Browse regulations

This regulation defines 'casual goods' and sets criteria for determining that goods acquired in Peru are considered to originate in Peru, thereby entitling them to preferential tariff treatment under the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement.

Canadians would be worse off without this regulation because they would face higher tariffs on qualifying casual goods from Peru, increasing costs for consumers and businesses. The regulation achieves its objective through clear, administrable origin-marking rules that reliably implement the trade agreement's preferential tariff regime; without such rules, preferential treatment could not be consistently applied, undermining the agreement's benefits.

This regulation gives force of law to specific provisions of the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (2008), covering trade in goods, services, investment, and related matters, thereby implementing Canada's international obligations under the agreement.

The regulation subordinates Canadian law to an international agreement, entrenching complex provisions that restrict sovereignty, enable regulatory harmonization, and create dispute settlement mechanisms that can override domestic legislation. Unilateral trade liberalization would achieve the same benefits without these unseen costs, including loss of policy flexibility, potential for costly international disputes, and vulnerability to cronyist influence during negotiations.

A regulation comprising sections 1–12, all repealed by SOR/2013-244, s. 15; contains no active provisions.

Obsolete: fully repealed, no legal effect. Original flaws: repeal indicates serious problems (likely inefficiency, burden, or unintended consequences). Costs of keeping: legal clutter, confusion, wasted judicial/administrative resources interpreting dead law, and regulatory bloat that undermines certainty and good governance.

Narrowly targeted regulation applying only to employees who transferred from the Public Service to The Micronutrient Initiative on December 1, 2001. Contains special pension and superannuation rules that treat these employees as if they remained in public service for benefit calculation purposes, including pensionable service credit, survivor benefits, and Group 1 contributor status.

A 24-year-old regulation granting special pension privileges to one specific organization based on a single historical agreement violates equal treatment under the law, creates arbitrary regulatory discrimination against all other public servants who may move to different employers, and imposes ongoing administrative burden with no public interest justification. The employees affected made a career choice in 2001—there is no reason Canadians today should subsidize or guarantee superior pension benefits for this specific cohort when others bear their own transition costs.

Regulations implement preferential tariff treatment for agricultural products from Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein under the Canada-EFTA Free Trade Agreement. Sets documentation requirements (through bill of lading or evidence of shipping route/customs control) to verify products originate from these countries and aren't routed through non-participating nations.

These rules prevent tariff abuse and routing fraud that would undermine the free trade agreement. Without origin verification, non-EFTA goods could be diverted through partner countries to claim preferential treatment, jeopardizing the entire agreement and exposing Canadians to higher tariffs across all trade.

Regulation stipulates tariff benefits for casual (non-commercial) goods acquired in Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, or Liechtenstein based on product markings and country of acquisition, creating a matrix of origin eligibility.

Creates unnecessary administrative burden and compliance costs for travelers, distorts personal import decisions, and relies on arbitrary marking requirements. The regulation adds friction to cross-border commerce without a compelling public benefit, contradicting free-market principles of minimal trade barriers.

Implements selected provisions of the Canada-EFTA Free Trade Agreement (2008) into Canadian law, covering Articles 1-8, 9(1), 10-12, 14, and Appendix I. Effective July 1, 2009.

Canadians would be worse off without this regulation because trade barriers with EFTA states would persist, raising costs for consumers and limiting export opportunities. The regulation achieves its outcome through a binding reciprocal agreement that cannot be replicated unilaterally—Canada would gain little from unilaterally reducing barriers if other countries maintain theirs.

Regulates volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in automotive refinishing products to reduce air pollution and protect public health by setting concentration limits, requiring permits for non-compliant products, and establishing testing and record-keeping requirements.

Canadians would be worse off if this regulation was deleted because it directly addresses air quality and public health concerns. The regulation ensures manufacturers reduce harmful VOC emissions from automotive refinishing products, which would otherwise contribute to smog formation and respiratory problems. Without these standards, consumers would face higher exposure to toxic compounds during vehicle painting and refinishing, and the environmental costs of unregulated VOC emissions would be substantial.

These regulations have already been repealed as of SOR/2016-190, s. 4

Regulations are already repealed and obsolete, with no current legal effect or regulatory burden on Canadians

This regulation document consists of sections 1-14, all of which have been repealed by SOR/2010-245, section 20. The original content and purpose are no longer in force.

The regulation is already repealed and has been for over a decade (since 2010). Maintaining references to repealed provisions creates confusion and regulatory clutter without serving any legitimate purpose.

Pension Benefits Standards Regulations, 1985 govern the funding and administration of defined benefit pension plans in Canada, establishing solvency requirements, special payment schedules, and letter of credit mechanisms to protect beneficiaries during plan deficiencies.

Creates excessive regulatory burden on pension administrators, distorts market incentives, and imposes costly compliance requirements that ultimately reduce returns for beneficiaries while failing to prevent plan failures.

Designates Nova Scotia for the purposes of section 347.1 of the Criminal Code, tying its coming-into-force to specified Nova Scotia consumer protection laws and regulations.

It sustains Canada's criminal interest rate regime, which imposes price controls on private lending contracts. These controls reduce credit supply, particularly for high-risk borrowers, drive lending underground, and create welfare-reducing market distortions. The order perpetuates unnecessary state interference in voluntary financial transactions and adds regulatory complexity without improving economic outcomes.

This regulation establishes inspection and reporting requirements for international bridges and tunnels in Canada, mandating regular structural inspections, capacity evaluations, and operational reporting to ensure safety and proper maintenance of cross-border infrastructure.

This regulation creates unnecessary regulatory burden on infrastructure owners while imposing centralized control over safety standards. The costs of compliance (mandatory inspections, reporting, and engineer certification) outweigh the benefits, as private owners already have strong incentives to maintain safe structures. The centralized approach also stifles innovation in inspection methods and maintenance practices.

Regulates industrial facilities using ≥50 kg/year of chromium trioxide for electroplating, anodizing, or reverse etching. Mandates control of hexavalent chromium emissions through one of three methods: point source with ≤0.03 mg/dscm limit, surface tension <35/45 dyn/cm, or sealed tank covers with HEPA filters. Requires notification, periodic testing, inspection/maintenance plans, record-keeping, and reporting to the Minister.

Hexavalent chromium is a potent, irreversible carcinogen imposing severe uncompensated harms on workers and nearby residents. Diffuse, latent health damages cannot be addressed through private litigation or property rights enforcement due to prohibitive proof costs and causation uncertainty. The regulation's flexible compliance pathways constrain this grave externality at reasonable administrative cost, preventing the predictable tragedy of the commons that would result from deregulation.

Adds perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and its salts to the Virtual Elimination List under CEPA 1999, requiring their phase-out and preventing their introduction.

PFOS is a persistent, bioaccumulative toxin that imposes severe, irreversible health and environmental harms; these externalities cannot be internalized through markets alone, making regulation essential to protect Canadians from catastrophic contamination.