9. Accreditation Requirements

9.1 Accreditation scope and Mutual Recognition

9.1.1 The certifying body shall only be accredited for product classes covered by standards regarding the targeted designation.

9.1.2 The accredited bodies must automatically and unconditionally accept the certification decisions made by:

1. any other CARTV-accredited certifier when it concerns domestic (Québec) products, certified in accordance with the same specification manual when they are traded within Québec; or
2. any other CFIA-accredited certifiers when it concerns Canadian products, certified in accordance with the same specification manual when they are traded within Canada.

9.2 Information on Operators

9.2.1 Any certifying body accredited by the Board must regularly update information regarding each operator who is under his supervision.

9.2.2 The body shall forward to the CARTV, and throughout the year, all information updated on March 31, June 30, September 31 and December 31. Information must be passed on to the CARTV 15 days, at the latest, after the above-mentioned dates.

9.2.3 Information required by the CARTV is listed in Appendix C of this section and applies to any company falling under any of the following categories:

1. A company holding a compliance certificate for the certified products they sell;
2. A company having subcontractor status with another operator whose products are certified;
3. A company holding an approval of services certificate;
4. A company holding a verification of ingredients certificate for one or more products;
5. A company holding an approval of inputs certificate.

9.3 Annual Report

9.3.1 After each calendar year, all accredited organizations shall submit to the Accreditation Committee an annual report containing the following:

1. An update of documents required to obtain accreditation, and included on the list the CARTV transmits to certifying bodies each year;
2. All major changes that took place during the previous year and that have affected administrative structures and directors, including the organization’s managers and committee members, with names of persons having been newly appointed;
3. All modifications made to policies, internal procedures and regulations governing the organization and its certification system;
4. For Québec and Canadian products (according to the accreditation scope granted), the number of certificates newly issued, renewed, suspended and withdrawn, listed by operator category and under the program concerned (CARTV, USDA, CFIA);
5. List of all filed appeals pertaining to certification decisions handed down by the organization and regarding products that originated from Québec operators;
6. Copy of the registry containing complaints against the organization, and the registry containing complaints about operators licensed to do business in Québec or Canada (according to the granted accreditation scope);
7. Copy of the registry containing exemptions granted to operators who are licensed to do business in Québec and including the following information, at a minimum:
   • Nature of exemption
   • Period of validity
   • Grounds upon which decision was based.
8. A short financial statement showing the organization’s income and expenses regarding its overall certification activities during the period covered, along with details on income obtained from its certification activities within the province of Québec or within Canada (accoding to the granted accreditation scope).

9.3.2 The certifying body's annual report shall be signed by authorized personnel.

9.3.3 The annual report must be submitted to the Accreditation Committee during the first quarter following the end of the certification program's fiscal year. The Accreditation Committee may demand any relevant document to maintain the accreditation status.