U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council

U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama created the U.S. – Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) on February 4, 2011. After private sector consultations and bilateral negotiations, the RCC released the Joint Action Plan on Regulatory Cooperation on December 7, 2011. The Joint Action Plan is a practical first step to increased regulatory cooperation between the United States and Canada.

In order to implement the initiatives identified in the Joint Action Plan, bilateral working groups led by senior officials from regulatory agencies will develop work plans with concrete objectives, deliverables and milestones for tangible progress within the RCC's two-year mandate.

The RCC hosted an initial outreach event in Washington, DC on January 30-31, 2012 to allow an opportunity for interested stakeholders to learn more about the Council and to provide input to federal regulators as they finalize draft work plans. Click here for a summary of this Initial Stakeholder Outreach Event.

We welcome ongoing feedback on the Regulatory Cooperation Council process and implementation. Please direct all commentary to RCC@trade.gov.
RCC Work Plans

The U.S. – Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council Joint Action Plan was released by President Obama and Prime Minister Harper on December 7, 2011. The RCC will focus its initial efforts on initiatives outlined in the Plan. Below is a list of work plans for each initiative. These plans are in the process of being finalized as the working groups incorporate the feedback provided by stakeholders at the outreach event in Washington, DC on January 30-31, 2012. We will post the final work plans as they become available.
Agriculture and Food 1

Lead Agencies: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Food Safety Inspection Service, Agricultural Marketing Service

MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCT EXPORT CERTIFICATION
ZONING FOR FOREIGN ANIMAL DISEASES
EQUIVALENCE OF MEAT SAFETY SYSTEMS
PERIMETER APPROACH TO PLANT PROTECTION
MEAT CUT NOMENCLATURE
FINANCIAL RISK MITIGATION FOR PRODUCE SELLERS

Agriculture and Food 2

Lead Agency: Food and Drug Administration

COMMON APPROACH TO FOOD SAFETY
MUTUAL RELIANCE ON FOOD SAFETY TESTING
VETERINARY DRUGS

Crop Protection Products

Lead Agency: Environmental Protection Agency

PRODUCT APPROVALS AND MAXIMUM RESIDUE LIMITS/TOLERANCES

Personal Care Products and Pharmaceuticals

Lead Agency: Food and Drug Administration

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION GATEWAY
COMMON MONOGRAPHS FOR OVER-THE-COUNTER DRUGS
GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES

Occupational Safety Issues

Lead Agency: Occupational Safety and Health Administration

CLASSIFICATION AND LABELING OF WORKPLACE HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS

Motor Vehicles

Lead Agency: Department of Transportation

NEW MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS
EXISTING MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS

Rail Safety, Dangerous Goods, and Intelligent Transportation Systems

Lead Agency: Department of Transportation

RAIL SAFETY STANDARDS
DANGEROUS GOODS MEANS OF CONTAINMENT
INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS (ITS)

Air Transport

Lead Agency: Department of Transportation

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS

Marine Transport

Lead Agency: U.S. Coast Guard

MARINE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY REGULATIONS
REGULATORY OVERSIGHT REGIME ON THE GREAT LAKES & SEAWAY
LIFE SAVING APPLIANCES
CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS FOR SMALL CRAFT

Locomotive Emissions

Lead Agency: Environmental Protection Agency

LOCOMOTIVE EMISSIONS

Environment

Lead Agency: Environmental Protection Agency

EMISSION STANDARDS FOR LIGHT-DUTY VEHICLES
AIR POLLUTANTS (PARTICULATE MATTER)

Nanotechnology

Lead Agency: Office of Management and Budget

NANOTECHNOLOGY

Small Business Lens

Lead Agency: Office of Management and Budget

SMALL BUSINESS LENS