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to countries where both government and industry fully understand the val- ue of standards — countries that are quickly becoming standards “makers” rather than “followers”.“I think there are other countries that just really get it, like China and Japan,” explains Lafontaine. “We are far too complacent. We are going to be subject to other economies, to other countries. We are at risk of falling be- hind other economies that are building a standards and compliance system in their country that will lead the world.”“There are dozens and dozens of promising technologies in Canada that never see the light of day. They are be- ing quashed by competitors before they are deployed internationally because we were not at the table when the right international standard was designed,” says Girard.Walter points to fine bubble tech- nology as a perfect example. Discovered several years ago by Japanese industry, this innovative technology allows for the use of up to 90 per cent less water to clean products — from floors to in- dustrial machinery — through the in- jection of ultra-fine air bubbles into the water. The water also doesn’t freeze so it can be used as a chemical-free deicing agent for airplanes, which has particu- lar relevance here in Canada. But since Japan took the lead in the developmentof the technology and the development of the resulting international standard, Canada is being left out in the cold.“Because they proposed the (ISO) technical committee, they were able to select the chair of the committee and the secretariat,” explains Walter. “So now we have a new technology that is going to be used worldwide and Japan is going to control the initial product; Japan is going to control the standard by which it is used, and they are going to continue to be ahead of everyone else in the world.”That is the kind of lead role Wal- ter would like see Canada taking in the future. But deciding which areas to concentrate SCC’s attention on, and its scarce resources, is the challenge.“We should not be trying to lead the way in areas where international standards are already well-known, well-supported and well-used. There is no point in recreating existing stan- dards,” says Walter. “Where I think we do need to look is where Canadian in- dustries have the particular expertise or advantage.”GETTING THE STANDARDS MESSAGE OUT TO CANADIAN INDUSTRYSCC has been working hard toNovember, 2015 | Canadian Industry Online |83