Over the past several months the landscape at the federal level in Canada has been experiencing a quiet, but significant shift on the regulatory front. The transformation is part of the Conservative government’s business-friendly agenda that has been evolving since coming to power in May 2011 with a majority government. The previous five years in government were in minority, which meant it could not implement a truly conservative agenda. It builds on the federal government’s internationally lauded performance in managing the economy during the recent economic downturn. This is positive news for industry.
The first initiative seeking to reduce regulatory burden began with the meeting of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Obama in February of 2011, when they announced the creation of the Canada/United States Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC). The RCC’s goal is to increase regulatory transparency and coordination between the two countries. The announcement noted that, “Regulation plays an important role in both our countries. Effective regulations protect our health, safety and the environment while supporting growth, investment, innovation and market openness.” The RCC went on to note that, “While our regulatory systems are very similar in the objectives they seek to achieve, there is value in enhancing the mechanisms in place to foster cooperation in designing regulations or to ensure alignment in their implementation or enforcement.