1. Preamble

Since one of the goals of the Act Respecting Reserved Designations is to provide protection for both the designation users and consumers of products bearing the designation, the reference manual establishment program of the Conseil des appellations réservées et des termes valorisants (CARTV) seeks to balance the objectives of those in the field and the legal and regulatory obligations governing the CARTV. This should hopefully create a context in which approved reference and specification manuals may be questioned by those concerned by the designation, who are often the same parties who originally requested designation recognition. The outcome should be that amendments or additions to standards will allow these parties to adapt their standards to present-day requirements, while ensuring that they remain compliant with the basic principles underlying the regulations.