Browse regulations

This order sets quantitative tariff rate quotas for onions (HS 0703.10.92) and strawberries (HS 0810.10.11/092) from Chile under the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement, with annual limits for 1997-2002.

Obsolete regulation; all quota periods expired over 20 years ago (December 31, 2002). The tariff quotas were temporary transitional measures during FTA implementation and have no current legal effect. Keeping it on the books creates regulatory clutter and uncertainty without serving any legitimate policy purpose.

The Receiver General Cheques Regulations establish procedures for issuing government cheques, including signature requirements, dating rules, replacement procedures for lost/stolen cheques, and departmental bank account management for emergency and local expenditures. The regulations ensure proper control over government payment instruments and provide mechanisms for cheque replacement when issues arise.

Canadians would be worse off if this regulation was deleted because it provides essential safeguards against fraud, ensures accountability in government payments, and establishes clear procedures for replacing lost or stolen cheques. The signature requirements, dating rules, and replacement procedures protect both taxpayers and recipients of government payments. Without these regulations, there would be increased risk of unauthorized payments, difficulties in resolving payment issues, and potential financial losses to both the government and citizens who rely on timely government payments.

Regulation simplifies payment of federal amounts owed to deceased persons, allowing direct payment to entitled heirs (up to $25k without will, $100k with will) without full probate, requiring application with indemnification

Deletion would force small estates through full probate, imposing unnecessary legal costs and delays on Canadians seeking to collect modest government payments. This regulation provides a crucial administrative shortcut that respects property rights while ensuring proper verification through minister review and applicant indemnification, balancing efficiency with accountability.

The regulation defines 'paid instruments' and prescribes retention, accessibility, and destruction rules for such records held by the Receiver General, including a 7-year retention period and secure destruction methods, with an exception for legal proceedings.

Canadians would be worse off if this regulation were deleted because it ensures government accountability through consistent record-keeping; the legal mandate guarantees that payment records are preserved for audits and transparency, which might be inconsistently applied without a regulatory requirement, and the secure destruction provisions protect against data misuse.

This order designates Quebec for the purposes of the Divorce Act and specifies which Quebec legislative texts constitute the comprehensive guidelines for determining child support payments in that province. It simply incorporates Quebec's Civil Code, regulations, and Code of Civil Procedure provisions into the federal Divorce Act framework.

Deleting this would create legal uncertainty about which laws apply to child support determinations in Quebec, potentially leading to inconsistent rulings and harming children and families who rely on predictable support calculations. This minimal administrative coordination serves a legitimate purpose of harmonizing federal and provincial law without imposing substantive restrictions on liberty, property, or economic activity.

Regulation exempts specific chemical substances (Bezitramide, Piritramide, Propylhexedrine) from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Most sections have been repealed (2000-2003); only Propylhexedrine appears to remain exempt. It serves as an administrative list of exemptions from drug prohibition.

Maintains arbitrary distinctions in substance regulation, creating legal uncertainty and administrative overhead. If certain substances should be legal, they should be fully removed from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act through primary legislation, not selectively exempted via secondary regulation. The exemption system invites regulatory capture and perpetuates the flawed premise that government should control individual choices about substances.

This regulation restricts foreign ownership of Canadian broadcasting distribution undertakings. It requires that broadcasting distribution licenses be issued only to Canadians or qualified corporations with at least 80% Canadian ownership and control. It establishes detailed definitions and thresholds for determining Canadian status and control, and empowers the CRTC to deem applicants controlled by non-Canadians as ineligible.

This regulation restricts property rights and voluntary exchange, limiting foreign capital, expertise, and competition in broadcasting distribution. It distorts incentives, reduces supply of investment, increases costs for consumers, and creates artificial barriers to entry. Cultural objectives can be achieved through less restrictive means like content regulations rather than ownership restrictions. The regulation protects incumbents at the expense of Canadian consumers who face higher prices and potentially inferior service due to reduced competitive pressure.

