RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/TBT/2/Add.6
4June1996
ORGANIZATION(96-2099)
Original: English Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION OFTHE AGREEMENT
ONTECHNICAL BARRIERS TOTRADE
Thefollowing Statement under Article 15.2oftheAgreement hasbeenreceived from the
delegation ofCanada.
_______________
1. Canada wasaParty totheTokyo Round Agreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade since
itsinception in1980 andcomplied withtherequirements ofthatAgreement. TheTBT
Agreement, asrevised intheUruguay Round, hasrequired limited implementation adjustments.
TheCanadian government 'sRegulatory Policy 1995 (attached) directs regulators tocomply with
TBT(andSPS) obligations.
2. TheDepartment ofForeign Affairs andInternational Trade (DFAIT) hasadvised the
provinces oftheirobligations under therevised TBTandhasmandated theStandards Council of
Canada (SCC) tonotify non-government standardizing bodies oftheAgreement 'sprovisions,
including Annex 3oftheTBTAgreement.
3. TheDepartment ofForeign Affairs andInternational Trade retains overall responsibility
fornational implementation oftheAgreement. Representation concerning Canadian
implementation oftheAgreement andrequest forconsultation should bedirected toDFAIT.
Foreign Affairs andInternational Trade
Technical Barriers andRegulations Division
125Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1AOG2
Tel: (613) 996-2021
Fax: (613) 943-0346
e-mail: alicia.carruthers@extott14. x400.gc.ca
4. DFAI contracts withtheStandards Council ofCanada tooperate theCanadian Enquiry
Point. TheSCCisresponsible foridentifying andproviding notifications totheWTO Secretariat
under theTBTAgreement.G/TBT/2/Add.6
Page2
5. TheSCCmonitors theweekly published federal Canada Gazette fornotification of
technical regulations, mandatory standards andcertifications systems. Fortechnical regulations
andconformity assessment procedures prepared byprovincial governments, theSCCrelies upon
theprovincial gazettes. TheCanadian Enquiry Point canbereached atthefollowing address:
TheStandards Council ofCanada (SCC)
1200-45 O'Connor Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1P6N7
Tel: (613) 238-3222
Fax: (613) 995-4564
e-mail: info@scc.caG/TBT/2/Add.6
Page3
GOVERNMENT OFCANADA
REGULATORY POLICY
1995
Effective date
Thepresent document contains theRegulatory Policy asapproved on9November 1995.
Itreplaces the1992 version ofthispolicy andAppendix RtotheTreasury Board Contracting
Policy.
Policy objective
Toensure thatuseofthegovernment 'sregulatory powers results inthegreatest net
benefit toCanadian society.
Policy statement
Canadians viewhealth, safety, thequality oftheenvironment, andeconomic andsocial
well-being asimportant concerns. Thegovernment 'sregulatory activity inthese areas ispartof
itsresponsibility toserve thepublic interest.
Ensuring thatthepublic 'smoney isspent wisely isalsointhepublic interest. The
government willweigh thebenefits ofalternatives toregulation, andofalternative regulations,
against theircost,andfocus resources where theycandothemost good.
Tothese ends, thefederal government iscommitted toworking inpartnership with
industry, labour, interest groups, professional organizations, other governments andinterested
individuals.
Application
Thispolicy applies tofederal regulatory authorities.
Policy requirements
When regulating, regulatory authorities must ensure that:
1. They candemonstrate thataproblem orriskexists, federal government intervention is
justified andregulation isthebestalternative.
2. Canadians areconsulted, andthattheyhaveanopportunity toparticipate indeveloping or
modifying regulations andregulatory programmes.G/TBT/2/Add.6
Page4
3. Thebenefits outweigh thecosts toCanadians, theirgovernments andbusinesses. In
particular, when managing risksonbehalf ofCanadians, regulatory authorities must
ensure thatthelimited resources available togovernment areusedwhere theydothemost
good.
4. Adverse impacts onthecapacity oftheeconomy togenerate wealth andemployment are
minimized andnounnecessary regulatory burden isimposed. Inparticular, regulatory
authorities must ensure that:
- Information andadministrative requirements arelimited towhatisabsolutely
necessary andthattheyimpose theleastpossible cost;
- thespecial circumstances ofsmall businesses areaddressed; and
- parties proposing equivalent means toconform withregulatory requirements are
given positive consideration.
5. Intergovernmental agreements arerespected (seeappendix A)andfulladvantages istaken
ofopportunities forcoordination withother governments andagencies.
6. Systems areinplace tomanage regulatory resources effectively. Inparticular, regulatory
authorities must ensure that:
- TheRegulatory Process Management Standards arefollowed (seeAppendix B);
- compliance andenforcement policies arearticulated, asappropriate; and
- resources havebeenapproved andareadequate todischarge enforcement
responsibilities effectively andtoensure compliance where theregulation binds the
government.
Responsibilities
TheTreasury Board Secretariat isresponsible fordeveloping andupdating thefederal
regulatory policy anditsassociated regulatory process management standards. TheSecretariat
develops advice, guides andtraining tohelpregulatory authorities comply withthepolicy and
achieve themanagement standards. TheSecretariat alsomonitors theperformance reviews that
regulatory authorities conduct toassess whether themanagement standards havebeenmet,and
reports tothePresident oftheTreasury Board onthese reviews.
Regulatory authorities areresponsible fordeveloping, maintaining andenforcing
regulatory programmes thatfollow thefederal regulatory policy andforhaving regulatory
management systems inplace thatmeetthestandards. Authorities must review theirperformance
andreport tothePresident oftheTreasury Board onwhether theyhavemetthemanagement
standards.
