With Canadians heading to the polls in a federal general election set for September 20th, the possible outcomes could have an affect on our industry’s priorities. For example, two significant initiatives for our industry that could be affected by the election outcome are the Self-Care Framework (SCF) and passage of the proposed amendments to the Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).
As CA members are well aware, the SCF has been more than a decade in the making and currently in its final stages of development with Phase 1 of implementation now under way. Although CA was able to secure some important elements for our industry in the CUSMA trade agreement that are now in place (i.e. elimination of quarantine and re-testing for imported DIN products), there is still much to be implemented to reduce unnecessary burdens and support product innovation in our sector. Although this reform was initiated by the Harper Conservative government, almost all of the work was undertaken during the current Trudeau Liberal administration, and any changes in government, ministers or even senior officials can result in delay as they become familiar with the file and/or are lobbied for changes by various stakeholders who may not be supportive.
On the amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) introduced last winter by Minister Wilkinson to modernize the Act and Canada’s Chemicals Management Plan (CEPA), the industry consensus has been that the amendments were well-balanced, well-drafted and should be adopted as soon as possible. This view was shared by CA after reviewing the proposed amendments. Any change in government, or another minority Parliament where passage of significant amendments becomes possible, could put the future of this legislative package into question with the uncertainty which that entails.
In addition to these two initiatives, the various platforms now being put out by the political parties offer some insight into their thinking, priorities and commitments which could affect our industry post-election. Although not all of the platforms have yet been released, CA will be reviewing them to plan our industry’s post election strategy and efforts. We will continue to keep you informed of developments.
