About the Standards Institute

Get Involved in Standards

Our development process is open and collaborative. Take part and help shape standards in Canada and the world. 

Join a technical committee

Standards Make Sense of a Complex World

Standards are embedded throughout our lives, ensuring reliability and safety in everything from the thread of the smallest screw to the workings of a complex utility network. Without standards, we would have no product-safety security, no common technology unifying global markets and no opportunity for competition to thrive.

In an increasingly complex global economy, standards bring order and confidence by setting out common practices and technical requirements. From detailing product specifications to establishing how businesses and technologies interact, standards reduce uncertainty, encourage entrepreneurship, and accelerate progress.  

How We Develop Standards

Our process is collaborative and consensus-based. Any interested stakeholder can join our technical committees and help shape the development process.    

Step 1

Standard Proposed

Any stakeholder can make a proposal for the Digital Governance Standards Institute to develop a new standard. Proposals are considered by the Standards Policy Committee. 

Step 1

Step 2

Drafting Stage

Once a proposal is approved, it is assigned to a technical committee. A small team from that committee is charged with writing the standard’s first draft.

Step 2

Step 3

Technical Committee Comments

The draft is reviewed by all technical committee members, who can comment on any aspect they wish. All comments are considered by the full technical committee, which decides whether or not accept the amendments. It often takes several rounds of drafts and comments. 

Step 3

Step 4

Public Review

Once the committee feels the draft is mature, it moves the text to Public Review to engage the public and seek wider stakeholder input. The draft is posted on the Institute’s website and anyone interested can comment. Once the review period is over, the technical committee considers how to address the comments and whether to amend the draft further. 

Step 4

Step 5

Approval

Once it appears consensus has been achieved on the draft, the technical committee votes on whether or not to approve it. If the draft is approved it goes to second-level review and finally to the Standards Council of Canada to approve. 

Step 5

Step 6

Publication

Approved standards are published on the Institute’s website. They are made freely available to anyone implementing them in their organization. There is a charge for commercial uses. 

Step 6

How We Work

We Welcome All Stakeholders

Our technical committees include representatives of governments, regulators, industry, civil society, academics and other interested parties drawn from across Canada. 

We Are Transparent & Open

Drafts are always available to technical committee members and are made available for public review. There are no restrictions on the size of technical committees, and every member gets a vote. 

We Are Consensus-Based

We follow a deliberate, rules-based process that’s designed to balance interests.

Get Involved

Getting involved is quick and easy. Complete the form below to express your interest in joining any of our technical committees and we’ll be in touch. 

  • By joining one of our technical committees you will be able to contribute materials, review drafts and share your comments. You’ll also be able to vote on whether or not to approve the standard. 
  • The expected time commitment is 3–6 hours per month for the life of the project. You can participate from anywhere in Canada – meetings take place through video conferencing and we use dedicated Slack channels to collaborate between meetings.
  • All technical committee members must attend a 30-minute orientation session. English orientation sessions are scheduled regularly, and you will be contacted to set up your orientation session shortly. French Technical Committee Orientations are scheduled as needed. 

Join a Committee

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Not sure which committee to join? Email us at info@dgc-cgn.org and we’ll point you in the right direction. 

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