FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2003-10-17

Canada Connects Global Electrotechnical Community

Canada Connects Global Electrotechnical Community

OTTAWA - The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) will celebrate World Standards Day with true international flair this year as it plays host to the 67th Annual General Meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in Montreal, from October 12 - 18, 2003.

"World Standards Day highlights the importance of global standardization to the world economy and promotes its role in helping meet the needs of business, industry, government, and consumers worldwide," said Peter Clark, Executive Director of the Standards Council.

Celebrated annually on October 14th, World Standards Day pays tribute to the collaborative efforts of the experts that develop international standards. It is within this same spirit of cooperation that the IEC AGM brings together electrotechnical experts to engage in strategic exchanges and technical discussions on standardization matters that will impact the electrical and electronics industry worldwide.

"The basic goal of international standardization is to facilitate the removal of technical barriers to trade by encouraging the harmonization of national standards through the adoption of international standards," explains Tony Flood, President of the Canadian National Committee of IEC. "Government trade negotiators recognize the power of international consensus on standards to open up markets. The World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement call upon signatories to harmonize their standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures."

"As one of the world's leading economies," says IEC President Sei-ichi Takayanagi, "Canada plays a very important role in contributing to the IEC. More importantly, with its historical focus on internationalism, Canada's work in the IEC serves as an example to industrializing countries around the world of the value to domestic industry of participating in this work."

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) comprises 127 countries - 62 member "National Committees" and a further 65 countries that participate in the IEC Affiliate Country Programme - and is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes international standards for electrical, electronic and related technologies. These serve as a basis for national standardization, in accordance with the World Trade Organization's Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement, and as references when drafting international tenders and contracts. For additional information on the IEC, visit www.iec.ch.

The Standards Council of Canada is a Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective use of voluntary standardization, and is Canada's representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the sponsor of the Canadian National Committee of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The Standards Council coordinates and oversees the efforts of the National Standards System and offers a variety of standardization-related programs and services. For more information on the Standards Council of Canada visit http://www.scc.ca, or e-mail [email protected].

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