Sets a 2-year limitation period for copyright owners who haven't authorized collective societies to claim royalties for retransmitted works under the Copyright Act.

Provides essential legal certainty for retransmitters and ensures timely resolution of royalty disputes. Without this fixed deadline, liability would be indefinite, creating uncertainty that could chill retransmission activities. The 2-year period balances copyright owners' ability to discover claims with the need for finality—a balance that would be unclear without explicit regulation.

National Energy Board Electricity Regulations govern permits for international power lines and electricity exports. They require extensive applications with technical, environmental, and economic data, environmental assessments, public consultation, provincial approvals, and mandate that Canadians receive first opportunity to purchase electricity before export permits are granted.

These regulations violate the presumption of liberty in voluntary exchange by requiring permission for electricity exports. The extensive permitting, environmental review requirements, and 'first offer' rules create substantial compliance costs, delays, and barriers to trade that reduce investment, limit supply, raise energy prices, and stifle competitive market forces. By substituting bureaucratic for market allocation, they distort incentives, reduce efficiency, and make Canadians worse off through higher costs and missed opportunities for mutually beneficial trade.

The Excise Tax Indexing Ratio Regulations prescribe specific multiplication factors (1.35559, 1.99924, 1.37078, 1.88464) for adjusting excise tax ratios and rates for two specific dates: September 1, 1983 and September 1, 1984.

This regulation is fully expired and served a one-time historical purpose. It prescribed specific indexing adjustments for dates over 40 years ago that have no current legal effect. Keeping it creates regulatory clutter, risks confusion, and imposes maintenance burden for no benefit.

Regulates how financial institutions can use credit information to promote insurance products, restricting cross-selling between banking and insurance services while defining specific authorized insurance types.

Creates artificial barriers between financial services that limit consumer choice and competition, increases compliance costs for institutions, and restricts voluntary market arrangements that could benefit consumers through bundled services and better pricing.

General Export Permit No. Ex. 12 authorizes the export of specified US-origin goods from Canada without requiring individual export permits. It excludes destinations subject to sanctions (Cuba, DPRK, Iran, Syria) and mandates the 'GEP-12' or 'LGE-12' notation on customs reports. The permit streamlines trade for a major category of goods while maintaining alignment with international sanctions regimes.

Deleting this permit would increase bureaucratic barriers to legitimate trade, forcing exporters of US-origin goods to seek individual licenses for each shipment. This would raise transaction costs, delay commerce, and reduce Canada's competitiveness. The regulation achieves efficient trade facilitation—a core free market value—through a simple, predictable authorization system that would be difficult to replace without greater government intervention.

This order designates approximately 5,000 km² of land and surrounding waters in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia as Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, with precise boundary descriptions and specific exclusions for existing Indian reserves, timber licences, and mineral claims.

Deleting this would likely destroy an ecologically and culturally irreplaceable area that private markets cannot adequately protect due to scale, tragedy of the commons, and the impossibility of establishing clear property rights over such interconnected ecosystems. The government as legitimate landowner is enforcing a higher-value conservation use while respecting pre-existing claims through exclusions.

This regulation designates specific organizations as prescribed entities for sections 30 and 37 of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board Act, establishing who can participate in veterans' review and appeal processes.

Canadians would be worse off if this regulation was deleted because it ensures veterans have access to established, experienced organizations that understand their unique needs and can effectively represent them in review and appeal processes. These organizations provide specialized advocacy that would be difficult to replicate through ad hoc arrangements, and their removal would likely reduce veterans' ability to navigate complex administrative processes and secure their entitled benefits.

Establishes procedural rules for the Veterans Review and Appeal Board, covering participation methods, evidence disclosure, hearing procedures, decision requirements, and notification protocols.

These procedural safeguards protect veterans from arbitrary government decision-making by mandating transparency, due process, and reasoned decisions. Deleting them would undermine accountability and fairness in adjudicating veterans' benefits, making Canadians worse off through increased risk of injustice and abuse of administrative power.