Everything we do is aimed at improving Canadians’ quality of life and economic prosperity, including the health and well-being of our population. We promote the development and use of standards for health services, programs and products.
Standardization helps ensure that best practices are applied effectively and consistently to support the health of Canadians.
Mental health and substance use health
The COVID-19 pandemic had significant negative impacts on the mental health of Canadians. This has led to reports of increased stress, anxiety, depression and substance use.
Recognizing the importance of an evidence-based framework for the delivery of mental health and substance use health (MHSUH) services, SCC and the Government of Canada are working with standards development organizations and other key partners to develop standardized guidance in six priority areas:
- integration of MHSUH services in primary care settings
- digital MHSUH apps
- integrated community-based MHSUH services for youth
- integrated MHSUH services for people with complex needs
- substance use health treatment centres
- substance use health workforce
Health and safety
SCC works with provincial and territorial regulatory authorities to help ensure the alignment of safety standards across Canada. Our accreditation programs enable the trusted certification and testing of products and services across the country, keeping Canadians safe in their homes and workplaces.
Learn more about our work in public safety.
SCC also works with organizations to maximize their understanding and use of standardization in order to deliver products and services that benefit everyone.
Related accreditation programs
Accreditation and conformity assessment play a vital role by ensuring that standards are applied correctly and consistently. At SCC, we offer a wide range of accreditation programs and training across many conformity assessment areas such as health and safety.
News articles
HSO and CSA Group Publish National Long-Term Care Standards
These new standards reflect what Canadians want and expect long-term care to look like, capturing the vision and voices of over 20,000 long-term care home residents, members of the workforce, leaders, and other Canadians to work towards improving long-term care.
A Breath of Fresh Air: How updating indoor air quality standards can improve employee health and productivity
This report details the significant cost of poor indoor air quality. Regulators reference air quality standards in regulations to safeguard employees. However, this research demonstrates the benefits that can be realized from continuously updating air quality standards – including improved health and increased worker productivity and economic output.
SCC recognized under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Laboratory Accreditation for Analyses of Foods program
This program aims to improve the accuracy and reliability of certain food testing through the uniformity of standards and greater FDA oversight.
Case studies
KA Imaging: Providing a better way to conduct diagnostic imaging
KA Imaging offers X-ray technology that allows users to differentiate between soft tissue and bone in patients., and provides a better understanding of conditions such as lung cancer, pneumonia and even coronavirus. We guided the company as they sought to develop an IEC standard.
GA4GH: Enabling the responsible sharing of genomic and related health data
Phenopackets, a standard file format for sharing phenotypic information, such as clinical diagnosis, age of onset, results from lab tests, and disease severity. We enabled an international standard to ensure genomic data is more accessible here in Canada and around the world.
Supporting smoking cessation through standardization
The long-term quitting rate of smokers is very low and relapse rates are high, which threatens the Government of Canada’s commitment to reduce tobacco use to less than 5% by 2035. A National Standard of Canada for smoking cessation is underway to help.
Explore and get involved
Get involved in standards development
By participating in standardization and shaping the standards of tomorrow, you can become a global leader at the very forefront of your industry, while helping to advance the health, safety and economic well-being of all Canadians.
Find and buy standards
Browse our database to search for published National Standards of Canada and international standards. You can also search for Other Recognized Documents. Find out where to buy the standards you need.
Learn about accreditation
We offer a wide range of internationally recognized accreditation programs and training across many conformity assessment areas.
Level up your standardization knowledge
Our standardization courses will help deepen your knowledge and ability to successfully use standards, and better understand how standardization works.