Consultation on the draft Cabinet Directive on Regulation

Consultation is a key element of Canada’s open government efforts, and essential to our Third Biennial plan to the Open Government Partnership (2016-2018). The goal of this plan is to make government information and policies more open and transparent, which will in turn increase Canadians’ trust in government.

The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that its regulatory activities result in the greatest overall benefit to current and future generations of Canadians. Regulation is a key policy instrument used by government to enable the social and economic well-being of Canadians, but it is also a form of law. Regulations have a binding legal effect that usually set out rules that apply generally, rather than to specific persons or situations. Regulation is also a necessary foundation for market economies. We work with Canadians and other governments when regulating -- protecting and advancing the public interest in health, safety, and security, and the quality of the environment.

A robust and effective regulatory system provides consistency and fairness, and supports innovation and competition. In addition, an effective regulatory system is not just for protective purposes. Regulation can be an enabler. For example, in the economic sphere, regulation establishes the rules for fair markets, reduces barriers to trade through alignment with trading partners, clarifies conditions for the use of new products, services, and technologies, and fosters new investment.

In this consultation, there are eight (8) sections for you to explore:

1. Purpose
2. Scope of Application
3. Guiding principles of federal regulatory policy
4. Regulatory Lifecycle Approach
5. Development of Regulations
6. Regulatory management
7. Review and Results
8. Appendix A

In addition, there are five (5) guiding questions for your input. These questions are intended to seek your feedback on the new federal regulatory policy called the Cabinet Directive on Regulation (CDR). The feedback received from this consultation will be taken into account as the Treasury Board Secretariat is finalizing the CDR.

Guiding questions can be found at the end of Sections 4, 5, 7 and Appendix A. Please answer these questions based on your experience and familiarity with the federal regulatory development process. Do not feel obliged to answer a question if you feel it does not apply to you. When providing your comments and suggestions for improvement, please specify the question number (for example, Q1 or Q2 or Q3 or Q4 or Q5).