Canada launches new platform for consultations and seeks input on regulatory barriers to trade

Regulatory cooperation is one of many tools that the government uses to improve efficiency and competitiveness in the regulatory system.

The Government of Canada works across jurisdictions and with international governments to reduce unnecessary regulatory barriers to trade and competitiveness, while continuing to protect the health, safety, environment and economic well-being of Canadians. This includes working with other governments to:

• Adopt international standards
• Harmonize or align regulations
• Share information and experiences
• Reduce unnecessary regulatory differences
• Eliminate duplicative requirements and processes

Canada is active in several regulatory cooperation tables where regulators identify opportunities for cooperation and commit to workplans that advance their cooperation goals:

• Canadian Free Trade Agreement Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table
• Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council
• Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Regulatory Cooperation Forum
• Agile Nations Regulatory Cooperation Network (consisting of Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Denmark, Singapore, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates)

Let’s Talk Federal Regulations is a pilot project that provides the opportunity to test new digital approaches to gathering stakeholder input and help reach new stakeholders who may not have engaged in previous consultations that relied upon notices published in the Canada Gazette.

The platform is simple and easy to use. Beyond the increased ease for stakeholders to provide input, the platform will also result in greater transparency for stakeholder comments since feedback from participants will be visible. This provides stakeholders an opportunity to see and build off comments from other participants as they are received.

Over the coming months, the platform will help gather input on several topics related to improving Canada’s regulatory system, including targeted regulatory reviews, and assessing needs regarding public reporting and educational materials.

A summary of the feedback received for each topic will be drafted and shared on the platform.

Other initiatives to improve federal regulations in Canada include:

• Bill S-6, An Act respecting regulatory modernization, the second Annual Regulatory Modernization, which was introduced to Parliament in March 2022. It makes common sense changes to 29 acts through 46 amendments to simplify regulatory processes, make exemptions from certain regulatory requirements to test new products, and make cross-border trade easier through more consistent and coherent rules across governments.
• Targeted regulatory reviews that examine regulations and regulatory practices to identify approaches to help test new products and uncover opportunities to address administrative burdens and simplify regulatory processes. The reviews outline approaches to address these challenges.
• The Centre for Regulatory Innovation, that supports regulatory experimentation and flexibility, and enables innovative products to more easily come to market.
• The Red Tape Reduction Act, which helps control the administrative burden that regulations impose on businesses.
• The business, consumer and academic stakeholders on the External Advisory Committee on Regulatory Competitiveness, who provide advice about how to further enhance Canada’s regulatory system.