Canadas Approach to Enhancing Consumer Participation in Standardization

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Canadas Approach to Enhancing Consumer
Participation in Standardization
Mr. Kevin McKinley Director, Standards Standards
Council of Canada 200-270 Albert Street Ottawa
ON, Canada K1P 6N7 kmckinley_at_scc.ca

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The Standards Council of Canada

• A Crown Corporation mandated by Parliament to
• Approve National Standards of Canada
• Accredit organizations that provide
  standardization services
• Coordinate Canadian participation in
  international standardization
• Work with international counterparts
• Provide information on standardization

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National Standards SystemParticipants

• Accredited organizations (300)
• Committee members (15,000)
• Federal, provincial and territorial governments
• Partners (associations, crowns, NGOs)

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National Standards System (NSS)
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Standards Council of Canada Mandate

• To promote voluntary standardization as a means
  to
• Advance the national economy
• Benefit public health and welfare
• Protect consumers
• Facilitate trade
• Further international cooperation

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Policy Framework for Consumer Participation

• CAN-P 1D Accreditation of Standards Development
  Organization
• An SDO must adopt and comply with the criteria to
  maintain accreditation
• CAN-P 1D Clause 6.5, Participation in Standards
  Development Process, At the national level
  participation should be organized by SDOs and SCC
  according to respective consensus building
  procedures which should provide for balanced
  representation of interest categories such as
  producers, users, consumers etc.

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Policy Framework for Consumer Participation

• Other features of CAN-P 1D to enhance consumer
  participation include
• A public review of any developed standard
• Access to resources (money, training, staff
  expertise)
• Coordination and updated information
• A mechanism for complaints and appeals

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Organizational Structure for Consumer Policy
SCC Council
CPIC
ACCA
ACS
ACT
Conformity Assessment
Trade
Standards
Consumers / Public Interest
CNC/ISO
CAC/COPOLCO
Cdn CASCO Subcommittee (CCSC)
CAC/DEVCO
CNC/IEC
400
CAC ...
CSCs...
CAC ...
CSCs ...
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Consumer and Public Interest Committee (CPIC)

• CPIC reports directly to Council and the mandate
  includes
• recommending policies to identify and monitor
  emerging consumer and public interest issues
• promoting consumer and public interest in
  standards
• participate in standards development and
  contribute to SCC volunteer recruitment and
  training programs

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Consumer and Public Interest Committee (CPIC)

• develop and administer a work plan that reflects
  social policy objectives and identifies priority
  areas of work where consumer participation is
  deemed essential
• provide a mechanism to allow consumer or public
  interest representatives to request or initiate
  standards projects and or research

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Membership Matrix of CPIC

• 4 Consumer Representatives
• 2 Environment Representatives
• 1 Labor Representative
• 2 Academic Representatives
• 2 Federal Government Representatives
• 1 Occupational Health and Safety Representative
• 4 SDO/Consumer Professional Representatives

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Consumer Representation in Policy Development

• To ensure effective consumer input into SCC
  policy development CPIC has representation on
  other SCC Advisory Committees
• 1 Representative on the Council Board
• 1 Representative on ACCA
• 4 Representatives on ACS
• 2 Representatives on ACT
• 2 Representatives on CNC/ISO
• 2 Representatives on CNC/IEC

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ISO/COPOLCO - Committee on Consumer Policy

• Canada is a participating member of this
  international committee whose terms of reference
  are
• to study means of helping consumers to benefit
  from standardization, and means of improving
  consumer participation in both national and
  international standardization
• to provide a forum for the exchange of
  information on the experience of consumer
  participation in the development and
  implementation of standards in the consumer field

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ISO/COPOLCO - Committee on Consumer Policy

• to advise ISO Council as to the consolidated
  viewpoints of consumers on matters relevant to
  ISOs current and potential standardization and
  conformity assessment work
• to advise ISO Council as to the need for new or
  revised policies or actions within ISO as they
  relate to consumer needs

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How Canada Participates in ISO/COPOLCO
ISO General Assembly
DEVCO
CASCO
COPOLCO
ISO Council
741 Committees
TC ...
SC ...
SC ...
TC ...
ISO TMB
TC ...
SC ...
SC ...
TC ...
TC ...
SC ...
SC ...
TC ...
SCC Council
CPIC
ACCA
ACS
ACT
CNC/ISO
CAC/COPOLCO
Cdn CASCO Subcommittee (CCSC)
CAC/DEVCO
315 Participating CACs
CAC ...
CAC ...
CAC ...
CAC ...


