Bringing Canada to the world
Standardization helps support strong and prosperous international trade by breaking down barriers and levelling the playing field for all companies. By making sure Canada has a seat at the international table — in trade negotiations and technical committees — SCC helps ensure Canada’s interests are represented as standards are being developed so Canadian businesses are well-positioned to compete globally.
Advancing trade in the Indo-Pacific region
Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy is meant to advance the country’s interests in that region with stronger relationships, greater market access for Canadian companies, and more diverse and resilient supply chains in the face of an increasingly complex and uncertain world. We will help achieve these goals by working closely with our counterpart standards and accreditation organizations in the region, and by increasing our participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC).
In November 2023, we signed a cooperation agreement with the Mongolian Agency for Standardization and Metrology (MASM), recognizing the importance of strengthening the global use of international standards. We are now working together to develop a workplan for boosting MASM’s profile within ISO and collaborating on projects of mutual interest. With this work underway, we are pursuing agreements with additional standards and accreditation bodies in the region and plan to have a new agreement signed by March 2025.
We have been actively involved in supporting projects of the APEC SCSC, including co-sponsoring four projects proposed by other members since April 2023. We are also putting together a proposal for a project of our own on the importance of having micro, small and medium-sized enterprises participate in international standards development. At an AI workshop hosted by Australia, we moderated a panel on inclusive consultation practices and shared information on how participation in international standards development has had a positive impact on Canada’s exports.
Why standardization is the key to the export market
Canada’s economic success depends in large part on the strength of its small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). That makes it critical for us to understand the impact our involvement in international standards development is having on SMEs across the country — so we can make better decisions on how to help facilitate their journey into the global marketplace. That’s where SCC Senior Researcher Diane Liao comes in. Her May 2023 research paper, Paving the Road to Global Markets: How Increasing Participation in International Standards Development Can Boost Exports From Small and Medium Enterprises, is the first stage in understanding how our work with international partners affects the likelihood of exporting by Canadians SMEs.
Drawing on a national survey of SMEs, Liao’s analysis showed that greater participation in international standards development (measured by participation on technical committees and subcommittees) was associated with higher engagement of SMEs in international trade and more Canadian exports.
Closer ties between standards and codes
We have been working with partners across the standardization system to enhance collaboration and alignment between Canada’s national model codes development system (which covers building, fire, plumbing, energy and other codes) and the standards development system. SCC CEO Chantal Guay was elected Alternate Chair of the Advisory Council on Harmonized Construction Codes, which is made up of industry, the regulatory community, emergency responders, civil society groups and others interested in building codes, and is now chairing a national working group on system agility and referenced standards. Bringing more cohesion to standardization and code development activities will better support innovation in the construction sector to address priorities such as accessibility, climate resilience and energy efficiency. It will also allow for faster builds to meet the housing and infrastructure needs of people in Canada.
“We know that demonstrating compliance with international standards can be a big barrier to exporting — especially for smaller businesses. Our research suggests that the more we participate in developing those standards, the more we can advocate for the interests of our small businesses and make standards compliance more accessible for them.”
— Diane Liao Senior Researcher SCC
