AS9100 certification in Canada

AS9100 certification in Canada at a glance

AS9100 sits outside government regulation in Canada; the requirement travels down the supply chain, from aircraft and engine makers to the machine shops, coating houses and component suppliers that serve them. Purchase orders, supplier manuals and approved-supplier lists are where it appears. For defence work, Department of National Defence contracts with Quality Assurance Code Q call for compliance with ISO 9001:2015 under SACC clause D5540C, and AS9100 builds on that base with aerospace requirements such as configuration management, first article inspection, counterfeit-part prevention and product safety. Certification is issued by a certification body accredited under the aerospace scheme, and the result is recorded in the IAQG's OASIS database, which customers check. Sterling's Toronto office prepares suppliers for that audit, extending an existing ISO 9001 system or building one from the start, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included. The certification body makes the decision. Supplier questions are answered below.

Who needs AS9100 in Canada, and what happens without it

In Canada the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Machine shops and component suppliers to aircraft and engine makersAerospace primes flow AS9100 down through purchase orders.
• Defence suppliers on DND contractsSACC D5540C requires ISO 9001:2015 compliance, on which AS9100 is built.
• Maintenance and distribution businesses in aviationRelated AS9110 and AS9120 apply to maintenance and distribution.

AS9100 requirements in Canada

Strip away the vocabulary and AS9100 asks a supplier to prove six things about delivering aerospace products safely and on time.

In Canada these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: AS9100 explained →

How to get AS9100 certified in Canada

One team from the Toronto office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Delivered from the Toronto office: on-site in Ontario and by arrangement in other provinces; remote delivery for distributed teams.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against AS9100 and the Canadian requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

How long does AS9100 certification take in Canada?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Canada these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Number of sites and special processes in scope
• Maturity of configuration management, first article inspection and product safety controls
• Time to evidence on-time delivery and quality performance

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does AS9100 certification cost in Canada?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Canada these factors move both.

• Number of sites and headcount
• Special processes and customer-specific requirements
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

AS9100 consultants and certification bodies in Canada

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers AS9100 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Canada are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

AS9100 in Canada: questions clients ask

More on AS9100 for Canadian organisations

• AS9100: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement AS9100
• Sterling in Toronto
• AS9100 certification in Canada and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Canadian businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Canada often combine AS9100 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in Canada →