During its study of the CGSB’s activities, the Committee heard evidence on broader issues related to standards development. Regarding the industry in general, one important issue would be to better harmonize the standards used in the regulations of the various provinces and territories in order to avoid making companies meet standards that differ from one province or territory to another, or different versions of the same standard. Companies looking to export sometimes have to meet international standards as well, prompting several witnesses to say that Canadian standards should be developed only for appropriate reasons when warranted by significant special conditions.

Specifically with respect to the CGSB, the main issue raised was the fact that many of its standards are not reviewed frequently enough. PWGSC officials said that the target to address the issue was in one or two years. The Committee believes that adjustments can be made to the standardization process, particularly with regard to standards harmonization, duplication and updating. This could allow Canadian companies to cut costs, innovate further and become more competitive.