Let's Talk Federal Regulations platform 101

This page has information on how to use the platform, register and provide comments. It also outlines how your feedback will be used and reported back.


Who is being consulted?

Specific target groups may differ by project. Generally, we want to hear from:

  • businesses
  • industry associations
  • non-profit organizations (such as patient and consumer organizations)
  • academics
  • other organizations and individuals impacted by Canada’s regulatory system


Why are we being consulted?

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) wants feedback from organizations and individuals impacted by Canada’s regulatory system in order to develop new policies, tools, and initiatives that aim to modernize the regulatory system and enhance regulatory cooperation with other jurisdictions.  

To help us continue to improve Canada’s regulatory system to support effective regulations that protect the health and safety of Canadians and the environment, we would like to hear your views on:

  • how to improve initiatives to modernize Canada’s regulatory system and regulatory processes
  • what information you need on Canada’s regulatory system and initiatives to improve them
  • how Canada’s regulatory system can support economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic
  • challenging regulatory processes and barriers that excessively impact trade, economic growth and innovation
  • suggestions on potential areas of regulatory cooperation with other jurisdictions to reduce regulatory misalignment and barriers to trade

We will be posting several projects on the Let’s Talk Federal Regulations platform for your feedback. Each project will be open for a specified period of time for comment.

 

Why was the Let’s Talk Federal Regulations platform created?

The Let’s Talk Federal Regulations site is being piloted to test new tools available to enhance our engagement practices. It also responds to demand for online engagement avenues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The site enables more interactive and dynamic feedback from participants and provides an opportunity to see and build off comments from other participants as they are received. 

We will be experimenting with different tools available in the platform to help gather input and share information with stakeholders.

The site also allows us to engage with stakeholders on a variety of initiatives through projects that will be sequenced over the coming months, resulting in more dispersed efforts to prepare feedback compared to seeking to engage on all regulatory initiatives through one window of opportunity every couple of years.

We are hoping that the platform helps us expand the number and range of participants that we hear from in our consultations.

 

Can I submit comments on specific regulations through this platform?

No, regulatory departments are responsible for conducting consultations on individual regulatory proposals. Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is responsible for developing and overseeing policies and processes that federal regulatory departments must follow when developing and renewing regulations as well as promoting good regulatory practices that support effective regulations, quick and responsive processes, and innovation in Canada’s regulatory system. The Let’s Talk Federal Regulations platform is intended to gather views about systemic issues and ways to improve the regulatory system rather than feedback on individual regulations.

If you have specific feedback on an individual regulation, you may find opportunities for feedback posted in the Canada Gazette. Please visit Comment on proposed regulations - Canada.ca (canadagazette.gc.ca).

If we receive feedback that seems to be more relevant to individual Canadian regulators, we will share your feedback with them and/or may reply to your comment with information on the appropriate contacts that you may wish to follow-up with.

 

How to participate in an e-consultation

Through the Let’s Talk Federal Regulations platform, we will be posting several projects for you to comment on for a specified period of time. Each project will have a distinct topic, and several tools will be made available for individuals and organizations to submit their views, respond to or comment on proposals, and the review proposals received.

Note that comments submitted, including names and affiliations, are intended to be made public in the official language in which they were received.

 

How to register and provide comments

You do not need to register in order to view the content and comments on the site. However, you need to register to submit comments on the site. Registration allows participants to follow their conversations and get notifications on updates related to the consultations.

To register, click the “Register” link and fill out the form. As part of the registration process, you will be asked to provide a public username and some additional information to TBS. Only your username will be publicly visible. Once you click “Submit”, you will receive an email confirming your registration. You will have to register only once. When you return to the site, you can simply sign in to participate.

Mandatory registration fields include:

  • username: the name that will be publicly viewable when you submit comments
  • password
  • email address

There are also optional registration fields, including:

  • name
  • position or title
  • organization name (if applicable)
  • province/territory
  • stakeholder/organization type
  • industry (if applicable)
  • first three letters/digits of your postal code

The information provided in the optional registration fields will help us to understand the organizations and individuals participating in our consultations so that we can continue to remove barriers and refine our outreach and engagement efforts. The optional registration information will be used for analytical purposes only and will not be published.

To comment on a project, click on the image on the main page and use the tools found on the project page. All comments are identified by username. Comments will be visible to other reviewers after a short delay, to allow for moderation of comments.

Other individuals may review your comments, and registered users may respond (for example, by replying, or by using the “thumbs up” icon to indicate agreement with your comment). You may also review and respond to their comments within the comment stream. All registered users may continue to provide comments.


How do I learn more about the tools available?

Information on each of the tools available in the platform is found below.  Each project uses a number of tools relevant to the goals of the project.

