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Policy requirements
When regulating, regulatory authorities must ensure that:
- Canadians are consulted, and that they have an opportunity to participate in developing
or modifying regulations and regulatory programs;
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Consultation
Regulatory authorities proposing new regulatory requirements, or changes to existing
regulatory requirements, must carry out timely and thorough consultations with interested
parties. The consultation effort should be proportional to the magnitude of the impact of
the proposed regulatory change. Notice of proposed regulations and amendments must be
given so that there is time to make changes and to take comments from consultees into
account.
Regulatory authorities must clearly set out the processes they use to allow interested
parties to express their opinions and provide input. In particular, authorities must be
able to identify and contact interested stakeholders, including, where appropriate,
representatives from public interest, labour and consumer groups. If stakeholder groups
indicate a preference for a particular consultation mechanism, they should be
accommodated, time and resources permitting. Consultation efforts should be coordinated
between authorities to reduce duplication and burden on stakeholders.
Regulatory authorities should consider using an iterative system to obtain feedback on
the problem, on alternative solutions and, later, on the preferred solution.
Consultations should begin as early as possible in order to get stakeholder input on
the definition of the problem, as well as on proposed solutions.
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