Regulatory cooperation in Canada

What is regulatory cooperation?

Regulatory cooperation is a process where governments work together to:

• adopt international standards
• harmonize or align regulations
• share information and experiences
• reduce unnecessary regulatory differences
• eliminate duplicative requirements and processes

This process applies to a range of regulatory activities, including:

• inspections
• certification
• policy development
• product and testing approvals
• adoption and development of standards

Cooperation also extends to industry. If you have encountered a regulatory barrier or know of an opportunity to enhance health, safety, security and environmental protection through regulatory cooperation, help us improve by reporting a barrier.

Global discussions

We aim to advance regulatory cooperation globally by participating in fora such as the:

• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
• Organisation for Economic Cooperation
• Development and the World Trade Organisation

Regulatory Cooperation Tables

• Canadian Free Trade Agreement: Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table
• The Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council
• Canada-European Union Regulatory Cooperation Forum
• Agile Nations