Reliable and credible development process
The standards development process is well-established and trusted by Canadians. It also meets many of the requirements of Canada’s regulatory process. By working in collaboration with SCC-accredited standards development organizations (SDOs) to reach consensus of affected stakeholders, regulators are assured 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 in regulations, a standard developed by an SCC-accredited standards development organization (SDO), they can be confident that these will not introduce unnecessary barriers to trade. SCC’s accreditation procedures require SDOs use the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO-TBT) Agreement’s Code of Good Practice, which stipulates that standards bodies are to consider existing international and regional standards to the greatest extent possible. This global practice contributes to international trade facilitation, as well as enhanced 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.