Inside Regulatory Affairs - April 2021
Welcome back!
This past year has been nothing short of challenging. The pandemic has had a significant impact on governments, businesses, and citizens alike. And yet, amidst a period of great uncertainty, it is important to take stock of our progress and look towards the future.
February 4th, 2021 marked the 10th anniversary of the Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC). A significant milestone achieved through the collaborative efforts of Canadian and American regulators as well as our dedicated stakeholders.
We’d like to extend our sincere thanks for your incredible contributions to the success of the RCC. Your efforts have helped align regulations, remove barriers to trade, and strengthen the Canada-U.S. relationship, all while maintaining the health and safety of Canadians and the environment.
We look forward to our continued collaboration with Canadian businesses, industry, NGOs, and other government partners as we work to strengthen Canada’s economic future and pursue regulatory cooperation with the United States.
- Regulatory Affairs Sector
The way you comment on proposed regulations is getting easier
In our last issue, we highlighted the work being done to improve how the Government of Canada collects feedback on proposed regulations published in the Canada Gazette, Part I.
Earlier this month, the Canada Gazette began implementing a new regulatory commenting feature for a selection of proposed regulations in Canada Gazette, Part I. This feature will:
· allow stakeholders to review proposed regulations and submit their comments directly on the Canada Gazette, Part I webpage.
· increase transparency and accountability of the regulatory process. Once the consultation period is closed, stakeholder comments will be published in the Canada Gazette.
This new commenting feature will have the added benefit of generating a better understanding of the regulatory concerns and challenges of Canadians and stakeholders.
We will implement the new feature over the Spring and Summer using selected proposed regulations and seek feedback from regulators and stakeholders. Share your thoughts and experiences using these new features via email.
The Centre for Regulatory Innovation (CRI) encourages collaboration between businesses and regulators and is currently exploring how it can better support innovation using regulatory sandboxes, experiments, or the co-development of regulations.
If you are bringing new products or services to market and are having trouble navigating the regulatory landscape, we want to hear from you!
Tell us how the CRI can help businesses navigate the federal regulatory regime. Email us or visit our webpage to get in-touch.
Update on Targeted Regulatory Reviews
Despite the pandemic, regulators have continued to make progress on their commitments from the first round of regulatory reviews. Check out the Regulatory Roadmaps for Round 1 to see the progress made in the following sectors:
International cooperation to unlock potential of emerging technologies
At a November 2020 panel hosted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and World Economic Forum, the President of the Treasury Board, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, joined ministers from six other countries in signing on to the Agile Nations Charter. This established a forum for countries to collaborate on regulating new and emerging technologies.
The countries that signed the charter agreed to work together to help businesses navigate regulatory systems, test new ideas, scale innovations across markets, and compete globally.
Regulatory information, just a few clicks away
Having troubles finding information about federal regulations? Here’s a tip to help you find the information you are looking for.
Most federal departments have an "acts and regulations" webpage. You can usually find it under the corporate information section on their Canada.ca main page.
Each webpage includes information that could be helpful to your organization or business, including:
- a list of regulations that the department or agency administers; and
- potential changes to federal regulations.
