FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2000-10-16

New International Recognition Eases Access to Asia-Pacific Region

OTTAWA - The Standards Council of Canada is making it easier for Canadian businesses to market their goods and services to customers in the Asia-Pacific region, thanks to its acceptance into a mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) developed by the Asia-Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC).

APLAC is an international non-governmental organization of laboratory accreditation bodies. It provides a discussion forum for accredited laboratories and accreditation organizations such as the Standards Council, and has developed its MRA to bring about the acceptance of test data and inspection reports across national borders. There are currently 13 signatories to the APLAC MRA.

To achieve APLAC acceptance, the Standards Council's Program for the Accreditation of Laboratories - Canada (PALCAN) had to demonstrate that its accreditation procedures were consistent with internationally recognized guides and standards. The Standards Council applied for recognition through APLAC in 1998, and following a comprehensive evaluation was formally accepted earlier this summer.

"As a signatory to the APLAC MRA, PALCAN can now offer its accredited laboratories and their clients a single accreditation that is accepted throughout the region", said Peter Clark, executive director of the Standards Council. "That saves Canadian exporters the expense of retesting their products every time they want to enter a new market."

Accreditation is the formal recognition of the competence of an organization to perform a particular conformity assessment function. Many clients and regulators require laboratories to be accredited before they will accept their test results.

The Standards Council of Canada is the federal Crown corporation that oversees the National Standards System. Its Program for Accreditation of Laboratories - Canada (PALCAN) has accredited over 250 laboratories in a variety of general testing and specialty areas.

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