FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2005-02-09

Strategic blueprint for Canadian standardization unveiled

OTTAWA – The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) today unveiled the updated Canadian Standards Strategy (CSS), its blueprint for standardization activity in Canada.

"The renewed Strategy builds on the accomplishments and lessons learned during the development and implementation of the original CSS. It provides a clear path forward, as we continue to use standardization to advance the social and economic well-being of Canadians in a global economy," noted Peter Clark, Executive Director for the Standards Council of Canada.

The original Strategy, which was launched in March 2000, yielded many positive results within the realms of economic development and trade and, in the areas of health, safety and the environment. Building on these accomplishments, the updated CSS contains a mix of research, communication and cooperative activities that aim to strike a balance between new and ongoing standardization issues.  The strategy is specifically designed to accommodate new standardization challenges as they arise.

To arrive at this renewal, throughout 2004 the SCC coordinated extensive consultations with National Standards System (NSS) stakeholders – including SCC Advisory Committees, consumers, accredited clients, government departments (federal, provincial and territorial) and the Canadian public – developing recommendations to update activities associated with the Strategy's implementation proposals.

The 2005-2008 CSS is a more streamlined document that retains the goals established in the first edition. These are, on an international front to:

• Influence the formation, evolution and operation of standardization bodies that are important to Canada
• Improve access to existing and new markets for Canadian goods and services
• Build competitive advantage through technology and information transfer and global market intelligence

and domestically to:

• Meet the needs of an evolving regulatory and policy environment
• Represent fully the range of standardization stakeholders
• Communicate effectively the role and benefits of standards and conformity assessment practices

These six goals are supported by twelve objectives, each with a number of corresponding activities for which leads have been established, measures identified and, update mechanisms developed.  This structure will enable NSS stakeholders, the SCC's governing Council and the public to monitor the progress of the CSS.  Reports on the initiatives will be provided at meetings of the SCC's governing Council, in the SCC Annual Report and on the SCC website, at www.scc.ca.

The Standards Council of Canada is a Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective use of voluntary standardization. It is Canada's representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The SCC also 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, including the Canadian Standards Strategy, visit www.scc.ca or email [email protected].

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