Before an audience of stakeholders and standardization professionals from Canada and abroad, the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) celebrated World Standards Day 2016, held its annual public meeting and presented Canada’s national awards in standardization. These awards recognize the commitment of individuals, organizations and committees who dedicate their time and expertise in support of Canada’s national standardization network.
Celebrating the international theme for World Standards Day 2016, Standards Build Trust, more than 120 individuals attended the event at the Canadian Museum of Nature, which featured keynote presentations from Greg Fergus, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Maryscott (Scotty) Greenwood, Senior Advisor, Canadian-American Business Council and Principal, Dentons, Washington, DC.
Several standards development organizations and industry stakeholders, including ASTM International, the Society for Standards Professionals, Underwriters' Laboratories Inc., ULC Standards and IHS Markit exhibited at the event.
Keynotes on collaboration and innovation
In his opening address, Parliamentary Secretary Fergus emphasized the importance of standards in driving innovation in the Canadian economy, and ensuring that Canada has a strong voice in standardization internationally.
“We want the world to see Canada as a global centre for innovation. We want investors to look at our talented people, and our vibrant clusters, and our ease of doing business and say, ‘I want to set up shop in Canada,’” Mr. Fergus told the audience. “Therefore the work being done to develop standards nationally, regionally and internationally at the International Organization for Standardization, is vital.”
In her presentation titled, Innovative Approaches to Standards Alignment - the Art of the Possible, Ms. Greenwood spoke about the importance of harmonizing standards, pointing out that there are more than 100,000 standards in use in the United States but only a small percentage is harmonized within North America. She stressed the need to bring all stakeholders together in order to further standardization goals.
SCC strategic directions update
As part of the annual public meeting, SCC CEO John Walter showcased the “Introduction to SCC” corporate video. He also presented the 2015—16 SCC Annual Report and, along with the Governing Council Acting Chair Dr. Sam Shaw, provided an overview of SCC’s activities and accomplishments over the past year and outlined SCC’s strategic directions for the future – innovation, international leadership, and delivering value for Canada. As a Crown corporation, SCC is committed to sharing this information with Canadians to enhance awareness and understanding of standardization and the role SCC plays in leading Canada’s standardization network.
“SCC has been in the business of standards and accreditation for more than four decades. And we are driving forward more than ever before. We’re innovating and adapting to changing realities as we continue to deliver significant value to Canadians,” noted John Walter.
For more information about SCC’s World Standards Day 2016 event: