The use of standards ensures that a product or process meets
certain criteria. The Canadian General
Standards Board (CGSB), part of Public Works and Government Services Canada
(PWGSC), is responsible for developing standards in Canada, as are six other
private standards development organizations (SDOs), and one other public SDO,
from the government of Quebec.
In this context, the House of Commons Standing Committee on
Government Operations and Estimates (hereinafter “the Committee”) adopted the following
motion on 5 May 2014:
That the Committee examine the
programs and activities of the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB),
including how the Board interacts with the private sector to deliver standards
development and conformity assessment services, and make recommendations on how
the CGSB can be more effective and efficient.
The Committee held four meetings on the subject. At the first
meeting, on 29 May 2014,
the Committee heard from PWGSC officials, who discussed the activities of the CGSB
and the importance of standards for the Canadian economy. At the second
meeting, on 3
June 2014, representatives of CGSB clients — the Canadian Fuels
Association, Micom Laboratories, Natural Resources Canada and Fisheries and
Oceans Canada — spoke to the Committee about their relationship with the CGSB.
At the third meeting, on 5 May
2015, the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), along with representatives from other SDOs — the Bureau de normalisation
du Québec (BNQ) and ULC Standards — explained how the Canadian standards
industry works and what their relationship is with the CGSB. Then at the final
meeting, on 7
May 2015, PWGSC officials responded to questions that were raised over the
course of the study.
During its study, the Committee learned of general problems in
relation to the Canadian standards industry, and not just those of the CGSB. As
such, the report first presents an overview of how the Canadian standards
industry operates, then focuses more specifically on the services provided by
the CGSB and how it relates to its clients and the other SDOs, and lastly looks
at the CGSB’s effectiveness and efficiency.