bodies in all member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This allows foreign conformity assessment bodies the same access to Standards Council accreditation as their Canadian counterparts, as required under a number of trade agreements. Previous expansions made accreditation available to companies in the Organization of American States (OAS), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the European Union (EU). The change is the result of an Order in Council (SI/2002-121) amending the Standards Council of Canada Act, published in the Canada Gazette (page 138).