Evidence of meeting #33 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was regulatory.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Thanks very much, Madam Chair.
Mr. van Raalte, I want to get back to the question of cell ag. I know it's nascent technology in many respects, but is this on your radar in terms of needing a regulatory framework in the way that Singapore now has, and the regulatory framework that I understand three working groups in the U.S.—under the auspices of the USDA, but also the FDA—are working on?
Executive Director, Regulatory Policy and Cooperation Directorate, Regulatory Affairs Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
Yes, Madam Chair, I'm aware that there is a need for a regulatory framework. That would be led out of the responsible regulatory department.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
As it relates to red tape and regulatory challenges, Singapore has now established a framework—and therefore the first company in the world has now been approved—and the U.S. is very much looking at the economic opportunity. Are you, in your role, not concerned about making sure that there is a clear regulatory pathway for companies? We are, at the moment, sending companies in all sorts of different directions.
Executive Director, Regulatory Policy and Cooperation Directorate, Regulatory Affairs Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
I'm concerned about a lot of different regulatory frameworks and how the system works together. Again, the responsible ministers would be accountable for bringing that forward. It's not a Treasury Board oversight responsibility, Madam Chair.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Understood. It would only be if, say, Health was to work together with, say, Agriculture and Agri-Food in relation to both the CFIA and novel foods that you would then take a look and see whether it is harmonized in an appropriate way with U.S. rules.
Executive Director, Regulatory Policy and Cooperation Directorate, Regulatory Affairs Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
That would be correct.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Then you wouldn't have a role where our existing framework is clearly not harmonized with a new regulatory framework that the U.S. is putting forward. You wouldn't turn your mind to that harmonization.
Executive Director, Regulatory Policy and Cooperation Directorate, Regulatory Affairs Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
We would have a role in terms of facilitating those harmonization discussions with the provinces, but again, the lead is with the regulators.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Has there been any conversation in your office, with the President of the Treasury Board or anyone else in your office, about whether, if those relevant ministers don't take action, we are going to be facing regulatory challenges?
Executive Director, Regulatory Policy and Cooperation Directorate, Regulatory Affairs Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
There has not, to date, Madam Chair.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Understood.
To close off, I understand that the CFIA has a consultation open in relation to the simulated meat regulations. Is this a conversation in your office, as well, in relation to harmonization with the United States?
Executive Director, Regulatory Policy and Cooperation Directorate, Regulatory Affairs Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
If I understand the question correctly, Madam Chair, the CFIA consultation would be open both to members of the Canadian public and to industry and participants internationally. Then those consultations would inform any regulatory proposal that is brought before the Treasury Board for consideration.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
It would be at that moment, then, that you would look at it and say, “Hang on a second. These rules need to be better updated to ensure that they're harmonized with those in the United States.”
Executive Director, Regulatory Policy and Cooperation Directorate, Regulatory Affairs Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
The sequencing could be such that there could be a number of scenarios. The CFIA could identify that it needs regulatory co-operation, conversation or facilitation with different trading partners before it brings forward regulatory proposals, or it could happen in the opposite order.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
I'm very glad your office exists. The one takeaway I would have from this conversation, though—and maybe you don't have the resources to do this; I'm not sure—is that it seems to me that a more proactive approach would be a welcome one. When we see other countries move forward to address regulatory burdens in particular sectors.... I mentioned one that matters a lot in terms of innovation and agriculture going forward. If we care about pandemic risks and about tackling climate change, as a couple of examples—even though we might not care about animals all to the same degree....
If we're not proactive and are waiting for others to take on the task of addressing regulatory burdens and they're not seized with it, given the impetus in your shop to say that we want to address harmonization and that we want to address regulatory burdens, I would encourage.... Again, it may be a resource issue, but being proactive on these files, as opposed to waiting for other ministers to take the lead, would seem to me to be a welcome step.
Executive Director, Regulatory Policy and Cooperation Directorate, Regulatory Affairs Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
That's a very fair point, Madam Chair.
Thank you.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Thank you.
I really appreciate that you guys exist and the work that you're doing.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sherry Romanado
Thank you so much. That ends our last round of questions.
Before we adjourn, I want to give the members an update, but I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here today and for their excellent testimonies.
Thank you so much.
We very much appreciated your testimony.
The witnesses, if they'd like to log off, may do so.
I'm asking the members to stay on for just a few seconds, because I've asked the clerk to circulate to you a draft schedule for between now and June, so that you'll know what we're working on, just to give you an update.
You will have received the draft version one of two reports, one on affordability and accessibility in telecommunications, as well as one on the domestic manufacturing capacity for COVID-19. I'm going to ask the members to review those reports, and as we did with the last report, it was helpful to actually submit to the analysts and the clerk your suggested edits and then they can incorporate those suggested edits and we discuss them at a drafting meeting, because it's helpful to have both languages of edits, rather than trying to read them in real time.
If that's the will of the committee, I think it worked well for us last time. I would ask that the members review these two draft reports, and provide to the clerk any changes to the reports by Friday, April 30, which will give the analysts time to incorporate them and also make sure we have the translation of any edits. They will provide us version two of both reports, which we will work on the week of May 24. You'll see in the draft schedule that we have circulated le plan de match for the spring session, so that you can be adequately prepared.
I wanted to make sure you all knew what we were looking at, because we'd like to get as many reports finished before the end of June so we can table them in the House.
Are there any questions or comments on that? I know you received them only at the beginning of the meeting, but I think this will be helpful for everybody in terms of planning.
Do you have any questions?
Bloc
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
I think we have a good game plan, Madam Chair. Thank you for your work, and thank you to the clerk.
Liberal
Conservative
Tony Baldinelli Conservative Niagara Falls, ON
I just wanted to confirm. Was it to our P9 accounts that you sent some information?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sherry Romanado
That's correct; the clerk circulated that. I think it was just after the meeting started, but I asked him to draft a plan for us, for all the things we have to do between now and the end of June, so we can make sure we stay on track.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sherry Romanado
Perfect.
If there are any questions or concerns, MP Baldinelli, what we can do is maybe at a subsequent meeting take five minutes to just go over that, or you can definitely pick up the phone and give me a call. I'm happy to answer any questions.