Industry committee  When it comes to our assessment, we refer to 70%. On crucial points, you have to have 100%. Not 70% for each exam question. Some points have to do with the way to carry out an audit, and for those you need 100%. There can be no failure. However, there is some margin for issues like marking or completing documents.

Industry committee  To explain the process for the authorization of service providers, first of all I'd like to point out what the dynamic is in the marketplace. These service providers are small organizations across the country. I think we've made available to the committee a map that shows where the ones that are already recognized are, and you can see that they're located right across the country.

Industry committee  I think I've described the qualification process at length. It requires quite a few steps and hurdles, if we can call them that, to actually become recognized. Once recognized, we have what we refer to as audit teams in each of our regions. We have some 26 people who are full-time auditors at Measurement Canada, and their job is to follow up on the work that is done by these recognized technicians.

Industry committee  We have been tracking where they are located, through maps, for two reasons: to make sure they are moving to the remote locations—which has been happening—and also to see that we have a number of companies in each region, so we do get that competition. While we don't track what they charge—and we've just done a survey to find that out—we are seeing that we're getting a number of companies coming into the various regions.

Industry committee  The process is one whereby the technicians must receive training from Measurement Canada. Training depends on the device types that they will be inspecting. Typically we're talking four to five days in length for each device type. Following the training they must successfully complete a theoretical evaluation, receiving a 75% mark or higher.

Industry committee  It will depend on the company, on the authorized service provider. There are some authorized service providers who do only inspections. Some of them will offer repair services. They will do maintenance work on the equipment. It really depends on the business. The majority of the companies have been in business for a long time doing repair services for the industry, depending on what industry we're talking about.

Industry committee  I'll explain how the private inspector is set up. I think that would be helpful, to see how we get around possible conflict of interest.

Industry committee  I'll try to go quickly. First of all, with the private inspector, we authorize companies. So they have to be incorporated companies. They're not individuals. They are the authorized service providers. These companies must meet certain requirements--

Industry committee  That's right. So you must be incorporated. Certain conditions must be met. Then you would hire people who wish to be recognized technicians--that's the term we use--and to be able to do that, they have to attend training. They have to go through a theoretical examination and a practical examination.

Industry committee  For the most part, they are repair companies for the industry.

Industry committee  That's right.

Industry committee  I'll take them one at a time, because there are a few points there. Grow private inspections.... Just to be clear, the private inspectors are authorized service providers, and right now they only perform initial inspections. The point of the bill is to have them perform those mandatory inspections, which don't exist right now.

Industry committee  Well, what's happening is with the private inspectors there is follow-up, and the work they are doing is correct. But what happens with the equipment is that if it is set up and then left unattended, without the repairs, there are seasonal changes that impact on these devices and so on for a year or two, or longer.