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United States-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council
January 30, 2012
Washington D.C.

Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC)
A New Era in U.S.-Canada Regulatory Partnership

  • On December 7, 2011, the two leaders announced the RCC Joint Action Plan:
    • 29 initiatives
    • A focused and practical approach with significant advancements in 4 key sectors: agriculture & food, health & consumer products, transport, the environment, and two cross-sectoral initiatives
  • Opportunity to move beyond previous approaches to cooperation, advance regulatory relationship to a new level

Building from the RCC Joint Action Plan

  • Each initiative represents a vehicle to create a new form of advanced cooperation that will expand into other areas
  • Resolve existing issues while setting precedent for future solutions – lasting regulatory cooperation mechanisms to ensure ongoing alignment
  • Partnering and collaborating between our countries to improve efficiency and effectiveness while preserving the protection of health, safety and the environment

Why with Canada and the U.S.?

  • U.S.-Canada relationship is unique
  • The U.S. and Canadian manufacturing sectors and supply chains are highly integrated – we are each other’s greatest export market – and any improvements would yield immediate overall benefits
  • We both have robust, successful regulatory regimes achieving the same general outcomes
  • Our regulators have pre-existing cooperative relationships
  • These provide the United States and Canada with a unique set of prerequisites for high impact and success

U.S.-Canada RCC Joint Action Plan: The first step towards fundamental change
Joint Action Plan initiatives represent areas of regulatory business that can be better aligned
Key mechanisms for regulatory cooperation:
Reliance on each others’ regulatory systems

  • Reduce and eliminate duplicative requirements by recognizing success of each others’ work

Regulatory Standard Setting

  • Partner on regulatory standards development, conformance (e.g. testing), and implementation / enforcement tools

Product Approval

  • Collaborate on aligning submissions, analysis, and approval processes

Perimeter Challenges

  • Joint focus of efforts on challenges and threats from offshore and avoid requirements at the U.S.-Canada border

Compliance and Enforcement

  • Supporting each other efforts in ensuring regulatory compliance and enforcement

Stakeholder Involvement & Priority: RCC Commitment
Stakeholder involvement is critical to:

    • Share ideas on work plan details and practical implementation realities
    • Provide ongoing feedback to support successful outcomes       
    • Play a role in ensuring work plans reflect industry reality and expectations

Two levels of involvement:

  • January 30: RCC – Input and broad discussion on regulatory cooperation between the United States & Canada (cross-sectoral considerations) and the aggregate work plan
  • January 31: Working Groups – Sector-specific technical discussions and input on the work plans for the RCC Joint Action Plan initiatives
  • Next RCC stakeholder meeting scheduled to occur in Canada later in 2012
  • Feedback is welcomed throughout the RCC mandate
  • Working Groups will develop their own ongoing process with stakeholders on individual workplans / groups

January 31, 2012 Sessions with Working Groups

  • Over 240 American and Canadian stakeholders registered to participate
  • Full day of stakeholder engagement, divided into individual technical review and advisory sessions
  • These sessions are intended to seek stakeholder ideas on:
    • The resolution of issues in the Joint Action Plan
    • Regulatory cooperation mechanisms to secure ongoing alignment into the future

Key Questions for Consideration

  • What do you see as the best ways to achieve regulatory cooperation between the United States and Canada?
  • How can we best maintain a focus on regulatory cooperation between the United States and Canada?
  • How can we ensure stakeholders remain informed and engaged in the RCC process?
  • What do you see as key barriers to regulatory cooperation and how should these be addressed?

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