Ottawa, Ontario - 29 August 2014
Today, the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) Joint Forward Plan was released. The plan sets the stage for fundamental changes in the way regulatory departments and agencies in both countries work together, making it easier for businesses to operate in both countries.
The Joint Forward Plan, which builds on the RCC Joint Action Plan launched in December 2011 by Prime Minister Harper and President Obama, will deepen Canada-U.S. regulatory cooperation through new bi-national processes and partnerships. This approach will institutionalize joint planning and collaboration between Canadian and U.S. regulatory agencies.
The Joint Forward Plan also includes specific commitments to align 24 areas of regulatory business. Work will continue in areas such as marine safety and security, pharmaceuticals, food safety, plant and animal health, and crop protection products. The RCC Forward Plan also expands work into new areas such as energy efficiency, toy safety, medical devices, chemicals management, and the use of natural gas in transportation.
The Joint Forward Plan will help regulators address a greater number of specific issues and make the broad changes necessary to prevent misalignments from happening in the future.
Following the launch of the Plan, Canadian and U.S. regulatory departments will establish formal partnerships as well as annual work plans and joint planning processes for each of the initial 24 areas of business. Going forward, the planning process will also open the door for discussion on other areas of regulatory cooperation that could be initiated.
