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The Metric Commission (), formally the Preparatory Commission for the Conversion to the Metric System, was a Canadian government agency established by the
The Metric Commission (), formally the Preparatory Commission for the Conversion to the Metric System, was a Canadian government agency established by the federal government
A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
in 1971 to facilitate Canada's conversion to the metric system from the imperial system of weights and measures and to educate the public on the metric system.
The Commission was formed following the release of "The White Paper on Metric Conversion", a January 1971 federal government document which noted most nations had adopted the metric system and anticipated that the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
would do likewise.
The commission's logo was designed by Gottschalk+Ash Toronto, designed by Stuart Ash, and licensed for use on any metric products (such as rulers). It is based on the logo of the 1967 Canadian Centennial by the same firm.
A number of Progressive Conservative Members of Parliament had vocally opposed the metric system
The metric system is a system of measurement that standardization, standardizes a set of base units and a nomenclature for describing relatively large and small quantities via decimal-based multiplicative unit prefixes. Though the rules gover ...
during the previous Liberal government of Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...
. Dennis Braithwaite of the ''Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division.
...
'' criticized metrification in the media.
The agency was abolished on March 31, 1985, early in the mandate of a new Progressive Conservative government that came to office in the 1984 federal election. This followed the abolition of the United States Metric Board by President Ronald Reagan in 1982. The Metric Commission was replaced by a small metric office within Industry Canada. By October of that year, the metric office became the Measurement Information Division of Industry Canada, and staff numbers were significantly decreased. In April 1988, the Measurement Information Division was shut down. The Metric Commission Order remains in force under the Industry Canada Act and reports to the Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs.
See also
*Imperial and US customary measurement systems
The imperial and US customary measurement systems are both derived from an earlier English system of measurement which in turn can be traced back to Ancient Roman units of measurement, and Carolingian and Saxon units of measure.
The US Custom ...
* Metrication in Canada
* Metrication in the United States
Metrication is the process of introducing the International System of Units, also known as SI Units, SI units or the metric system, to replace a jurisdiction's traditional measuring units. United States customary units, U.S. customary units h ...
References
{{Authority control Former Canadian federal departments and agencies Metrication in Canada Government agencies established in 1971 1985 disestablishments in Canada 1971 establishments in Canada Government agencies disestablished in 1985