Forward Regulatory Plan: 2025 to 2027 - ESDC
This Forward Regulatory Plan provides information on regulatory initiatives that Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) aims to propose or finalize in the next 2 years through:
- pre-publication in the Canada Gazette, Part I
- final publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II
The Forward Regulatory Plan may also include regulatory initiatives that are planned to come forward over a longer timeframe. Comments or enquiries can be made using the contact information included with each regulatory initiative.
Regulatory initiatives
Regulatory initiatives planned or anticipated to be proposed or finalized between 2025 and 2027:
- Regulations Amending the Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulations and the Canada Student Loans Regulations
- Miscellaneous Amendment Regulations Amending the Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulations and the Canada Student Loans Regulations
- Amending the Social Insurance Number Regulations
- Amendments to Accessible Canada Regulations
- Regulations Amending the Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulations to Improve Educational and Labour Market Outcomes for Students
- Regulations Amending the Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulations - Increasing the Portfolio Loan Limit
- Regulations Amending the Canada Disability Benefit Regulations (Supplemental Payment)
- Regulations Amending the Canada Education Savings Regulations
- Regulations Amending the Employment Insurance Regulations and the Employment Insurance (Fishing) Regulations
- Amendments to the Employment Insurance Regulations to align with Budget 2022 Amendments to the Employment Insurance Act
Consult ESDC's acts and regulations web page for:
- a list of acts and regulations administered by ESDC
- further information on ESDC's implementation of government-wide regulatory management initiatives
Consult the following for links to the Cabinet Directive on Regulation and supporting policies and guidance, and for information on government-wide regulatory initiatives implemented by departments and agencies across the Government of Canada:
To learn about upcoming or ongoing consultations on proposed federal regulations, visit:
Regulations Amending the Canada Student Loans Regulations and the Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulations
Enabling Acts
Description
The proposed regulatory amendments aim to implement a Budget 2024 measure that will permanently expand eligibility for the Canada Student Loan forgiveness benefit to 10 additional healthcare and social service occupations in under-served rural or remote communities.
Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic and international)
N/A
Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses
There are no expected business impacts. The one-for-one rule does not apply.
Consultations
The Program regularly engages with stakeholders, including student associations, student financial aid administrators, and provincial/territorial (PT) representatives through the National Advisory Group on Student Financial Assistance and the Intergovernmental Consultative Committee on Student Financial Assistance.
In addition, for this measure, the Program also consulted:
- PT health ministries with the support of Health Canada and their Federal-PT Committee on the Health Workforce;
- Extended Healthcare Professionals Coalition;
- Health-Oriented Indigenous Stakeholders;
- Remote community educational institutions; and
- Other professional associations.
Further information
Departmental contact information
Jonathan Wallace
Director General, Canada Student Financial Assistance Program
Learning Branch
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-654-8446
jonathan.wallace@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the Forward Regulatory Plan
July 2023
Miscellaneous Amendment Regulations Amending the Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulations and the Canada Student Loans Regulations
Enabling Acts
Description
On October 15, 2020, ESDC was notified by the Standing Joint Committee on the Scrutiny of Regulations of issues with regulatory amendments published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, on September 16, 2020. These regulations implemented interest-free and payment-free leave from student loan repayment for medical or parental reasons.
Specifically, the proposed amendments would align the French version of the definition of "parental leave" with the English version as originally intended. The proposed amendments would also clarify that the Minister shall grant leave from repayment to a borrower when the eligibility requirements set out in the regulations are met and ensure that the Minister has sufficient authority to grant extensions to a leave from repayment. Proposed amendments would also be required to ensure Ministerial power to grant extensions to the period of postponement of repayment.
Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic and international)
N/A
Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses
There are no expected business impacts.
Consultations
No public consultation is considered to be required at this time, as these amendments are administrative in nature.
