Based on my experience with the committees, I would say that even if they are led by the government and the CGSB, it is difficult to have balanced committees.
For example, there are very few furniture testing experts in Canada. On the CGSB committees, a number of the experts come from American companies. Though it is not the only one, this is one of the reasons why I continue to be a member of these committees. Just this week, I was participating in a committee meeting through a conference call. I was the only Canadian who was able to participate in the technical aspect of this standard's development. The others are more from business. There are very few furniture laboratories in Canada.
The five largest American office furniture companies are also the five largest in the world. Each one of these companies has one or two experts. Canadian companies, which are 10 to 20 times smaller, do not have the means to hire a code and standards expert. It is therefore difficult to ensure that the committees are balanced. Because this takes constant effort, you would almost need a not-for-profit organization to ensure that the committee makeup is balanced.