Tool

About

Forums

The forums tool creates a space for discussion, dialogue and debate. People share their experiences with others, ask questions, and have conversations in a safe and interactive environment. For more information, visit Granicus' Forums tool page.

Ideas

Ideas provides “virtual” post it notes for individuals to add their ideas to a collective board. People like the ideas that inspire them most, heling align priorities with what matters most to the community. For more information, visit Granicus' Ideas tool page.

Stories

Stories helps to better understand, empathize and relate to the perspectives shared by community members. For more information, visit Granicus' Stories tool page.

Questions

Questions allows community members to ask the administrators questions that can be responded to publicly or privately. For more information, visit Granicus' Questions tool page.

Surveys

The surveys tool gives people an opportunity to share their views following a set of structured questions. For more information, visit Granicus' Surveys tool page.

Polls

Polls encourage people to provide a quick answer to one question with multiple choice answers. For more information, visit Granicus' Polls tool page.

Places

Places allows users to provide feedback and ideas on a map. They can drop a “pin” in areas of concern, for example. For more information, visit Granicus' Places tool page.

Guestbook

Guestbook allows individuals to upload comments that are moderated to manage what appears publicly. This can be appropriate for more sensitive topics. For more information, visit Granicus' Guestbook tool page.

 

What happens after I’ve submitted my comments?

This e-consultation software includes a forum etiquette and moderation function.

When you submit a comment, there is a short delay before it appears. This delay allows for review and moderation of comments. Most comments will appear after the content has been moderated. However, comments that breach the moderation rules will not be posted for public viewing.

After your comment appears, it will be visible for other individuals to review. You may see engagement with your comments by other individuals (for example, you may see a reply to your comment; a “thumbs up” icon indicating agreement with your comment, or further discussion within the comment stream). As with original comments, all responses are moderated.

Note that comments are identified by username and are intended to be made public in the official language in which they were received. Personal information, such as email addresses, phone numbers and mailing addresses, will not be made public. 

You will not receive a formal reply from the TBS to your comments on this site. 

After a consultation period, TBS will share the comments received with federal regulators for validation and to inform future projects or initiatives. All comments that involve regulators from federal, international or provincial/territorial jurisdictions will be shared with them for their consideration. However, out-of-scope comments in the context of an initiative will not be tracked.

Individual comments received to the projects may also be posted on the Open Data portal. Updates will be shared on the platform and through the Inside Regulatory Affairs newsletter. Note: you can subscribe to the newsletter through the platform registration form or by emailing regulation-reglementation@tbs-sct.gc.ca


Why can’t I see my comments?

When you submit a comment, there is a short delay to allow for review and moderation of comments. Most comments will appear after the content has been moderated. However, comments that breach the moderation rules will not be posted for public viewing.

 

Can I still submit comments by email? If I send you my comments via email, will you post them to your e-consultation platform?

You can send comments to regulation-reglementation@tbs-sct.gc.ca or to the email specified in an individual project. Your comments will be included in any summaries or reports produced from the consultation. Individual comments received to the projects may also be posted on the on the Open Data portal. Personal information, such as email addresses, phone numbers and mailing addresses, will not be made public.

All comments that involve regulators from federal, international or provincial/territorial jurisdictions will be shared with them for their consideration.

If there is any information that is sensitive and that you would not like to be made publicly available, please identify this in your email submission. Do not post sensitive content on the platform or else it will be made public.


Are materials and comments available in both official languages?

English language content and materials are available on Let’s Talk Federal Regulations at http://www.letstalkfederalregulations.ca. French language content and materials are available on Parlons des règlements fédéraux at http://www.parlonsdesreglementsfederaux.ca .

Comments submitted will be viewable in the official language in which they were received. Any summaries or What We Heard reports produced at the end of the consultations, will be made in both official languages.


What happened with feedback that I sent in previous consultations on Canada’s regulatory system?

Input provided from previous consultations is regularly drawn upon to inform initiatives that improve Canada’s regulatory system and cooperation with other jurisdictions. For example, feedback from the 2019 consultation on regulatory modernization informed the Review of the Red Tape Reduction Act, development of the Annual Regulatory Modernization Bill, and regulatory reviews on clean technology, digitalization and technology neutral regulations, and international standards.

Previous input has been summarized into the following reports:

The findings of the consultations and any input on any specific issues have been shared with relevant teams, departments or governments to inform the development of regulatory modernization initiatives.

Regular consultations help to ensure that Canada’s regulatory system continues to evolve with the changing issues, technologies and needs of Canadians. As we look towards the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are interested in hearing about new challenges and opportunities to continue to improve Canada’s regulatory system.


Where do I send feedback about this e-consultation platform?

TBS welcomes any comments or feedback on this new e-consultation platform. To provide feedback, email us at regulation-reglementation@tbs-sct.gc.ca.