Browse regulations

This regulation provides a 75% remission of rent and fees for commercial lessees of Parks Canada properties and related entities for April-September 2020, targeting those who would have qualified for commercial rent assistance if the lessor wasn't the government. It covers various lease types across national parks, urban parks, and municipal agreements.

This temporary pandemic relief creates market distortions by selectively subsidizing certain commercial tenants while excluding others, effectively picking winners and losers. The administrative burden of determining eligibility and processing claims diverts resources from productive use. These distortions prevent natural market adjustments that would have occurred, potentially keeping inefficient businesses operating while better-positioned competitors were forced to adapt. The government should not be in the business of providing targeted commercial rent relief, as this undermines property rights and creates moral hazard for future crises.

This order designates the Minister of the Environment as responsible for administering and enforcing specific pollution-related provisions (subsections 36(3)-(6)) of the Fisheries Act, along with numerous related sections. It excludes aquaculture facilities and aquatic invasive species control, which remain with Fisheries and Oceans.

Purely administrative designation that adds bureaucratic layering and interdepartmental coordination costs without improving environmental outcomes. Ministerial responsibilities should be assigned directly in primary legislation or through simpler mechanisms, not through separate regulatory orders that create complexity and slow decision-making.

Comprehensive fisheries management regulations for Northwest Territories and northern waters, establishing licensing regimes (commercial, domestic, sport), catch quotas, gear restrictions, seasonal closures, and special exemptions for Indigenous peoples (Indians, Inuk, persons of mixed blood, Inuvialuit beneficiaries). The regulation extensively micromanages fishing methods, areas, mesh sizes, possession limits, and operational requirements.

Already repealed (SOR/2005-108). Even if active, this regulation exemplifies excessive bureaucratic micromanagement of a common-pool resource that could be managed more efficiently through clearly defined property rights, market-based quota trading, and liability rules for externalities. The licensing regime creates artificial scarcity and rents, while detailed gear and method restrictions distort incentives and increase compliance costs. Special exemptions based on ethnicity violate equal protection principles and undermine market-based allocation. Resource sustainability does not require such prescriptive central planning; tradable fishing rights with enforceable boundaries would achieve conservation goals with far greater economic efficiency and individual liberty.

Fertilizer and supplement regulations governing registration, labeling, composition, and safety standards for agricultural products in Canada

Creates unnecessary regulatory burden on agricultural producers, restricts market entry for new products, and imposes costly compliance requirements that increase food production costs without demonstrable safety benefits beyond existing standards

Establishes mandatory uniform accounting standards for federally regulated oil pipeline companies. Prescribes detailed chart of accounts (Schedules I-VII), capitalization thresholds ($1,000 minimum), depreciation methods, plant unit definitions, and reporting timelines. Requires Commission approval for plant classifications, accounting treatments, and abandonment periods. Distinguishes between Group 1 and Group 2 companies with differential compliance burdens.

Imposes substantial compliance costs and micromanages business accounting decisions, distorting investment and operational choices. The prescriptive rules violate the knowledge problem—central planners cannot determine optimal accounting treatments for diverse pipeline operations—creating perverse incentives like splitting expenditures to avoid capitalization thresholds or delaying necessary replacements. These distortions increase costs ultimately borne by consumers and divert resources from productive uses, while the regulatory oversight could be achieved through minimal standardized reporting without detailed dictation.

This regulation governs the administration of pension benefits for Canadian members, including payment schedules, interest rates, instalment calculations, and eligibility criteria for dependents. It establishes actuarial valuation requirements, payment mechanisms, and procedures for handling defaults and overpayments.

This regulation creates a complex bureaucratic system that distorts labor markets by imposing rigid pension structures, restricts individual freedom to manage retirement savings, and generates administrative overhead that reduces overall economic efficiency. The interest rate controls and mandatory payment schedules interfere with voluntary market arrangements that would better serve workers' diverse needs.

Permit GIP-108 authorizes any Canadian resident to import CWC toxic chemicals and precursors, subject to record-keeping (6 years), document availability upon request, and customs form marking with 'GIP-108'/'LGI-108'.

Deletion would force importers into individual permits per shipment, raising costs and delays; this streamlined permit maintains necessary tracking for CWC compliance while enabling legitimate trade with minimal burden.