Further information
N/A
Departmental contact information
Jonathan Wallace
Director General, Canada Student Financial Assistance Program
Learning Branch
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-654-8446
jonathan.wallace@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the Forward Regulatory Plan
October 2022
Amending the Social Insurance Number Regulations
Enabling Acts
Description
This regulatory initiative aims to address a number of issues raised by the Standing Joint Committee on the Scrutiny of Regulations (SJCSR). The SJCSR is a joint committee of the House of Commons and Senate that is tasked with reviewing and making recommendations on the legality and procedural aspects of regulations. The issues identified by the Committee are administrative in nature and would improve consistency and clarity within the Social Insurance Number (SIN) Regulations.
The proposal would address issues raised by the SJCSR, pertaining to ensuring consistency between English and French provisions and improving clarity of certain provisions. It would also address issues identified by the SIN program pertaining to improving clarity and consistency within certain provisions to reflect program practices.
Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses
The proposal seeks to ensure clarity and consistency with current program administration and as such there are no costs to businesses, consumers, Canadians and government.
Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic and international)
N/A
Consultations
Given the administrative nature of these regulatory amendments (e.g., improving clarity, improving consistency, correcting discrepancies), there are no public consultation opportunities planned at this time.
Further Information
N/A
Departmental contact
Stéphanie Brodeur
Director, Identity Policy and Strategic Partnerships
Integrity Services Branch
Service Canada
Employment and Social Development Canada
1-438-357-1364
stephanie.a.brodeur@servicecanada.gc.ca
Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the Forward Regulatory Plan
April 2023
Amendments to Accessible Canada Regulations
Enabling Acts
Description
The amendments to the Accessible Canada Regulations (ACRs) would introduce a new Part titled "Information and Communication Technologies" under the ACRs that would set out new requirements for both public and private sector federally regulated organizations.
Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic and international)
N/A
Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses
The one-for-one rule applies, since there would be an incremental increase in administrative burden on businesses, and the proposed amendments are considered an "in" under the rule. No regulatory titles are repealed or introduced.
The proposed amendments would apply to all federally regulated public sector organizations, as well as federally regulated private sector organizations with 100 and more employees. However, the one-for-one rule would only apply to private sector organizations with 100 and more employees starting from period (1). Employment and Social Development Canada's (ESDC) estimates 1,102 such organizations in period (1) for the administrative costs related to retention of records.
Consultations
ESDC's early engagement on the development of future digital accessibility regulations was launched on November 24, 2022. It included the following four components:
- An online regulatory discussion paper on digital accessibility with 2 modules, published in November 2022. The first module asked respondents to identify barriers to using digital technologies in their daily lives. It also asked respondents about what digital technology areas are most important when it comes to removing barriers. The second module asked respondents about their current state and their future potential for conforming with digital accessibility standards.
- Six virtual group consultation meetings (between November 2022 and February 2023) with representatives from the disability community, Indigenous organizations, and federally regulated organizations, including federal government organizations, Crown corporations, parliamentary organizations, and industry.
- A Request for Information, published in November 2022 to solicit feedback from digital technologies' vendors and suppliers on their state of readiness to comply with the EN Standard.
- Bilateral meetings and engagement with organizations to understand their circumstances and needs.
ESDC received extensive feedback from participating stakeholders, published a What we heard report.
On December 21, 2024, the amendments to the Accessible Canada Regulations, were pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, for a 60-day comment period.
Seven technical briefings were held in February and early March 2025 with approximately 800 participants from disability organizations, industry associations, federally regulated private businesses and federal public sector organizations. ESDC received 170 written comments from approximately 57 stakeholders and individuals through the Canada Gazette's Online Regulatory Consultation System and by email. There are no further opportunities for comment.
Final publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II, is anticipated to occur in December 2025.
Further information
N/A
Departmental contact information
Marzieh Tafaghod
Executive Director
Accessible Canada Directorate
Income Security and Social Development Branch
Employment and Social Development Canada
marzieh.tafaghod@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the Forward Regulatory Plan
N/A
Regulations Amending the Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulations to Improve Educational and Labour Market Outcomes for Students
Enabling Acts
Description
Budget 2025 announced the government's intention to generally limit access to the Canada Student Grant for Full-time Students to students attending public educational institutions and not-for-profit private institutions within Canada, starting in 2026-2027. This measure will help control rapidly rising costs, and encourage students to take programs at public institutions to facilitate better post-secondary outcomes.
