Question Period Note: REGULATORY REFORM

Q1 – As Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, what are the key regulatory functions you oversee? Q2 – Are there opportunities to modernize Canada’s agriculture and agri-food regulatory system? Q3 – Was the 60-day Review a new initiative? Q4 – What follows the Red Tape Progress Report? Q5 – How will AAFC ensure it contributes to red tape reduction and regulatory reform? Q6 – How is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency contributing to red tape reduction and regulatory reform?

R.1 - As Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, I oversee over 280 regulatory instruments, which derive their authority from over a dozen acts. These regulatory instruments are designed to enable the creation of programming and services including assisting producers in managing business risks; supporting marketing of agricultural products; and facilitating competitiveness and trade.
In addition, I am responsible for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's non-food safety activities, including plant and animal health, and facilitating international trade. R.2 - While Canada's agricultural science-based regulatory system is strong, there are opportunities to improve. Stakeholders have pointed to regulatory system challenges associated with complexity, unnecessary administrative burden, and long approval times for new products and technologies as a significant impediment to growth and innovation.
AAFC works closely with regulatory partners on regulatory modernization opportunities, including efforts to ensure the perspectives and realities of the agriculture and agri-food sectors are well understood. R.3 - Yes. It builds on, focusses and accelerates work that the Treasury Board Secretariat undertakes with departments and agencies on an ongoing basis to review their regulations and identify opportunities to lower the federal administrative burden on business.
This work is reported annually in the Annual Report for the 2023 to 2024 Fiscal Year: Federal Regulatory Management Initiatives. R.4 - This report, along with others from different federal regulators including Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, represents the start of federal efforts to support red tape reduction and economic growth and resiliency for the agriculture and agri-food sector.
The report also underscores the importance of a vehicle to advance red tape initiatives that require legislative modernization to facilitate regulatory changes.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada remain committed to red tape reduction, removing outdated and prescriptive rules, improving user experience, leveraging technologies, improving stakeholder engagement, and continuing to collaborate with key trading partners as we strive towards supporting economic growth and innovation in the agriculture and agri-food sector. R.5 - The sector viewed this exercise as an opportunity to re-iterate longstanding calls for regulatory modernization in the agriculture sector, as such they have made many submissions and calls for improvements.
Many of these concerns have been brought forward to AAFC through discussions at the Agile Regulations Table - known as the ART - especially broader regulatory policy issues such as cumulative burden and streamlining processes. The ART has engaged with stakeholders ranging from independent farms to national associations to better understand concerns and identify targets for alleviating cumulative regulatory burden.
AAFC routinely analyzes stakeholder input to identify areas to pursue regulatory modernization. AAFC continues to seek opportunities to improve the regulatory system, including through regulatory experimentation and pilot projects.
Furthermore, AAFC continues to ensure that the perspectives and realities of the agriculture and agri-food sector are well understood in broader discussions about regulatory, labour and supply chain challenges, and the subsequent development and implementation of solutions. R.6 - On September 8, 2025, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency published its Progress Report on Red Tape Reduction identifying 26 different actions to reduce red tape. This includes 12 actions that are complete or imminent and 14 planned actions to be advanced in the short, medium, and long term.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s approach is thoughtful and balanced. It includes a range of actions: some regulatory (10), some policy-based (13), and others focused on guidance (2) and legislative amendments (1).
The actions in the Progress Report are grouped under key themes such as: removing outdated rules, improving alignment across jurisdictions, streamlining requirements and providing flexibility, and enhancing client experience.
Already, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is demonstrating results. On October 8, 2025, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency published an omnibus regulatory package, making a series of targeted regulatory amendments that address stakeholder issues by removing prescriptive requirements, providing increased flexibility for businesses, and levelling the playing field for Canadian producers. In July 2025, the CFIA announced a priority approval process for feed products impacted by trade disruptions. This will provide quicker access to alternate sources of feed products, lower costs for farmers, and support the long-term sustainability of the feed supply chain for Canada’s agricultural sector.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency continues to receive feedback from stakeholders on opportunities to reduce red tape. While many of the actions outlined in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Progress Report respond to stakeholder issues, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will continue to consider stakeholder feedback as it seeks to reduce unnecessary red tape and support economic growth and innovation in the agricultural sector, while continuing to uphold the high standards that Canadians expect from our food safety and agricultural systems.

