Standards Council of Canada appoints Canadian General Standards Board as international secretariat for International Organization for Standardization flagship committee on quality management

The Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) is proud to announce its appointment as the new secretariat of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) behind the world’s most widely used family of standards. International Organization for Standardization/Technical Committee 176 Quality management and quality assurance is responsible for developing the ISO 9000 Quality Management series of standards. Transition of the secretariat role from the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) to CGSB will be finalized by January 2021.

Standards Council of Canada appoints Canadian General Standards Board as international secretariat for International Organization for Standardization flagship committee on quality management.

Quality management systems enable businesses to meet the requirements and expectations of customers and interested parties. Any organization, of any size and in any sector, can use ISO 9000 to strengthen its quality management system and secure a competitive edge. ISO/TC 176 is comprised of technical experts from 120 countries and the standards developed by this committee contribute to attaining several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

"The SCC is delighted that CGSB is undertaking the role of secretariat and we look forward to supporting them as the work transitions," said Dr. Mkabi Walcott, Vice President, Standards & International Relations of SCC. "The enduring presence of Canadian leadership within influential standards committees such as this, is a testament to the value that our country brings to shaping the future of standards on the world stage."

Canada has played a key leadership role in ISO/TC 176 since its inception in 1979. At the beginning of 2020, the SCC took over direct management of the secretariat while looking for a new organization to lead on behalf of Canada. CGSB showed an early interest in assuming this leadership opportunity, as it recognizes the value of Canada continuing in this role.

"CGSB’s unique status, as a Standards Development Organization positioned within the federal government, will provide an opportunity for both the public and private sectors to jointly elevate Canada’s critical role in helping to move the quality agenda forward in Canada and abroad" said Nicholas Trudel, Director General of CGSB. "CGSB has broad experience in managing international secretariats and is looking forward to taking on this new role. This appointment will supplement the other international secretariats that CGSB already manages."

For additional information on the ISO/TC 176 Quality management and quality assurance, please contact Mark Schuessler at mark.schuessler@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca.