If you’re preparing for an NDT certification exam in Canada, you may have heard that the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) has closed. The standard on your exam guide, CAN/CGSB-48.9712, carries its name, so it’s fair to ask whether your exam, your application or your existing certification is affected.
The short answer: nothing changes for candidates right now. Here’s why, and what to watch for.
What is happening to CGSB?
CGSB was a federal body that published Canadian standards, including the one used for NDT personnel certification. The federal Budget 2025 announced that CGSB would be wound down, and its operations ended on April 1, 2026.
CGSB published the standard. It never certified anyone. Certification is done by one of the Canadian certification bodies Natural Resources Canada’s National NDT Certification Body (NRCan NDTCB) and the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB), which remain in place.
Who looks after the NDT standard now?
NRCan, through CanmetMATERIALS, is setting up a small standards-development function to keep selected NDT standards going, including CAN/CGSB-48.9712. A transfer of CGSB’s rights to the standard gives NRCan the basis to take over its custodianship, and the CGSB specialist who looked after NDT standards has moved to NRCan. CanmetMATERIALS says more details will follow in the coming months.
Is CAN/CGSB-48.9712 still valid?
Yes. NRCan has stated that CAN/CGSB-48.9712-2022 remains active and valid, with no interruption during the transition. NRCan’s certification services continue as normal.
It also helps to know what the standard actually is. CAN/CGSB-48.9712-2022 is ISO 9712:2021, the international standard for qualifying and certifying NDT personnel, adopted in Canada word for word. That’s what “(ISO 9712, IDT)” means on NRCan documents: IDT stands for identical. CINDE describes ISO 9712 as the foundation of NDT certification in Canada. The closure changes who publishes the Canadian version, not what’s in it.
Will the standard change?
Not soon. ISO’s systematic review of ISO 9712 was scheduled to begin in October 2026. Canada’s own review deadline has been extended to two years after ISO either confirms the current edition or publishes a new one. So any new Canadian edition is likely years away, and the name may change when NRCan republishes it. If it does, expect a transition period like the one in 2024, when the 2014 edition gave way to the 2022 edition.
What should candidates do?
- Keep preparing as planned. The CGSB closure hasn’t changed exam content, exam format or certification requirements.
- Use current NRCan guides and forms. They still refer to CAN/CGSB-48.9712. Download them from NRCan’s forms and exam guides page.
- Know that you have options for certification. NRCan isn’t the only certification body. CWB Group is accredited to certify NDT personnel to CAN/CGSB-48.9712 and ISO 9712, but it doesn’t cover every method, so check that yours is offered before you apply.
- Check NRCan’s NDT pages for updates before you apply, as more details on the transition are expected.
How On Demand Training is handling it
Our practice exams follow the CAN/CGSB-48.9712 (ISO 9712) exam scheme, and the questions don’t depend on which organization publishes the standard. If anything changes that affects the exams, we’ll update the practice exams and post an update here.
Sources
- NRCan NDTCB: official clarification concerning the changes at the CGSB (April 2026)
- CINDE news
- CWB Group: NDT personnel certification
Last updated: November 11, 2026. This article summarizes public information from NRCan, CINDE and CWB Group; it isn’t official guidance. Always check with your certification body before you apply.