Browse regulations

Excludes microSD memory cards (including microSDHC and microSDXC) from the definition of 'audio recording medium' in section 79 of the Copyright Act, preventing private copying levies on these devices.

Canadians would face higher prices for microSD cards if the levy applied, reducing affordability and innovation. The regulation achieves a targeted limitation on the levy system, which would be difficult to accomplish without such a specific exclusion given the broad statutory language.

All 25 sections of this regulation have been repealed by SOR/2012-294, s. 50. The regulation no longer has any legal effect and its original content is not provided.

The regulation is already repealed and therefore irrelevant to current regulatory burden; no further action needed.

This regulation sets out the documentation requirements for Jordanian goods to claim preferential tariff treatment under the Canada-Jordan Free Trade Agreement, including proof of originating status and shipping routes, with special rules for transshipment via third countries.

Removing this regulation would deny importers the procedural pathway to claim tariff preferences, raising costs for Canadians on Jordanian goods and undermining the trade agreement's benefits. The minimal documentation burden is necessary to verify eligibility and prevent fraud, ensuring only qualifying goods receive preferential treatment.

Tariff regulations for casual goods from Jordan, establishing origin rules and preferential treatment under the Canada-Jordan free trade agreement

Trade agreements like this reduce barriers to Canadian exports and imports, benefiting consumers and businesses through lower prices and expanded market access. Deleting it would harm Canadian exporters and importers by reinstating tariffs and reducing trade efficiency.

Permit allowing import of specialty steel with extensive documentation requirements, including tracking 'country of melt and pour' and maintaining 6 years of records. Imposes reporting, inspection, and record-keeping obligations on importers.

Restricts free trade and imposes costly administrative burdens that raise steel prices for Canadians. The 'country of melt and pour' requirement primarily enforces protectionist trade remedies, artificially limiting supply and benefiting domestic producers at the expense of consumers and overall economic efficiency. The compliance costs, barriers to entry, and reduced competition outweigh any marginal benefits.

This regulation incorporates specific provisions of the Canada-Jordan Free Trade Agreement (2009) into Canadian law, covering national treatment, market access, and related trade obligations, effective October 1, 2012.

Deleting this regulation would create legal uncertainty, undermining the domestic enforceability of Canada's trade commitments and harming Canadian businesses that rely on predictable market access. It facilitates wealth creation through comparative advantage and voluntary exchange, core principles of liberty and prosperity.

Establishes a list of entities subject to section 6.1 of the State Immunity Act, which relates to state immunity in Canadian courts. This regulation specifically identifies the Islamic Republic of Iran as subject to certain legal proceedings.

Canadians would be worse off if this regulation was deleted because it maintains legal clarity regarding state immunity for Iran, preventing frivolous lawsuits while preserving legitimate claims. Removing it would create uncertainty in international legal proceedings involving Iran.

This regulation controls the import of carbon steel products, requiring documentation of country of origin, melt and pour, import values, and imposing record-keeping requirements for 6 years. It includes exemptions for low-value imports and specific steel product categories.

This regulation creates unnecessary bureaucratic burden on Canadian businesses and consumers without providing meaningful benefits. The extensive documentation requirements, record-keeping obligations, and potential for government inspection impose significant compliance costs that ultimately increase prices and reduce market efficiency. The regulation also creates barriers to free trade by adding administrative friction to steel imports, while the stated purpose of tracking steel origins could be achieved through simpler, voluntary mechanisms.

Regulates CO2 emissions from coal-fired electricity generation, setting a 420t/GWh performance standard with exceptions for unit substitution, temporary exemptions for CCS integration, and emergency circumstances.

Carbon emission regulations increase energy costs, distort market incentives, and create artificial scarcity. The intended environmental benefits are outweighed by economic harm to consumers and industry, reduced energy reliability, and the unseen costs of regulatory compliance and opportunity costs.

This is a general export permit (GEP-45/LGE-45) that allows Canadian residents to export certain information security, software, and technology goods to designated friendly countries without obtaining individual permits. It requires record-keeping and reporting to the Export Controls Division and excludes ineligible destinations, sanctioned countries, military items, and government-to-government transfers.

Deleting this permit would increase regulatory burden and harm Canadian competitiveness. This permit *reduces* restrictions by providing a blanket authorization for commercial exports to market economies, eliminating the need for case-by-case licensing. Without it, Canadian exporters would face more paperwork, delays, and uncertainty, reducing trade, innovation, and wealth creation. The targeted exclusions (sanctioned regimes, military items, government contracts) represent minimal, reasonable oversight that would persist under any regime. The record-keeping requirements are light compared to the economic benefits of frictionless trade with friendly nations.

Establishes the Alberta Barley Commission to collect mandatory per-tonne fees ($0.48 for wheat, $0.56 for barley, $0.04 for Alberta barley) from all sales in four provinces. Buyers must deduct and remit fees, with producers eligible for annual refunds. Commission spends funds on research, marketing, technical assistance, and administration, reporting annually to the federal Minister.

Compulsory fee violates property rights and economic liberty by forcing producers to fund centralized allocation of their resources. The Commission cannot possess the dispersed knowledge of thousands of individual producers about their actual needs, leading to misallocation of capital. Administrative compliance costs on buyers and producers represent deadweight loss. Mandatory levies crowd out voluntary cooperation and private solutions, creating a system where other people spend other people's money on other people with little accountability. The regulation normalizes coercive extraction that would be more efficiently and ethically handled through voluntary industry associations.

This regulation establishes a violation penalty framework for the International Bridges and Tunnels Act, designating specific provisions and orders as punishable with administrative fines up to $25,000 for corporations and $5,000 for individuals, and extends violation procedures to orders and directives made under the Act.

This penalty regime imposes unnecessary compliance costs and regulatory uncertainty that chill private investment in cross-border infrastructure, reducing supply and increasing costs for Canadians. Extending violations to orders and directives grants excessive discretionary power, enabling regulatory harassment. Unseen consequences include delayed projects, higher insurance premiums, and a less competitive market that leads to higher tolls and fewer transportation options. Market mechanisms like liability and reputation can adequately enforce standards without bureaucratic penalties.

Federal regulation defining environmental assessment requirements for major infrastructure projects, establishing thresholds for various activities (energy, mining, transportation, nuclear) that trigger environmental review processes.

Creates bureaucratic barriers to development, increases project costs and timelines, centralizes decision-making away from local stakeholders, and has unintended consequences of reducing economic growth and housing supply while failing to meaningfully improve environmental outcomes compared to market-based solutions.

This regulation prescribes exemptions from cost recovery, lists chargeable services, and sets fixed expense amounts and per diem rates for environmental assessment panels under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012.

It imposes rigid, arbitrary fees and administrative burdens on project proponents, distorting economic incentives and stifling development, while exemptions create inequities and the regulation fails to leverage market-based environmental solutions, increasing costs without clear justification.

Federal regulation under the Fisheries Act setting effluent quality limits (CBOD, suspended solids, chlorine, ammonia) and extensive monitoring, testing, and reporting requirements for wastewater systems discharging deleterious substances to water bodies, with application based on volume thresholds.

The regulation imposes substantial compliance costs through mandatory accredited laboratory testing, detailed record-keeping, and rigid numeric standards that prevent local optimization and create barriers to infrastructure investment. It stifles innovation in treatment technologies, represents federal overreach into provincial jurisdiction, and wastes resources that could be deployed elsewhere. Unseen costs include reduced supply of wastewater services and the opportunity cost of diverted capital and administrative labor. Pollution externalities are better addressed through decentralized property rights enforcement and market-based incentives that respect the knowledge problem inherent in central planning.