On October 21, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat announced a new Cabinet Directive on Regulatory Competitiveness and Red Tape Reduction designed to make federal regulations more efficient and business-friendly.
The directive requires federal regulators to remove $2 worth of regulatory burden costs for every $1 in new burden introduced.
For Canadian agriculture, the announcement could be significant.
Farm operations face regulations from multiple federal departments and agencies, covering areas such as transportation, food safety, environmental compliance, traceability, labour, trade and taxation.
While many regulations serve important public policy objectives, producer groups have often argued that duplicated reporting requirements and outdated administrative processes can create unnecessary costs without improving outcomes.