Evidence of meeting #4 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was standard.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Through you, Mr. Chair, to Mr. Girard, my first question is just to clarify.
Are auto sector standards not done by you at all? Are they done by Transport?
4:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Strategy, Standards Council of Canada
Yes, and by other standards development organizations based mostly in the U.S.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
Thank you.
What direction, if any, have you received from the new government since November 4 in regard to the future of your organization?
4:15 p.m.
Vice-President, Strategy, Standards Council of Canada
We have not received any specific guidance or direction, other than that collaboration is extremely important now and our focus should be on supporting innovation. That's certainly something that the new administration looks at very favourably.
We believe we can contribute to that in the way that I explained earlier in my testimony: by helping innovators access global markets through supportive standards.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
Okay.
Why isn't your annual report from 2014-15 on your website?
4:20 p.m.
Vice-President, Strategy, Standards Council of Canada
I don't know. I believe it is.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
I have here 2013-14 and those backdated from there. I don't have 2014-15. What's the standard for your reporting on the organization?
4:20 p.m.
Vice-President, Strategy, Standards Council of Canada
I will have to get back to you, because my understanding was that the most recent annual report and the corporate plan were accessible on our website. Let me get back to you on that.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
Yes, if you could.
There were a couple of items in the 2013-14 report in terms of a reduction in expenses on a couple of items, based on the “limited internal technical resource base, as well as difficulty” getting “external experts” to undertake studies, etc. Further down, on the next page, it's actually stated that expenses were “$2.1 million higher” than the year before, based on an increase in salaries and benefits. So we were unable to get the people to fulfill the mandate that you had given yourselves that year, yet we paid more money in salaries and benefits than we had expected, by roughly $2.1 million.
That, to me, is a concern in terms of how we're running an organization. I can't know what the outcome or the effect is if I don't have the latest information, if you will, in terms of annual reports.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
The next question I'd like to ask is in terms of how we've all heard from manufacturers who were coming in and talking about standards and regulations of many types. I heard from one a couple of weeks ago who used a concrete mixer as an example. You go to Home Depot for one, or somebody brings in their own, and you're mixing concrete. In Europe, the guard so that you don't get your hand stuck is a certain size for the little squares, and in Canada it's another size. It creates significant issues for them in terms of what they're building on the line and the equipment they need in order to facilitate exports.
Are these the types of things you would be able to tackle? If so, what is the process for us as we hear about these from the industries? What's the process for us handing those off to you?
Do we have to come to this committee, Mr. Chair?
Or can we just write direct emails? Or is it the actual manufacturer or industry that needs to provide that information?
4:20 p.m.
Vice-President, Strategy, Standards Council of Canada
Well, I think we're very open to respond and investigate on your behalf if there are issues that have been raised by a particular industry sector. That's our job.
4:20 p.m.
Vice-President, Strategy, Standards Council of Canada
The question always is, is the standard truly voluntary or is it part of a regulation? If it's part of a regulation, then we need to involve the regulatory authorities. Sometimes it's federal, but for these it could be provincial too.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
Absolutely.
I have about 30 seconds left. Have you seen any obstructive behaviour in relation to using standards in other countries in some sort of trade dispute, or because they're voluntary, that doesn't happen?
February 25th, 2016 / 4:20 p.m.
Stephen Head Manager, Strategy, Standards Council of Canada
We work quite closely with counterparts on various trade issues. We have an agreement with the European regional standards organizations, CEN and CENELEC, that have helped to resolve some trade issues, because often the voluntary standards we deal with do end up in regulations, and it can become a trade issue at that point.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
Can we get a copy of those for the last couple of years just to be able to understand what they are?
I'm done. I'm over my time. Sorry, Mr. Chair.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Dan Ruimy
That's okay. Thank you very much.
Would you also be able to send the annual report to the clerk? We can pass it around to everybody.
4:20 p.m.
Vice-President, Strategy, Standards Council of Canada
The 2015-16 annual report, right?
4:20 p.m.
Vice-President, Strategy, Standards Council of Canada
The 2014-15 one? The 2014-15 report was tabled in Parliament.
4:20 p.m.
An hon. member
It's not on the website.