Defines 'casual goods' (non-commercial items) and sets marking criteria for when such goods from Israel or CIFTA beneficiaries qualify for preferential tariffs under the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement.

The marking requirements impose unnecessary administrative burdens on individuals importing personal goods, creating disproportionate compliance costs for low-impact trade. This bureaucratic layer contradicts free trade principles, with enforcement expenses outweighing any marginal revenue protection benefits.

Defines eligibility criteria for preferential tariff treatment under the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA). Specifies conditions under which goods qualify as 'imported from Israel or another CIFTA beneficiary,' including rules for direct shipments and transit through third countries with minimal processing and customs control.

Deletion would nullify CIFTA's preferential tariff treatment, raising costs for Canadian businesses and consumers. The regulation implements a trade-liberalizing agreement that reduces government barriers, enhancing competitiveness and消费 choice.

Mandates minimum third-party liability insurance coverage for railway construction/operation, requiring detailed financial disclosures and annual reporting to Transport Canada agency.

Creates costly compliance burden that reduces rail supply and increases transportation costs, while private insurance markets could handle liability risk more efficiently without government-mandated minimums that distort incentives and raise barriers to entry.

Regulation establishes certification regime for private oil spill response organizations under Canada Shipping Act. Requires detailed response plans, specific equipment standards, mandatory training/exercises, government approval for equipment removal, plan updates, and 3-year certification renewal. Active sections create prescriptive requirements for spill response capability, coordination with Coast Guard, and environmental protection measures.

Creates barriers to entry and reduces competition in spill response services through mandatory certification, prescriptive equipment requirements, and government permission for equipment deployment. Imposes significant compliance costs that will be passed to shipping industry and ultimately consumers. The market can provide superior spill response through liability standards, insurance requirements, and contractual obligations with ports/shippers, without bureaucratic certification that stifles innovation and increases costs. The regulation's centralized planning approach cannot adapt as quickly as decentralized market solutions to new technologies or spill scenarios.

Regulations governing Export Development Canada's powers to engage in domestic financial transactions, domestic insurance transactions, property leasing, and equity investments, with specific approval requirements and limits on certain activities.

Creates market distortions by allowing government interference in commercial activities, distorts credit allocation, and provides unfair advantages to select businesses while potentially crowding out private sector alternatives.

This regulation establishes an export quota system for Canadian aged cheddar cheese to the EEC, managed by the Canadian Dairy Commission. It grandfathers existing exporters from 1990, allows them to retain annual export entitlements, reallocates unused quotas, and restricts transfers. The system allocates export rights based on historical privilege, requires utilization agreements, and includes a lottery for new entrants when quota remains.

This export quota system is classic supply management that distorts markets, entrenches historical privilege, and creates artificial scarcity. It prevents price-based allocation, locks out new competitors (except via inefficient lottery), and imposes heavy administrative control. The regulation protects incumbent exporters at the expense of consumer welfare, efficiency, and Canada's trade competitiveness. Such government-controlled allocation of export rights contradicts free market principles and should be eliminated to allow cheese producers to freely export without bureaucratic rationing.

Regulation enables closely related corporate groups to file joint GST/HST returns and offset tax liabilities among members via a designated coordinator. It prescribes conditions (identical reporting periods, joint and revised applications) and detailed rules for applying refunds or rebates to reduce tax remittable under the Excise Tax Act.

Canadians would be worse off without it: businesses would face higher compliance costs, administrative burdens, and cash flow inefficiencies. The regulation achieves streamlined tax offsetting through clear, CRA‑acknowledged procedures that would be hard to replicate without formal rules, ensuring predictability and reducing disputes while supporting economic efficiency.

This regulation prohibits the import and export of contaminated fuel, with exceptions for destruction/disposal/recycling, authorized export to countries that permit it, and in-transit shipments. It requires detailed record-keeping for importers and exporters.

The regulation creates unnecessary bureaucratic burden and costs for legitimate fuel trade while achieving minimal environmental benefit. Modern supply chains already have strong incentives to avoid contaminated fuel, and the record-keeping requirements impose compliance costs that raise fuel prices without proportional safety gains.