If implemented, students at private for-profit institutions will no longer be eligible for the Canada Student Grant for Full-time Students but will remain eligible for Canada Student Loans and Canada Student Grants for part-time students, students with disabilities, and students with dependants.
Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic and international)
N/A
Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses
There are no expected business impacts. The one-for-one rule does not apply.
Consultations
The Canada Student Financial Assistance Program engages with stakeholders at regular meetings to discuss policy and operational issues, with provincial and territorial stakeholders via the Intergovernmental Consultative Committee on Student Financial Assistance (ICCSFA), and with non-governmental stakeholders via the National Advisory Group on Student Financial Assistance (NAGSFA). Following the announcement of Budget 2025, the Program is discussing the measure to restrict eligibility of the Canada Student Grant for Full-time Students to students attending public educational institutions and not-for-profit private institutions within Canada specifically with the groups who will be impacted by this measure. These groups include provinces and territories, private for-profit institutions and students - who are all members of ICCSFA and NAGSFA.
Further information
N/A
Departmental contact information
Jonathan Wallace
Director General, Canada Student Financial Assistance Program
Learning Branch
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-654-8446
jonathan.wallace@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the Forward Regulatory Plan
N/A
Regulations Amending the Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulations - Increasing the Portfolio Loan Limit
Enabling Acts
Description
The proposed regulatory amendment would increase the maximum aggregate amount of outstanding student loans that can be provided to students from $34 billion to $40 billion.
Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic and international)
N/A
Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses
There are no expected business impacts. The one-for-one rule does not apply.
Consultations
No public consultation is considered to be required at this time, as these amendments are administrative in nature.
Further information
N/A
Departmental contact information
Jonathan Wallace
Director General, Canada Student Financial Assistance Program
Learning Branch
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-654-8446
jonathan.wallace@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the Forward Regulatory Plan
N/A
Regulations Amending the Canada Disability Benefit Regulations (Supplemental Payment)
Enabling Acts
Description
Under this initiative, the Canada Disability Benefit Regulations would be amended to establish a supplemental payment to recipients of the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB).
The supplemental payment is intended to lower barriers to accessing the CDB by helping to offset the costs of applying for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) for CDB recipients.
Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic and international)
N/A
Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses
This initiative is expected to support the financial well-being of CDB recipients by helping to offset costs associated with applying for the DTC.
Consultations
In previous consultations on the CDB, obtaining a valid DTC certificate to become eligible for the benefit was identified as a financial barrier.
No further public consultation opportunities are planned at this time.
Further information
N/A
Departmental contact information
Mausumi Banerjee
Executive Director, Office for Disability Issues
Income Security and Social Development Branch
Employment and Social Development Canada
Mausumi.Banerjee@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the Forward Regulatory Plan
N/A
Regulations Amending the Canada Education Savings Regulations
Enabling Acts
Description
Budget 2024 announced measures to introduce automatic enrolment in the Canada Learning Bond (CLB) and to extend the maximum age at which Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) beneficiaries may apply for the CLB starting in 2028.
Amendments to the Canada Education Savings Act to enable the implementation of these changes were introduced in the Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No.1, and will come into force through two orders in council (OIC).
The intent of the amendments to the Canada Education Savings Regulations is to establish a modified framework for the administration of the CLB and RESPs opened by the Minister through automatic enrolment.
Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic and international)
N/A
Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses
N/A
Consultations
The model for automatic enrolment to the CLB and the proposed age extension were designed through engagement with community-based organizations (CBOs), Canadian and international academics, post-secondary institutions, Indigenous organizations, RESP promoters and other federal government departments.
The Canada Education Savings Program (CESP) is the steward of the CLB Champions Network of 300 CBOs, which meets semi-annually to exchange information, tools, and strategies for supporting Canadians to access the CLB. A CLB Champions Network meeting was held in June 2024, and the CESP held information sessions on the automatic enrolment budget announcement in October 2024.
CESP engaged Indigenous and Indigenous-serving stakeholders, over 2023/2024 to seek their perspectives on proposed CLB changes, including automatic enrolment.
