Certification and training standards for gas technicians have taken the first step towards Canada-wide harmonization. The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is leading the initiative under provisions laid out in the Canada Free Trade Agreement (CFTA).
The CFTA established a regulatory reconciliation process, overseen by the senior-level Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table (RTC). The RTC is designed to reconcile existing regulatory measures identified by parties to the CFTA that act as barrier to trade, investment, or labour mobility within Canada.
The RTC’s 2019-2020 work plan contained 29 new measures – one of which seeks to facilitate trade and the ability of gas technicians who are licensed in one province to work in others.
The Provincial-Territorial Advisory Committee (PTAC) was identified by SCC as the appropriate working group to explore this issue. The committee is expected to deliver a reconciliation agreement by the end of 2020.
A meeting was held in December with industry stakeholders to help develop the reconciliation agreement. However, participants were not optimistic that the goal can be achieved by the Dec. 2020 deadline, reported the Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI).