Health Canada's Regulatory Stock Review Plan, 2025 to 2028
About the Regulatory Stock Review Plan
The Regulatory Stock Review Plan is a public list of planned reviews of regulations that Health Canada is proposing within the next 3 years. While this plan provides an overview of key activities known at this time, Health Canada adjusts and updates the plan every year to reflect our regulatory priorities and changes, which can result in additional activities. This plan is intended to give people in Canada, including businesses, Indigenous Peoples and international partners, greater opportunity to participate in the reviews of regulations and to plan for the future.
The plan is based on:
- a careful review of the regulations to determine if they continue to meet their objectives
- initiatives identified through targeted regulatory reviews
In addition to the stock review plan, Health Canada has also published a Red Tape Review that outlines 42 initiatives the department is undertaking to help reduce burden.
Health Canada will report any new regulatory proposals as a result of these reviews in the Health Canada's Forward Regulatory Plan.
Learn more:
The stock review plan identifies a departmental contact person for the planned reviews. Those who wish to provide comments on a specific review may contact the responsible branch by using the information listed at the end of each review.
Completed reviews
Regulations Amending the Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products Regulations
Enabling act(s)
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
Rationale
A review of the Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products Regulations indicated the need to amend the regulations, specifically those relating to the quality control testing requirements and record-keeping provisions.
Date of last review or amendment
The Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products Regulations have not been amended since being published in Canada Gazette, Part II on July 7, 2021.
Stakeholder feedback
After we published the Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products Regulations in 2021, stakeholders said:
- requiring manufacturer testing be conducted by an accredited laboratory is more onerous than necessary and not feasible for manufacturers
- record-keeping requirements for declarations of certification are very complex and burdensome, especially for importers and retailers of finished goods
On June 17, 2023, we published the Regulations Amending the Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products Regulations in Canada Gazette, Part I, for a 75-day public comment period. Stakeholders raised concerns regarding:
- the administrative burden of the record-keeping requirements
- the need for further alignment with the United States (U.S.) Rule, Toxic Substances Control Act, Title VI, Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products (TSCA Title VI)
Stakeholders also commented on:
- adding/revising definitions
- revising the primary testing frequency
- including third-party certification oversight in the creation of declarations
- clarifying the production volume and labelling record-keeping requirements
Outcomes
The review is complete.
We published the final Regulations Amending the Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products Regulations in Canada Gazette, Part II on December 18, 2024.
The amendments addressed stakeholder concerns by:
- removing the requirement for panel manufacturers to conduct quality control tests at accredited laboratories
- reducing record-keeping burden for downstream companies (importers, finished goods manufacturers and sellers), by further aligning with TSCA Title VI requirements and clarifying certain provisions within the regulations
For further information
Email the department contact for more information.
Departmental or agency contact:
Andrew Beck
Director
Risk Management Bureau
Safe Environments Directorate
Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch
Email: formaldehyde-formaldehyde@hc-sc.gc.ca
Strengthening the Regulation of Pest Control Products in Canada
Enabling act(s)
Rationale
As part of the 2022 targeted legislative review of the Pest Control Products Act, we identified a potential opportunity to amend the Pest Control Products Regulations to:
- improve transparency and access to information and data
- strengthen environmental protection in Canada
Date of last review or amendment
2016
Stakeholder Feedback
We published a notice of intent on June 20, 2023, followed by a 80-day public comment period. We also held informational webinars on July 25, 2023 and December 11, 2023.
In their feedback on the targeted legislative review, as well as on the notice of intent, stakeholders commented on:
- accessing confidential test data
- being transparent around maximum residue limit applications
- considering the cumulative effects on the environment and species at risk in environmental risk assessments
This feedback informed proposed amendments to the Pest Control Products Regulations, which were published in the Canada Gazette, Part I on June 15, 2024.
The consultation was open for public comment for 70-days. To support the consultation, we held an informational webinar on the proposed amendments on July 9, 2024.
Comments received on the Canada Gazette, Part I consultation were generally consistent with that received on the notice of intent, with commenters generally expressing various concerns (e.g. that the proposed amendments are unnecessary and costly, or that they do not go far enough or achieve their intended objectives).
Outcomes
The review is complete. Based on feedback received we are pivoting to a more cost-effective policy and procedural options to address the objectives set out in the regulatory proposal.
For more information
Email the departmental contact for more information.
Departmental or agency contact:
Jordan Hancey
Director
Policy and Regulatory Affairs Division
Pest Management Regulatory Agency
Email: pmra.regulatory.affairs-affaires.reglementaires.arla@hc-sc.gc.ca
Ongoing reviews
Radiation Emitting Devices Regulations pertaining to Ultrasound Therapy Devices
Enabling act(s)
Radiation Emitting Devices Act
Rationale
We are reviewing Schedule II, Part XIII of the regulations that concern ultrasound therapy devices to support ongoing health and safety protections for people in Canada. We also want to evaluate the impacts on stakeholders.
Approach to the review
We are reviewing the regulations to:
- identify requirements that no longer apply due to advancement in ultrasound technologies
- identify and mitigate any potential unintended impacts, such as barriers to trade or innovation
- verify alignment with international equipment safety standards
- for example, those of the International Electrotechnical Commission
- identify opportunities to reduce regulatory burden on stakeholders
Date of last review or amendment
1984
For further information
Email the department contact for more information.
Departmental or agency contact:
Narine Martel
Director
Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau
Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch
Email: ccrpb-pcrpcc@hc-sc.gc.ca
Radiation Emitting Devices Regulations pertaining to Photofluorographic X-ray Equipment and Diagnostic X-ray Equipment
Enabling act(s)
Radiation Emitting Devices Act
Rationale
We are reviewing Schedule II, Part VI (on photofluorographic x-ray equipment) and Part XII (on diagnostic X-ray equipment) of the Radiation Emitting Devices Regulations. We want to:
- assess their ongoing effectiveness in protecting the health and safety of people in Canada
- consider their impacts on industry stakeholders
Photofluorographic X-ray equipment is used mainly to examine the human chest and view the X-ray on a fluorescent screen. It was originally used to screen people for tuberculosis but has been replaced by more modern equipment.
Approach to the review
We will review the regulations to:
- identify requirements that no longer apply due to advanced X-ray technologies
- identify and mitigate any potential unintended impacts, such as barriers to trade or innovation
- verify that Canada's standards align with international equipment safety standards
- for example, those of the International Electrotechnical Commission
- identify ways we can reduce the regulatory burden on stakeholders
We will be seeking feedback from stakeholders on the proposed regulatory option.
Date of last review or amendment
Part VI was last amended in 1979.
Part XII was last amended substantively in 2001. Minor amendments were made in 2006 through the miscellaneous amendment regulations process.
For further information
Email the department contact for more information.
Departmental or agency contact:
Narine Martel
Director
Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau
Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch
Email: ccrpb-pcrpcc@hc-sc.gc.ca
Pest Control Products Regulations
Enabling act(s)
Rationale
We are conducting the first comprehensive review of the Pest Control Products Regulations since they came into force in 2006.
We developed a multi-year plan to review the Pest Control Products Regulations in 2016. We want to:
- ensure that the regulations are current and reflect the Pest Control Products Act, taking into account the statutory review of the act
- ensure the regulations continue to meet policy objectives, while attempting to minimize unnecessary regulatory burden, if any, on regulatory parties
- provide recommendations on policy, program and regulatory actions required to address identified issues
This review includes the following initiatives, which we identified in the Agri-food and Aquaculture Sector Regulatory Review Roadmap. Our goal is to modernize:
- labels for pest control products to:
- present information on labels consistently
- permit the use of electronic labels and align with globally harmonized system standards
- improve the readability of labels
- the authorization process for certain pest control products for which registration is not required to:
- update the current list of products that are exempt from registration under the Pest Control Products Act
- exclusive rights and data compensation for pest control products to:
- clarify for regulated parties how the data compensation program works in the post-market context
- the post-market review process for pest control products to:
- build a stronger, more effective and efficient pesticide regulatory program that better protects human health and the environment
- reduce regulatory burden on regulated parties
The following proposed regulations from the Forward Regulatory Plan are a result of this review:
- Regulations Amending the Pest Control Products Regulations (Product Exemptions and Pest Control Devices)
- Regulations Amending the Pest Control Products Regulations (Labelling Modernization)
- Regulations Amending the Pest Control Products Regulations (Research)
Approach to the review
This regulatory modernization initiative is ongoing. Several aspects of the review have been completed, and regulatory amendments are being developed.
The review is complete regarding the following subject areas in the Pest Control Products Regulations:
- prescribing certain products in regulation as pest control products, exempting certain products from the application of the Pest Control Products Act, or authorizing certain products (meaning that registration is not required)
- the registration process
- research
- exclusive rights and data compensation.
For the proposal to modernize the authorization process for certain pest control products for which registration is not required, we:
- removed sodium bromide and potassium monopersulfate from Schedule 2 of the regulations
- updated the labelling requirements for pest control products containing sodium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite in Schedule 2 of the regulations
- will leverage the principles and policy used to come up with an approach to modernize authorization processes to ensure that any effort is in proportion to a given pesticide's risk level
- policy is a larger part of the Pest Management Regulatory Agency's (PMRA) efforts to modernize its business approach
For the project to modernize the post-market review process for pest control products, we:
- made policy changes
- for example, implemented new internal processes to track key information for each pesticide active ingredient
- continued development of key policies that will serve as the cornerstones of our business modernization, with partial expected beginning in 2025–2026
We have amended some application and importation requirements for pest control products in Canada
- this completes certain aspects of our review of "pre-market" provisions in the regulations
We have completed our review of exclusive rights and data compensation for pest control products and amended the regulations.
Date of last review or amendment
As part of the review, we amended the regulations in 2024. We updated the labelling requirements for pest control products containing sodium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite.
Stakeholder feedback
We engaged stakeholders on each of these initiatives through:
- the targeted regulatory review of the agri-food and aquaculture sectors, led by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
- webinars, published consultation documents, Canada Gazette pre-publications and face-to-face meetings
We will use this feedback when we amend the regulations.
