OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook 2025

Regulatory impact assessments (RIAs) are mandatory for all primary laws and subordinate regulations. Its scope includes a variety of impacts, from budget, competition, and trade to sustainable development and innovation. Canada has also remained committed to its agenda on gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) with a mandate for all government departments and agencies to assess social and economic impacts on diverse groups of Canadians for all subordinate regulatory proposals.

Public consultation is also mandatory for all primary laws and subordinate regulations. Canada, under recent reforms, has attempted to make public consultations more dynamic, interactive, and transparent for public stakeholders. For example, Canada’s Let’s Talk Federal Regulations and Online Commenting Feature for Canada Gazette, Part I platforms, have strengthened how stakeholders engage and support the development of subordinate regulations. In 2018, Canada also commenced a program of Targeted Regulatory Reviews (TRRs) to improve the ex post review and stock of regulations. To date, two rounds of Targeted Regulatory Reviews have been completed, the first in 2019 and the second in 2021, with six overarching themes. A third round is underway and is expected to finish in early 2025.TRRs focus on the government’s broader agenda for advancing regulatory modernisation and have aligned with the country’s motivation to strengthen innovation, growth, and competitiveness.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) oversees the development of subordinate regulations and provides a review and challenge function to ensure quality RIA, consultation, and regulatory co‑operation. It supports the Treasury Board, a Cabinet committee that considers and approves regulations. A Centre for Regulatory Innovation was established at TBS to help regulators develop and run regulatory experiments, regulatory sandboxes and test emerging technologies. It aims to encourage innovation while safeguarding consumer trust and confidence. For primary laws, the Privy Council Office supports Cabinet in its assessment and approval of legislative proposals destined for parliamentary consideration.