Training, certifying, accrediting: three different jobs
Three players are involved, and they are often confused. A consultant or trainer prepares the organization. A certification body audits the AI management system and issues the certificate. An accreditation body checks that the certification body is competent and impartial.
In Canada, the accreditation body is the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). In the United States it is ANAB or IAS; in the United Kingdom, UKAS. They assess certification bodies against ISO/IEC 17021-1 and, for AI, against ISO/IEC 42006:2025, published in July 2025. That standard adds requirements on auditors’ AI competence and on audit duration.
Bodies accredited by the Standards Council of Canada
SCC has been accrediting bodies for AI management systems since 2025 and says it is the only accreditation body in Canada to offer this program. Its public directory, filtered on “Artificial Intelligence Management Systems”, listed three bodies on October 10, 2026.
| Body | Canadian location | Accreditation status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| MHM Advisory Ltd. | Calgary (Alberta) | Granted. First SCC-accredited certification body for AI management systems, announced September 16, 2025. | SCC announcement (opens in a new tab) |
| GLI Secure (Gaming Laboratories International) | Halifax (Nova Scotia) | Granted with conditions, pending verification by SCC (scope published July 24, 2026). | Scope of accreditation (opens in a new tab) |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP | Vancouver (British Columbia) | Granted with conditions, pending verification by SCC (scope published October 30, 2025). | Scope of accreditation (opens in a new tab) |
Bodies accredited elsewhere that certify in Canada
A body accredited in the United States or the United Kingdom can certify a Canadian organization. On October 10, 2026, the ANAB directory (opens in a new tab) listed 20 bodies accredited for ISO/IEC 42001. A selection follows, including those with a Canadian office.
| Body | Accreditation | ISO/IEC 42001 since | Presence in Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSECB | IAS (MSCB-111) | In the scope in force on July 1, 2026 | Head office in Laval (Québec) |
| SGS North America | ANAB | April 23, 2025 | Mississauga (Ontario) |
| BSI | UKAS and RvA, then ANAB | UKAS and RvA in November 2025, ANAB on March 9, 2026 | Toronto (Ontario) |
| Perry Johnson Registrars | ANAB | June 20, 2026 | Windsor (Ontario) |
| Schellman Compliance | ANAB | September 23, 2024 | Not listed |
| TÜV Rheinland of North America | ANAB | September 4, 2025 | Not listed |
| DEKRA Certification | ANAB | October 16, 2025 | Not listed |
| Prescient Security | IAS (MSCB-267) | On the certificate in force (October 9, 2026) | Remote |
MSECB is the only Québec-based body we found with ISO/IEC 42001 in its scope of accreditation. It is accredited by IAS, a US accreditation body, not by SCC.
Canadian or foreign accreditation: does it matter?
We found no Canadian regulatory requirement for an SCC-accredited ISO/IEC 42001 certificate. The choice mostly depends on what your customer, contracting authority or market accepts.
Since January 1, 2026, mutual recognition between accreditation bodies runs through Global ACI, the merger of IAF and ILAC. SCC and ANAB are both signatories for management system certification in general. However, the list of standards covered specifically by the arrangement, published in August 2026, does not yet include ISO/IEC 42001.
In practice, before signing with a certification body, check the following:
- The scope of accreditation names ISO/IEC 42001:2023 and ISO/IEC 42006:2025, not only ISO/IEC 27001.
- Your customer or contracting authority accepts the proposed accreditation. Ask in writing before the audit starts.
- The assigned auditor has demonstrated AI competence, as ISO/IEC 42006 requires.
- The audit can be conducted in French if your staff work in French.
- The certificate will be verifiable in the body’s public register.
How the certification audit works
The process follows ISO/IEC 17021-1, as for ISO 9001 or ISO/IEC 27001. Durations below are indicative: they depend on scope and on the number of AI systems.
- Stage 1, typically 1 to 2 days: review of documentation and readiness.
- Gap, typically 4 to 12 weeks and no more than six months: time to fix what stage 1 found.
- Stage 2, 3 to 9 days or more: verification that the system actually works, interviews and sampling.
- Certificate valid three years, maintained by a surveillance audit at least once per calendar year, the first no later than 12 months after certification.
- Recertification in the third year.
Before stage 2, the certification body expects at least one full cycle of internal audit and management review covering AI. That is often what is missing.
Before choosing a certification body
Certification comes last. Before it you need an assessment of what your ISO 9001 or ISO/IEC 27001 system already covers, the implementation itself, then an internal audit by someone who did not take part in that implementation. That is where TechVibes comes in: ISO/IEC 42001 readiness assessment, internal audit and training, and the free guide The Bridge.