"As a founding member of ISO, Canada has been at the forefront of many of the organization’s achievements for close to 60 years," said ISO President, Professor Masami Tanaka. “Canadians have made significant contributions to many of ISO’s 16 000 standards, as exemplified by their leadership role in the development of the internationally-recognized ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series of standards, and more recently in the work towards the first global standard for social responsibility", he added. "On behalf of ISO member bodies, I would like to thank the Standards Council of Canada for hosting the 29th ISO General Assembly and for providing us with the opportunity to continue building on our successes."
Dr. Colin Carrie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry, stressed the important role international standards play in strengthening the economy and contributing to our quality of life. "As a trading nation, Canada has long realized the importance of standardization. Both NAFTA and the World Trade Organization recognize international standards as key to harmonizing trade practices, while ensuring the safety and quality of products and services."
"Standards, while often invisible to consumers, play a major role in the economy by helping business and industry reduce operating costs, access new markets, encourage innovation and enhance marketability", noted SCC Chairman, Hugh Krentz.
Mr. Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) conveyed a message underlining the relationship between ISO and WTO: “The absence of international standards can be a serious impediment to trade. In a world without such standards, exporters must comply with the myriad of different standards that exist in each of their export destinations.
“What the process of harmonization has brought to international trade is in fact a 'facilitation' of trade on a massive scale. It has also brought cost-saving for exporters, who do not have to maintain separate production lines for each of their export destinations, allowing for the birth of economies of scale”, Mr. Lamy added.
As part of the programme of meetings, a one-day public forum will take place on 14 September when Canadian industry, healthcare organizations and government representatives will discuss some of the most persistent healthcare challenges facing the world today and how international standards can help address these challenges.
Mr. Alan Bryden, ISO Secretary-General, illustrated in his report the recent expansion of the organization, which now has 157 member countries and has increased its yearly production of International Standards to 1 200, an increase of 30% over the past three years.