The Bureau de normalisation du Québec: 60 years of service!

Serving Québec since 1961

In 1961, a Standards and Specifications Committee was set up in the Québec Department of Industry and Commerce. The committee’s work focused mainly on specifications and some standards. After undergoing a few name changes, the organization is now the Bureau de normalisation du Québec and has been since 1966, a sign of the growing interest in standards.

Today, the BNQ employs close to 70 people and concentrates its activities on seven business sectors: the agri-food industry, the environment, forestry, business management, infrastructures and urban life, protection and safety, and health and well-being at work.

For the last six decades, the BNQ has encouraged innovation and improvement in the quality of products and services within Québec’s businesses and organizations. To date, it has introduced more than 200 standards and has certified more than 2000 organizations.

The BNQ is the only organization accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) to develop standards in Québec. Moreover, it represents Québec in national and international standardization bodies.

A few highlights

The BNQ’s strengths today

In 60 years, the BNQ has become a leader in standardization and certification, notably through the rigorous work of its qualified personnel, its network of experienced subcontractors, and its highly dedicated volunteer committee members.

The BNQ has an extended network of contributors. It works hand in hand with an innovative ecosystem to turn an idea, through expert consensus, into a standard in order to assess products, services, processes, and management systems. Recognized by a number of accreditors, the BNQ’s team is now the Québec reference in establishing conformity assessment programs and monitoring compliance with standards in the field.

 The BNQ, a leader for 60 years!