Inside Regulatory Affairs - June 2021

Welcome back!

While it hasn't been long since our last issue, there are already new updates to share. On April 19th, the government tabled its annual Budget and with it, provided funding to key regulatory initiatives. With the continuation of these initiatives, Canada's federal regulatory system is well positioned for the future.

As with all our work, input from our stakeholders and partners is critical. We want to thank each of you for your continued collaboration and engagement and hope that we can continue to count on it moving forward.

Charting new Paths: the launch of the Regulatory Reviews Round 2 Roadmaps

On June 22^nd, departments published their Regulatory Roadmaps from the second round of the Targeted Regulatory Reviews.

The Roadmaps focus on Clean Technology, Digitalization & Technology Neutral Regulations, and International Standards. Each Roadmap lays out a plan of action to modernize regulations in support of economic growth and innovation in these three areas.

We are also pleased to share that Budget 2021 has provided funding to continue our work on the Targeted Regulatory Reviews for two more years. Later this year, we will be launching a third round of Regulatory Reviews, with a focus on accelerating Canada’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lastly, we wanted to take a moment to thank all of our stakeholders who shared their feedback on this initiative in our consultation last year.

Creating a more transparent regulatory process

Looking to provide feedback on a proposed regulation?  The Canada Gazette, Part I continues to roll out new features designed to make the process of commenting on proposed regulations easier and more transparent. Learn about how you can comment on proposed regulations using this new system.

Have you already used the new commenting system? The team behind this tool is testing out new functionalities that will further improve the user experience and would like to hear from you! Send us an email and share your experiences and ideas on how we can continue to improve this tool.

Completion of the External Advisory Committee’s initial mandate

In 2019, the External Advisory Committee on Regulatory Competitiveness (EACRC) was launched to identify ways to encourage regulatory competitiveness and support modernization.  

The committee completed its mandate in March and recently published its last letter of advice to the President of the Treasury Board, providing recommendations to support:

• Regulatory response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Round 3 of the Targeted Regulatory Reviews;
• Innovation and digitalization; and
• Consultation and engagement activities.

While the initial mandate of the committee is complete, the government’s latest Budget has committed funds to launch a new expert advisory committee.

Stay tuned for updates on this committee and its membership.

Have your say: let’s talk federal regulations

This summer, the Regulatory Affairs Sector at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat will be launching ongoing consultations on modernizing Canada's federal regulatory system.

Using an online engagement platform, stakeholders will be invited to provide insight into several regulatory modernization initiatives over the next year.  

If you want to get updates on this consultation and how to participate, subscribe to our mailing list.