Our mandate is to ensure the integrity and accuracy of trade measurement in Canada through the administration and enforcement of the Weights and Measures Act and Regulations and the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act and Regulations.
Mission
Our mission is to ensure equity and accuracy where goods and services are bought and sold on the basis of measurement, in order to contribute to a fair and competitive marketplace for Canadians.
Fair measure for all — Transcript
(Measurement Canada signature and Canada wordmark)
(Music up)
(People cross a street at an urban intersection.)
Female voice-over: Canadians perform thousands of transactions based on measurement each day.
(A woman pumps gas into her vehicle followed by close up footage of a gas pump indicator with a Measurement Canada inspection sticker on it. Close up footage of a retail food scale shows it being calibrated by a man. A man tests an airport baggage scale and then counter agents talk with customers.)
We have confidence in the fairness and accuracy of these transactions because businesses are required by law to measure their products and services accurately—to make sure their customers get what they pay for.
(A digital sign displays stock market points and then time-lapse footage shows traffic and pedestrians at an urban intersection.)
This trust in transactions is essential to the stability and prosperity of our economy.
(Parliament Hill and East Block are panned over from a bird's-eye-view.)
The federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over trade measurement in Canada.
(The camera pans-out from an exterior sign with the Measurement Canada corporate signature and Canada wordmark on it. The video cuts to a crude oil pump surrounded by farmland. A man takes notes while performing an inspection followed by close-up footage of a volumetric prover being inspected.)
Measurement Canada, an agency of Industry Canada, develops and administers the laws and requirements governing measurement-based transactions.
(A forklift places a load of packages on an industrial platform floor scale in a warehouse. Close-up footage shows a grocery checkout scale being sealed. A woman scoops loose bulk food product into a paper bag.)
The goal: to uphold confidence in Canada's marketplace— ensuring consumers get what they pay for.
(A metrologist tests a scale in a laboratory. Test standards are being placed on scales.)
All approved measuring devices must be inspected and certified before use.
(A woman tests a prototype gas pump inside of a laboratory and then a man tests a natural gas meter inside of a laboratory. A logging truck drives over a truck scale followed by footage of a man inspecting a gas pump at a gas station. The video cuts to footage of various measuring devices: a close-up of an electricity meter on a home, a man inspecting a truck meter used to measure petroleum, and a close-up of a natural gas meter.)
Measurement Canada evaluates and certifies all prototype measuring devices like scales, gas pumps, electricity meters, volume-measuring devices and natural gas meters.
(A Measurement Canada truck pulls up at a gas station. A man then inspects a gas pump followed by a man working on the wiring of a measuring device. An inspector discusses a non-compliant measuring device with its owner and then a woman performs a follow-up inspection of a different measuring device, followed by a man inspecting a retail food scale at a grocery store.)
Then, these devices must be inspected at regular intervals to ensure they continue to measure accurately. When a device is measuring improperly, it is the owner's legal responsibility to have it repaired. Follow-up inspections ensure that the problems have been corrected.
(The video switches to animation and three icons appear representing monetary penalties, legal requirements and court-imposed fines.)
Owners who do not comply with the requirements will be issued monetary penalties and could be subject to court-imposed fines.
(Black and white footage shows an old, analogue gas pump measuring in gallons which fades into footage of a new, digital gas pump indicator. Two men inspect a dairy meter. Animated figures of men with hard hats pop up across an animated map of Canada.)
In response to a continually changing and growing Canadian marketplace, Measurement Canada grants qualified organizations— known as authorized service providers—the authority to certify the accuracy of measuring devices and standards.
(Two clips show workers inspecting truck mounted meters, and then footage shows a Measurement Canada inspector talking outside next to an electricity meter.)
Measurement Canada oversees the work of these organizations, continually monitoring their performance and taking corrective action when necessary.
(An upset woman sits in her living room and reads her electricity bill. The footage cuts to a close-up of the electricity bill. Employees at a Measurement Canada office review complaints of inaccurate measurement. A Measurement Canada inspector tests a measuring device.)
Consumers and businesses may sometimes feel they have received an inaccurate measurement. In such cases, they can file a complaint with Measurement Canada who will investigate and undertake any necessary corrective action.
(An animated blue and white globe rotates to show North America. The globe disappears and a megaphone icon appears along with a speech bubble icon and finally a gear icon, representing technical elements.
The agency also represents Canada on the world stage, demonstrating leadership through ongoing participation in international forums and technical committees.
(An animated zigzag line appears and then becomes a straight horizontal line. The line then turns into a positive increasing line graph around which dollar signs appear.)
Measurement Canada's efforts help align Canada with global standards, reducing trade barriers and boosting economic competitiveness.
(A metrologist tests a natural gas meter at a Measurement Canada laboratory. The footage cuts to a close-up of test standards being placed on top of one another on a grocery store scale.)
Measurement Canada is committed to ensuring equity, fairness and accuracy in measurement.
(The video shows people crossing a street at an urban intersection.)
Canadians can depend on it.
(Copyright declaration and Canada wordmark)
Strategic vision
Measurement Canada's strategic vision for 2021-2026
Weights and measures legislation
The Weights and Measures Act and Regulations set the rules for the purchase and sale of measured products and services. The Act requires that:
- measuring devices be approved for use in Canada
- approved and certified measuring devices be used in measurement-based financial transactions (trade measurement)
- the accuracy of measuring devices be recertified in accordance with the time periods stipulated in the Regulations
- owners and operators ensure their measuring devices measure accurately and are not used in a fraudulent manner
- the quantities declared for products bought and sold on the basis of measurement be accurate within prescribed limits of error
- only units of measurement described in the Act be used in commercial transactions.
Electricity and gas inspection legislation
The Electricity and Gas Inspection Act and Regulations set the rules for the purchase and sale of electricity and natural gas, and define units for energy measurement. The Act requires that:
- electricity and natural gas meters be approved for use in Canada
- only approved and verified meters are used to determine the amount of electricity or natural gas consumed
- the accuracy of electricity and natural gas meters be verified in accordance with the time periods stipulated in the Regulations.