Canada’s agriculture and agri-food regulatory framework is considered among the most robust internationally, supported by science-based decisions, trusted food regulatory bodies, and a regulatory regime that strives to adjust to emerging challenges. These strengths can also lead to complexity which can be challenging for businesses and producers to navigate and perceived as limiting for economic growth, innovation, and competitiveness.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has been working with other regulators – primarily the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada and its Pest Management Regulatory Agency – to address regulatory challenges facing the sector. This includes following the Cabinet Directive on Regulation (developing, managing, reviewing) and the Red Tape Reduction Act (2015).
On July 9, 2025, the President of the Treasury Board launched a 60-day review of regulations across departments and agencies with regulatory responsibilities. AAFC and its portfolio partners welcomed this opportunity to highlight efforts to modernize agriculture regulations – to reduce red tape, improve service delivery, and support innovation – without compromising the health, safety, or environment for Canadians.
On September 8, 2025, AAFC and other regulators published their progress reports on red tape reduction. Through a variety of initiatives outlined in its report, AAFC is working to support a more streamlined and agile approach to the regulatory system. Looking ahead, AAFC’s report also highlights many important areas of regulatory and legislative modernization which will drive our agenda forward. Canada’s Red Tape Reduction Office, led out of the Treasury Board, will be working with federal regulators to move these initiatives forward, including undertaking consultations with partners and stakeholders.
AAFC’s Red Tape Progress Report:
• AAFC and its portfolio partners have made headway to support a more streamlined and agile approach to the regulatory system. For example, through digitalization, eliminating duplicative and unnecessary burden, developing clearer guidance, and modernizing regulatory frameworks.
• The report identifies 18 initiatives, of which 6 have been achieved and 12 are ongoing or upcoming. Of the ongoing and upcoming initiatives underway, most are anticipated to be completed within the next two years or require legislative modernization.
• One initiative to note, through the Department’s Agile Regulations Table – a novel government-stakeholder collaboration model launched in 2020 – we have prioritized regulatory innovation and agility by jointly engaging industry and regulators to determine priorities and pursue regulatory innovation and experimentation. Industry stakeholders range from independent farms to national associations. Through this table, we will continue to address the cumulative and economic impacts of regulations, aim to resolve persistent regulatory irritants, and enable innovation through pilot projects.
CFIA’s Progress Report on Red Tape
• CFIA’s Progress Report identifies 26 different actions. This includes 12 actions that are recently completed or imminent, and 14 planned actions that the CFIA will be advancing in the short, medium and long-term.
• The report includes a mixture of regulatory actions (10), policy (13) and guidance (2) actions, and planned legislative (1) changes.
• Many of the actions outlined in CFIA’s Progress Report on Red Tape Reduction respond to stakeholder issues and concerns. This includes:
o Updating and modernizing seeds regulations to support innovation and reduce costs.
o Accelerating the pre-market assessment process for feed and animal vaccines by working with trusted partners and using foreign decisions to approve products faster.
o Removing prescriptive labelling requirements for fresh fruit and vegetables and transferring certain food grades for fresh fruit and vegetables to industry.
o Requiring Salmonella Enteritidis testing for U.S. hatching eggs bound for Canadian licenced hatcheries to match domestic standards.
The report identifies a series of actions to support international alignment and collaboration with key trading partners. For instance, the report notes that the CFIA recently created an alternate pathway recognizing decisions from the U.S. and European Union on certain feed products to expedite their pre-market assessment and product approval in Canada.
Additionally, the report identifies actions to improve client experience and service delivery, including expanding digital tools through the My CFIA online platform. For instance, the Agency is moving various plant health service programs online, creating a “one stop shop” for stakeholders. The CFIA is also enhancing digital export certification to align with exporters’ needs.
The CFIA is already making progress. On October 8, the CFIA published in Canada Gazette Part II an omnibus regulatory package that makes a series of targeted regulatory amendments that address stakeholder issues by removing prescriptive rules, providing increased flexibility to industry, and levelling the playing field for Canadian producers.

• The Government is committed to building one Canadian economy through improved internal trade and reducing regulatory barriers.

• Accelerating regulatory modernization and reducing red tape will drive economic growth and competitiveness, including in the agriculture and agri-food sector, saving Canadians and businesses time and money.

• In response to the call for a Red Tape Review, departments and agencies reviewed their regulations and regulatory administration. On September 8, 2025, they published progress reports detailing their early achievements and planned actions to reduce red tape.

• Government regulators and partners in the agriculture and agri-food regulatory system are striving to modernize regulations to reduce red tape, improve service delivery, and support innovation – without compromising the health, safety, or the environment for Canadians.