Question Period Note: REGULATORY MODERNIZATION

In response to stakeholders and businesses, Canada needs to improve its regulatory system.

• Our recent consultations have shown that Canada’s regulatory system needs to be more efficient and agile, and less burdensome.
• The 2018 Fall Economic Statement and Budget 2019 announced initiatives and funds to show our commitment to reshape the regulatory system in Canada.
• The Government is taking steps to simplify regulations, eliminate regulatory barriers, and encourage innovation.
• This will help Canadian businesses to grow, while continuing to protect Canadians’ health, safety, security and the environment.

Budget 2018 provided funding for an online regulatory consultation portal, for regulatory cooperation work with provinces and territories, and three years of funding for targeted regulatory reviews in key economic sectors. It also set out the first tranche of reviews in the health and biosciences, agri-food and aquaculture, and transportation and infrastructure sectors.
In its 2018 Fall Economic Statement, the Government announced a set of new initiatives focused on enhancing agility in the regulatory system:

• exploring making competitiveness part of regulators' mandates;
• announced the review of the Red Tape Reduction Act;
• introducing an annual Regulatory Modernization Bill;
• establishing an External Advisory Committee on Regulatory Competitiveness;
• launching a Centre for Regulatory Innovation; and
• $10 million fund to build regulatory capacity within the Government.
Budget 2019 expanded on this work by announcing the completion of the first round of targeted regulatory reviews in key economic sectors. Regulatory Roadmaps were released shortly thereafter with the results of the reviews, with over $200 million in funding allocated in support of the Roadmaps. The second round of targeted regulatory reviews is focussing on: clean technology; digitalization and technology neutrality; and international standards.
Budget 2019 also provided permanent funding to TBS to continue its leadership in promoting regulatory cooperation.
The Government introduced the first annual Regulatory Modernization Bill, through the Budget Implementation Act 2019, to eliminate outdated legislative requirements that are barriers to regulatory modernization. On May 3, 2019, the Government established the External Advisory Committee on Regulatory Competitiveness, as first outlined in the 2018 Fall Economic Statement. The Committee, which brings together business leaders, academics and consumer representatives from across the country, has already provided two recommendation letters to the President of Treasury Board, including with respect to the second round of Targeted Regulatory Reviews.

KEY FACTS • Understanding the importance of this work to Canadian businesses, the Government announced a series of new initiatives through Budget 2018, the 2018 Fall Economic Statement, and Budget 2019, focused on enhancing agility in the regulatory system and innovation in Canada.