We published a regulatory proposal document outlining our proposed amendments to the Pest Control Products Regulations (Research) on December 16, 2022. The public comment period was open for 45-days.
The document proposed amendments to the research provisions in the regulations. We have reviewed the comments, which will be used when we develop the final proposal.
For the project to modernize the authorization process for certain pest control products for which registration is not required, we published regulatory proposal documents outlining our proposed amendments to:
- the Pest Control Products Regulations (Product Exemptions) on March 7, 2025
- the Pest Control Products Regulations (Pest Control Devices) on March 7, 2025
The public comment period for each of the proposals will be open for 60-days. We will review the comments, which will be used when we develop the final proposal. We plan to publish a proposal in the Canada Gazette, Part I for formal public consultation in spring 2026.
For the project to modernize the post-market review process for pest control products, we:
- consulted stakeholders from across Canada on proposed changes to the pesticide evaluation program starting from February 2020
- will use this feedback to help us modernize the post-market review process for pest control products
- continue to consult with key stakeholders as part of PMRA's transformation agenda and its implementation
- sought feedback on plans to implement a lifecycle and proportional effort approach and to improve transparency
The draft policy on continuous oversight was published on January 3, 2024, for a 60-day consultation period. Publication of the final policy and launch of the program is anticipated for fall 2025.
We plan to publish the draft policy on proportional effort in fall 2025 for a 60-day consultation period in preparation for implementation in winter 2026.
For further information
Consult:
- Forward Regulatory Plan
- Re-evaluation program
- Targeted Regulatory Review: Agri-food and Aquaculture Roadmap
Departmental or agency contact:
Jordan Hancey
Director
Policy and Operations Directorate
Pest Management Regulatory Agency
Email: pmra.regulatory.affairs-affaires.reglementaires.arla@hc-sc.gc.ca
Pest Control Products Fees and Charges Regulations
Enabling act(s)
Rationale
The Pest Control Products Fees and Charges Regulations came into force in 2017. They replaced fee regulations that came into force in 1997. Under our cost recovery policy, we are to review fee regimes at least every 5-years. To that end, we are in the process of reviewing the fee regime set out in these regulations.
Approach to the review
We are using a phased approach for our review, with the first phase focusing on the post-market fees paid by registrants.
An analysis of the current post-market fee structure for pest control products indicates that fees do not reflect the costs for post-market regulatory activities. Taxpayers are assuming an increasing economic burden. We anticipate that the proposed amendments would better reflect the private benefits derived from our regulatory services.
For the second phase, we are reviewing pre-market fees and reflecting modernized business practices in the fee structure.
Consultations on the second phase of proposed fee changes are targeting early 2027.
Date of last review or amendment
Last amended in 2018.
Stakeholder Feedback
In the first phase of our review, we published a regulatory proposal document outlining our proposed amendments to the Pest Control Products Fees and Charges Regulations (Annual Charge) on January 17, 2024 for a for a 74-day public comment period. We also undertook targeted consultations with key stakeholder groups between October 2023 and March 2024.
Stakeholders noted:
- the need to update the annual charge, but expressed concerns with the magnitude of the increase
- for example, potential negative effects on access to products and innovation and impacts on small and medium-sized businesses.
Feedback and stakeholder consultations were considered. A revised proposal and related proposed regulatory amendments were published in the Canada Gazette, Part I on December 21, 2024. The public comment period was open for 60-days. We are considering the feedback received while developing the final regulatory amendments.
For more information
Email the departmental contact for more information.
Departmental or agency contact:
Lars Juergensen
A/Director
Program Renewal Directorate
Pest Management Regulatory Agency
Email: pmra.regulatory.affairs-affaires.reglementaires.arla@hc-sc.gc.ca
Future initiatives
Cyclical Review of Regulations under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act and the Cosmetic Regulations under the Food and Drugs Act
Enabling act(s)
Canada Consumer Product Safety Act
Rationale
On a cyclical basis, the Consumer Product Safety Program reviews all regulations under its purview, including regulations under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act and the Cosmetic Regulations under the Food and Drugs Act.
These reviews are completed approximately every 5-years. The goal of this review is:
- to identify gaps or challenges with the existing regulations
- identify the prioritization of regulatory work for the Program
Approach to the review
We conducts an analysis of all information gathered about the individual regulations for which we are responsible. This includes an evaluation of:
- incident data
- international regulatory and standard development activities
- compliance and enforcement challenges
Any feedback from stakeholders received is also considered. This informs an outline of possible changes to each individual regulation and the prioritization of regulatory work.
Beyond regular feedback provided, stakeholders will have an opportunity to review and comment on individual projects that proceed towards updates through Health Canada's Forward Regulatory Plan.
Date of last review or amendment
A review was completed in 2024.
Targeted start for review
2029
Departmental or agency contact:
Geoff Barrett
Director, Risk Management Bureau
Consumer and Hazardous Products Safety Directorate
Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch
Email: ccpsa-lcspc@hc-sc.gc.ca