Inside Regulatory Affairs - December 2020

A message from Regulatory Affairs

Welcome!

Stakeholders want to know about our progress modernizing Canada's regulatory regime. With this newsletter, it is our hope that we can be more transparent about the work we do. This means more easily sharing information about the initiatives we are working on or have undertaken.

In September 2020, the Governor General of Canada delivered the Speech from the Throne to open the second session of the 43^rd Parliament and outline the government’s agenda. The Speech reaffirmed the government's support for businesses affected by the pandemic. It identified how the government intends to help businesses adapt for the future and thrive.

Regulatory modernization will play a crucial role in Canada's economic recovery. Since the onset of the pandemic, federal departments and agencies have provided increased flexibilities to help businesses refocus their approaches and adopt new solutions.

We have also taken actions to improve Canada's regulatory system, but more can be done to improve transparency, reduce administrative burden and harmonize regulations that maintain high standards for health, safety, and the environment, and improve the competitiveness of Canadian businesses. These commitments continue to be a priority.  

We look forward to working with you and seeking your feedback on our efforts.

- Regulatory Affairs Sector

Report to Parliament on initiatives to improve Canada’s regulatory system

In December, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, President of the Treasury Board, tabled the Annual Report to Parliament for the 2019 to 2020 Fiscal Year: Federal Regulatory Management Initiatives.

The report outlines the net benefit of regulations made by the Governor in Council in 2019-20. It reports on the one-for-one rule and the number of administrative requirements in federal regulations.

Update on the 2019 Public Consultation on Regulatory Modernization

In June of 2019, we launched a consultation in Canada Gazette, Part I inviting input from stakeholders on 4 regulatory modernization initiatives:

• Targeted Regulatory Reviews (Round 2);
• RAnnual Report to Parliament for the 2019 to 2020 Fiscal Year: Federal Regulatory Management Initiativeseview of the Red Tape Reduction Act;
• EA message from Regulatory Affairsxploring options to legislate changes to regulator mandates; and
• SA message from Regulatory Affairsuggestions for the next annual Regulatory Modernization Bill.

WA message from Regulatory Affairse received over 100 submissions as part of this consultation. Read our “What We Heard” report to learn about the feedback we received and how it informs the direction of regulatory modernization initiatives.

The review of the Red Tape Reduction Act

TBS is undertaking a review of the Red Tape Reduction Act (RTRA) - the Act that aims to reduce regulatory burdens on businesses. This review will also explore how we can reduce administrative burden and encourage regulators to consider regulatory efficiency and competitiveness.

Initial consultations were held in June 2019 via the Canada Gazette. Learn more about the key themes that we heard through this consultation in the regulatory modernization what we heard report.

Center of expertise to support innovation in regulations

In 2019, TBS launched the Centre for Regulatory Innovation (CRI), a group which works with regulators and businesses to identify opportunities for regulatory experimentation that encourage innovation and competitiveness without compromising consumer trust and confidence.

The CRI responds to recommendations from Canada’s Economic Strategy Tables aimed at improving the regulatory environment for businesses – including the need for greater exploration and use of sandboxes and pilots to ensure the regulatory system keeps pace with technological advances.

The CRI is now fully operational,  connecting businesses with relevant regulators and supporting them in bringing new and emerging technologies into the Canadian marketplace.

Learn more about the Centre for Regulatory Innovation and how you can participate in a regulatory experiment.

Improving consultations in a digital age

The Government of Canada is improving how it collects feedback on proposed regulations published in the Canada Gazette, Part I.

In line with its commitment under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the Government of Canada is developing a new online regulatory consultation feature to strengthen the transparency and accountability of Canada’s regulatory consultation process.

Stakeholders and other interested parties will be able to submit comments on regulatory proposals online. All comments received will be publicly available.

This new online platform is currently under development and will be available through the Canada Gazette in 2021.

Streamlining regulatory requirements across jurisdictions

Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC)

Earlier this year, the Canada – U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) announced a new set of RCC Work Plans for the 2019-2020 cycle. The development of these work plans was the result of discussions held with regulators in Washington, D.C., on September 24, 2019.

Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement- Regulatory Cooperation Forum (RCF)

The second Canada-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) Regulatory Cooperation Forum (RCF) took place on February 3-4, 2020 in Ottawa, Canada, which included a meeting to debrief stakeholders on all active work plan items. The next annual RCF will be organized out of Brussels, Belgium in early 2021.

Canadian Free Trade Agreement: Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table (RCT)

Since launching the first round of workplans in 2018, the RCT has made progress in several areas. The 2019 RCT annual report provides a full summary of the RCT’S recent accomplishments.

You can find out more about on the work of the RCT, including the items on the 2020-21 work plan by visiting the Canada Free Trade Agreement website.  

Working to improve Canada’s regulatory system

This year has proven to be one of the most challenging yet. The pandemic has been a stark reminder of the importance of regulations in safeguarding and supporting public health. It also exposed new challenges and great opportunities.

We recognize that businesses are focused on recovery and may have insight on how regulatory modernization can support their efforts. As such, we welcome your input and recommendations on how we can improve Canada’s regulatory system and support post-pandemic recovery. Send us an [[1]] or a tweet!

Future updates on regulatory affairs

Our sector is undertaking work in many key areas to advance regulatory modernization, including performing targeted Regulatory Reviews on high-growth sectors across and working with an external advisory committee to improve Canada’s regulatory competitiveness.

While we do not currently have any news we can share, we look forward to providing you with updates on our other initiatives in future iterations of this newsletter.

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