CESP organizes the RESP Advisory Group of financial institution representatives from among the 82 RESP promoters across Canada. A virtual ad hoc meeting was held on June 20, 2024, and provided an overview of automatic enrolment to the industry following Budget 2024. Financial representatives had the opportunity to ask questions related to the initiative and industry feedback was also sought through two Requests for Information in 2024 and 2025.
CESP worked with the ESDC Innovation Lab between 2021 and 2023 to explore possible design elements of an automatic enrolment model for the CLB by consulting with CBOs and CLB-eligible Canadians.
The proposed regulations will be pre-published for stakeholder and public comments and feedback in the Canada Gazette, Part I.
Further information
N/A
Departmental contact information
Christina Norris
Director General, Canada Education Savings Program
Learning Branch
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-230-6907
christina.norris@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the Forward Regulatory Plan
N/A
Regulations amending the Employment Insurance Regulations and the Employment Insurance (Fishing) Regulations
Enabling Acts
Description
The amendments to the Employment Insurance Regulations and the Employment Insurance (Fishing) Regulations are designed to support the equitable and efficient administration of the new 15-week Employment Insurance (EI) adoption benefit, ensuring it aligns with other special benefits. These changes fulfill legislative obligations introduced in the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023, including rules for sharing benefits between parents, coordinating with benefits under a provincial law like the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan, and integrating the benefit into employer wage-loss plans under the Premium Reduction Program.
Amendments will also ensure consistent treatment of the adoption benefit across various EI provisions, such as interruption of earnings, treatment of top-up payments, and payments outside Canada.
Collectively, these amendments will help ensure the adoption benefit is administered fairly, inclusively, and in line with the broader EI framework.
Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic and international)
N/A
Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses
Although the number of affected claimants is small, 1,700 parents per year, once in force the benefit will provide them with an additional 15 weeks of EI benefits to support the placement process.
For businesses, especially those offering a top-up to EI benefits or those participating in the Premium Reduction Program, the amendments provide optional flexibility to extend their plan to include the adoption benefit, with minimal expected costs. There will be no additional burden on employers resulting from the regulatory amendments.
Consultations
During the 2021 and 2022 consultations on EI modernization, there was strong support for providing adoptive parents with the same total number of weeks of EI benefits that biological parents have when they combine maternity and parental benefits. Since 2019, ESDC officials have engaged with key stakeholders such as Interwoven Connection and the Child and Youth Permanency Council of Canada.
The need for additional consultation on these regulatory changes through publication in the Canada Gazette, Part I is still being assessed at this time.
Further information
N/A
Departmental contact information
Kate Power
Director, Policy Development
Special Benefits Division
Employment and Social Development Canada
343-543-6627
Kate.power@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the Forward Regulatory Plan
N/A
Amendments to the Employment Insurance Regulations to align with Budget 2022 Amendments to the Employment Insurance Act
Enabling Acts
Description
Amendments are required for sections (S.7(f), S.16(3)(b), and S.50 of the Employment Insurance Regulations to reflect updates made to the Employment Insurance Act (EIA) through the Budget 2022 Budget Implementation Act. These updates replace outdated terminology and ensure alignment with the new framework under Section 59 of the EIA. As a result of amendments to the EIA, similar technical amendments must be made to the Employment Insurance Regulations to ensure that their wording is consistent with that of the enabling legislation.
Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic and international)
N/A
Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses
The one-for-one rule does not apply to these amendments, as there is no change in administrative costs or burden to business. Analysis under the small business lens determined that the proposal will not impact small businesses in Canada.
Consultations
The need for consultation on these regulatory changes (through publication in the Canada Gazette, Part I, or otherwise) is still being determined.
Further information
An assessment of whether this initiative should be proposed through the Miscellaneous Amendment Regulation process is still underway, in consultation with Legal.
Departmental contact information
Shawn Plunkett
Director, Labour Market Agreement Policy
Intergovernmental Policy and Programs Directorate
Employment and Social Development Canada
shawn.plunkett@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Date the regulatory initiative was first included in the Forward Regulatory Plan
N/A