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Where Canada could lead the way,” he says.Canada has also started to make inroads in harmonizing standards be- tween Canada and the United States. Because our economy is so intercon- nected with our U.S. neighbour’s, the lack of harmonization between the two countries contributes to the existing price gap — a price gap that means Ca- nadians pay more than Americans for the identical products. Canadian prod- ucts often need to be tested for the US market and once again — or more than once, depending on provincial and ter- ritorial requirements — for the Cana- dian market, raising prices for Canadi- an consumers and reducing profits for companies.In the plumbing and heating in- dustry, for example, only 10 per cent of standards are currently harmonized between Canada and the United States. But SCC’s efforts to push for harmoni- zation are starting to pay off. Through the Canada-US Regulatory Coopera- tion Council the organization has been part of a pilot project to establish a com- mon plumbing standard on both sides of the border. Girard says that having one standard for both countries will re- duce the cost to the end consumer and the price gap between Canada and the United States, but is also a way of set- ting the stage for greater harmonization between our countries in all aspects oftrade for all products.But if Canada is going to remain competitive in the global economy in the years to come and maintain the qual- ity of life Canadians now have, Walter thinks it is critical that we start doing a better job of supporting innovation. If we don’t, we may find ourselves at the mercy of other countries like China and Japan that are making innovation a pri- ority.Girard agrees.“We do really need to engage with the innovators in this country so we can support them and they can get access to the right forums so that international standards will help them deploy their products,” he says. “It is going to re- quire a lot of work for us to get on track. We need to put the spotlight on stan- dards in this country if we want to suc- ceed.”“Traditionally, Canada has been a follower, not a leader,” says Walter. “Canada will step up to be a leader or Canada will be forced to use standards that are developed by and for the bene- fit of other countries and other regions.”- See more at: http://www.2020magazine. ca/en/magazine/november-december-2015/ giving-canadian-industry-the-leg-up-it- needs-to-succeed-making-the-case-for-in- ternational-standards/#sthash.6vNEQru2. dpufNovember, 2015 | Canadian Industry Online |85