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CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - NOVEMBER 2015MARKETINGbusinesses are 36 per cent more likely to export if they use international stan- dards. More than half the organizations surveyed said that technical informa- tion was made more accessible through using standards and another three- quarters said using standards had en- hanced their reputation. But standards aren’t just good for businesses, they are good for the national economy. The BSI report found that the use of standards accounted for 28.4 per cent of growth in the UK’s GDP, a 37.4 per cent growth in its productivity and an increase of 6.1 billion pounds (approximately 12.2 billion Canadian dollars) in UK exports annually.Today, approximately 80 per cent of the world’s trade is affected by stan- dards and countries around the world are catching on to the fact that using — and developing — standards can give them a leg up. Emerging economies are already looking toward involvement in international standards development as a way to assert their influence in the global marketplace and to meet their own domestic policy goals and objec- tives. And it is working. Countries like China, India and Russia are increasing- ly filling positions on technical commit- tees of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Inter- national Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). In fact, China is offering incen- tives and rewards for technical expertsparticipating in standards develop- ment and is increasingly assuming sec- retariat or leadership roles on commit- tees and sub committees vacated by other countries. On the other hand, the number of Canadian experts sitting on international technical committees isn’t increasing — just more than 3,000 Ca- nadians now sit on ISO and IEC com- mittees. But it’s not merely about get- ting more experts involved. It is about finding the right experts to sit on the committees that will bring the greatest benefit to Canada.“If it doesn’t change, our voice — and our needs — will not be heard,” says Girard. “It should be growing but it’s not.”SECURING A PLACE FOR CANADA AT THE INTERNATIONAL TABLE“Canada is badly lagging behind most industrialized nations right now. We need to step up, to show leader- ship,” says Girard. “In French, we would say ‘Les absents ont toujours tort’. Those that are not at the table are always wrong. If you are not at the ta- ble, it is guaranteed that your views are not going to be reflected.”Sylvie Lafontaine, the vice presi- dent of SCC’s Standards Solutions Branch agrees. She says Canada has some work to do if it wants to catch up82| Canadian Industry Online | November, 2015