Reliable and credible development process

The standards development process is well-established and trusted by Canadians. It also meets many of the requirements of the regulatory process. By working in collaboration with SCC-accredited standards development organizations (SDOs) to reach a consensus with affected stakeholders, regulators can ensure that the resulting standards and/or regulations will reflect the diverse needs of the Canadians they impact.

Satisfy trade requirements

Regulations are being increasingly scrutinized for their impact on trade. When regulators choose to reference national standards of Canada in regulations, they can be confident that these regulations will not result in unnecessary barriers to trade. International trade agreements such as NAFTA and WTO call on governments to utilize international standards wherever possible to harmonize trade practices, while ensuring the safety and quality of products and services.

Adaptability in a constantly changing world

All standards have a built-in review cycle that ensures that they remain relevant to the organizations and individuals they impact, while reflecting changing needs of clients and emerging technologies. This ensures that standards referenced in regulations remain current without additional costs to the body responsible for their review and revision.

Cost-effective compliance

Accredited conformity assessment services are a publicly trusted, efficient and in many cases less costly alternative to government-administrated inspection or verification. In addition to providing verification of adherence to standards within or in place of regulations, regulators can also rely on accredited conformity assessment bodies to provide other certification services.

Economic growth and competitiveness

By lessening the burden of regulatory compliance on industry, governments can contribute to increased economic growth and competitiveness. In many cases, when a regulator references an existing standard, businesses are already voluntarily meeting these requirements.