TheDepartment ofJustice isresponsible foroffering legaladvice toregulatory authorities
onhowbesttomeetthemanagement standards. Forexample, theRegulatory Reform Group in
theAdministrative LawSection provides regulatory authorities withthelegaltools andlegalG/TBT/2/Add.6
Page5
opinions onalternative regulatory solutions, harmonization ofregulatory requirements, compliance
andenforcement techniques, anduseofperformance andinternational standards.
Thispolicy isalsodependent ontheinput ofCanadians -industry, labour, interest groups,
professional organization, other governments andindividuals -intothedesign andreview of
regulations andregulatory programmes. Canadians havearesponsibility, ascitizens, tomake a
reasonable contribution byhelping thegovernment develop regulatory programmes thatwill
benefit Canadian society asawhole.
Monitoring
TheTreasury Board Secretariat willmonitor theperformance ofregulatory authorities and
theeffectiveness ofthispolicy.
Todothis,theSecretariat willrelyonexisting sources ofinformation, including, where
appropriate, theFederal Regulatory Plan, business plans, Treasury Board submissions, major
regulatory initiatives submitted forCabinet consideration, proposals going through theregulatory
process, formal programme evaluations, theresults ofinternal audits andgovernment reviews.
Inaddition, where appropriate, theSecretariat willusethework ofthirdparties (e.g.the
Office oftheAuditor General, private-sector working groups oracademics) toassist in
determining thedegree ofcompliance withthispolicy.
References
Authority
Thepolicy isissued under theauthority oftheFinancial Administration Act,
section 7(1)(a).
Publications
Seethenotes toAppendix B.
Enquiries
Enquiries about thispolicy should directed to:
Regulatory Affairs Directorate
Treasury Board Secretariat
Fax: (613) 957-7875
Internet: RADDAR@tbs-cts.x400.gc.caG/TBT/2/Add.6
Page6
APPENDIX A
TRADE AGREEMENT OBLIGATIONS FOR REGULATORS
Requirements
When developing orchanging technical regulations, federal regulatory authorities must:
1. Ensure thatregulatory officials areaware oftheirgeneral obligations aslaidoutinthe
World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade (TBT), theNorth
American FreeTrade Agreement (NAFTA) Articles onTechnical Barriers toTrade (Chapter 9),
andArticle 405oftheCanadian Agreement onInternal Trade (AIT);
2. Ensure thatregulatory officials areaware ofother obligations agreed tobythe
Government ofCanada, suchastheprovisions oftheWTO Agreement andNAFTA addressing
sanitary andphytosanitary measures (SPS), theAITprovisions relating tospecific sectors ofthe
economy, andother accords entered intobyCanada suchastheSafety ofLifeAtSeaConvention
oftheInternational Maritime Organizations; and
3. Adhere tothose procedural andsubstantive obligations agreed tobytheGovernment of
Canada through intergovernmental agreements.
Inparticular, fortechnical regulations thataffect trade, federal regulatory authorities must
4. With regard tonotification:
- Prepublish proposals forneworchanged technical regulations inCanada Gazette,
PartIforaperiod ofatleast75days, except inurgent circumstances, andtake
intoaccount comments received;
5. With regard toperformance-oriented requirements:
- Specify, where possible technical regulatory requirements interms ofperformance
rather thandesign ordescriptive characteristics;
- givepositive consideration toaccepting asequivalent other forms oftechnical
regulatory requirements, ifsatisfied thattheyadequately fulfil theobjectives ofthe
existing regulations;
- forTBT, ensure technical regulations treatproducts from onejurisdiction noless
favourably thanlikeproducts from another;
- forSPS, ensure measures donotarbitrarily orunjustifiably discriminate where
identical orsimilar conditions prevail;
- ensure technical regulations arenomore restrictive ofentry intomarkets thanis
necessary.G/TBT/2/Add.6
Page7
6. With regard tointernational standards:
- useavailable international standards, guidelines andrecommendations where those
standards achieve theregulatory objective;
7. With regard toenforcement:
- treatregulatees andproducts from onejurisdiction nolessfavourably thanthose
from other jurisdictions when assessing conformity totechnical regulatory
requirements, providing theyareincomparable situations;
8. With regard tocomplaint resolution:
- haveinplace aprocess toreview complaints concerning conformity assessment
procedures andmust takecorrective action when justified.
Responsibilities
TheDepartment ofForeign Affairs andInternational Trade (DFAIT) isresponsible for
coordinating theimplementation oftheWTO andNAFTA Technical Barriers toTrade agreements
byfederal departments andagencies andformaking arrangements tooperate theWTO and
NAFTA Enquiry Point fortheTBTandSPSagreements.
Agriculture andAgri-food Canada hasthemain responsibility forcoordinating the
implementation oftheWTO andNAFTA SPSagreements byfederal departments andagencies,
andbyprovincial andregional bodies.
Industry Canada (IC)isresponsible forrepresenting thefederal government intheongoing
intergovernmental process under theAgreement onInternal Trade andforcoordinating
implementing oftheAgreement byfederal departments andagencies.
TheDepartment ofJustice isresponsible foradvising regulatory authorities ontheirlegal
obligations under theabove agreements andonhowtodrafttechnical regulations soastocomply
withthem.
Monitoring
Treasury board Secretariat reviews allregulatory proposals foradherence toTreasury
Board Policy. DFAIT orICarenotified ifthere areconcerns regarding possible violations of
trade agreement obligations.
Enquiries
Enquiries about NAFTA orWTO should bedirected to:
Director, Technical Barriers toTrade (EAS),
Department offoreign Affairs andInternational TradeG/TBT/2/Add.6
Page8
Enquiries about theAgreement onInternal Trade should bedirected to:
Director General, Internal Trade Consultations
andFederal/Provincial Relations
Industry Canada