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ISO/COPOLCO Working Groups

• The Canadian Advisory Committee has appointed
  experts to several relevant ISO COPOLCO Working
  Groups
• Consumer Protection in the Global Market Place
  (GMP)
• Needs of the Elderly and Disabled
• Consumer Services
• Priorities
• Chairmans Group

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Canadian Standards Strategy

• Launched in March 2000
• Purpose to provide direction and leadership on
  how to use standardization to best advance the
  social and economic well being of Canadians in a
  global economy
• 8 key elements that outline strategy, broad goals
  and objectives for standardization
• 23 specific implementation proposals which set
  out specifics of how the strategy can be
  achieved

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Canadian Standards Strategy

• Several key implementation proposals of the
  strategy help to enhance the role and value of
  consumer representation in the standards
  development process.
• Create and maintain a framework for developing
  national positions
• Activities to engage developing countries
• Examination of the use of alternative conformity
  assessment practices
• Promotion of the use of the National Standards
  System

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CSS Implementation Proposals

• Development of a web portal for the National
  Standards System
• Development and implementation of a volunteer
  training program
• Make standards and conformity assessment a full
  part of the public policy debate

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Direct Consumer Involvement in CSS

• The Consumer and Public Interest Committee and
  consumer representatives have direct involvement
  in several of the proposals including
• Taking leadership in developing international
  standards for electronic commerce
• Developing, implementing and maintaining a
  process for setting priorities for
  standardization activities in the area of health,
  safety, the environment and other social issues

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Direct Consumer Involvement in CSS

• Ensuring that standards processes support social
  policy objectives
• Facilitate consumer input to the North American
  Free Trade Agreement
• Helping to employ innovative funding mechanisms

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Cooperation of the NSS Stakeholders

• Through the cooperation of NSS stakeholders
  Canada is able to enhance consumer representation
  in standardization activities. Two such examples
  of effective programs in place are
• Consumer Program at the Canadian Standards
  Association (CSA)
• Office of Consumer Affairs at Industry Canada
  (OCA)

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CSAs Volunteer Program

• Created in 1976
• Network of over 200 volunteers
• Recruitment program
• Coordinates public consultation projects
• Training seminars
• Assists with consumer research
• Publishes and distributes a quarterly newsletter

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Industry Canada Office of Consumer Affairs

• A Federal Government agency
• Working to assist consumer representatives to
  influence the development and use of standards
  for consumer products, processes and services
• Publications, a quarterly newsletter, the
  Canadian Consumer Handbook, and A Guide for
  Participating in the Standards System - A
  Handbook for Consumer Representatives
• Facilitation of international online list serves
  for E-Commerce, and Corporate Responsibility

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Challenges Facing Consumer Representatives

• Although Canada has put in place a system that we
  believe enhances consumer representation there
  are still major challenges ahead.
• Lack of resources, funding for consumer
  representatives to participate, adequate
  training, too few people for such wide range
  issues
• Lack of expertise, no ability to conduct
  research, and to make well informed, valuable
  contributions
• Ability to limit and set priorities

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Facing the Challenges Together

• CPIC and CAC/COPOLCO
• SCC Volunteer Program
• CPICs Priority Setting and Consumer Research
• Cooperation with other NSS Stakeholders
• ISO/IEC Joint Policy Statement on Consumer
  Participation in Standardization Work

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How to reach us
WWW.SCC.CA