Regulatory Stock Review Plan for Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada

Regulatory Stock Review Plan

This Regulatory Stock Review Plan is a public description of planned reviews of regulations that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is proposing within a five year period. It is intended to give Canadians, including businesses and Indigenous peoples, and trading partners, greater opportunity to inform the reviews of regulations and to plan for the future.

The stock review plan identifies Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s contact point for the planned reviews. The stock review plan will be adjusted and updated over time to reflect Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s regulatory priorities and changes to the operating environment.

Stock Review Plan 2023–2028

Canadian Agricultural Loans Regulations

Title of the Regulations Canadian Agricultural Loans Regulations
Enabling Act Canadian Agricultural Loans Act
Rationale The Canadian Agricultural Loans Act includes a requirement for a review of the provisions and operations of the Act, in consultation with the Minister of Finance, every five years.
Narrative

The legislative review of the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act was tabled to Parliament in May 2021.

The review found that the CALA program remained relevant as some Canadian farmers continue to face challenges in accessing affordable credit. It is cost neutral and acts as a low-risk, low-cost government program that supports the agricultural sector. It aligns with departmental roles and responsibilities by providing Canadian farmers equal access to affordable credit while sharing the risks of agricultural debt with the private sector. Despite falling short of its overall uptake goals, it exceeded its targets in the beginner farmer segment with increases in the number and overall value of loans, and it has benefited Indigenous groups by providing access to credit that may otherwise be difficult for them to obtain.
Date of last review or amendment The last legislative review of the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act was tabled in Parliament in May 2021. The report found that the program continued to be relevant and was effectively managed. While participation was not as high as expected due to low loan limits, high commodity prices and low interest rates, the program was beneficial to beginning farmers. The review recommended further analysis on options to further improve program parameters and evaluate program opportunities to benefit beginner, Indigenous, and women farmers. It is uncertain if the review will result in amendments to the Act or its regulations.
Targeted start for review Should the analysis currently being undertaken result in the need for legislative or regulatory amendments, the target year to start this work would be 2023-24.
Stakeholder Feedback Not applicable at this time.
Outcomes
  • Reviewed and confirmed
  • Amended
  • Removed
  • Replaced
Not applicable at this time.
For further information Not applicable at this time.
Departmental or agency contact: Justin Sugawara
Director, Financial Guarantee Programs Division
613-773-0285
justin.sugawara@agr.gc.ca

Agricultural Marketing Programs Regulations

Title of the Regulations Agricultural Marketing Programs Regulations
Enabling Act Agricultural Marketing Programs Act (AMPA)
Rationale The Agricultural Marketing Programs Act includes a requirement for a review of the provisions and operations of the Act, in consultation with the Minister of Finance, every five years.
Narrative

The next legislative review of the AMPA is expected to be completed in Spring 2023. The review will examine the three programs governed by the Act, including the Advance Payments Program (APP), the Price Pooling Program (PPP), and the Government Purchase Program and cover the period of February 2016 to February 2021. The primary focus will be on the APP. The review is expected to build on the findings from the evaluation of the programs under the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act (2014 to 2019), conducted by AAFC’s Office of Audit and Evaluation (OAE).

The OAE evaluation focused on the APP from April 2014 to March 2019. The OAE report, published on January 15, 2021, found that: there is still a need for the APP; the program aligns with departmental and government priorities; the program is largely delivered in an effective and efficient manner; and, the program met its objectives and targets over the evaluation period. The evaluation recommended that inconsistencies in the APP third-party delivery model be addressed to maximize producer benefits; the Program Risk Management Framework be revisited to reduce APP risk and financial liabilities; and, the potential for comparable interest rates on APP advances across administrators be assessed. AAFC agreed with these recommendations and implemented changes to the program in 2019 and 2020.

In addition to leveraging the OAE findings, the AMPA review will examine the relevancy and efficiency of the programs, their alignment with government priorities and Business Risk Management programming, and the APP delivery model. Should the findings and recommendations of the legislative review require it, there could be need for amendments to the Act, and potentially to its regulations.

Date of last review or amendment

The last legislative review of the AMPA was tabled in Parliament in November 2012. The review resulted in a number of amendments to the AMPA and its regulations aimed at improving access and flexibility under the APP and reducing administrative burden under the program. The majority of the legislative amendments were implemented in 2015, with the regulatory amendments and associated legislative amendments being made in 2016 (see SOR/ 2016-7 January 29, 2016).

Additional amendments have been made to the Agricultural Marketing Programs Regulations:

  • on May 29, 2019, to increase the limit on advances from $400,000 to $1 million on an ongoing basis and temporarily increase the interest-free limit from $100,000 to $500,000 for 2019 advances on canola. The amendments are intended to address increases in farm operating expenses of more than 50% since 2007, and to help farmers impacted by market-related challenges in 2019 (see SOR/2019-157 May 29, 2019); and
  • on June 21, 2022, to increase the limit on interest-free advances from $100,000 to $250,000 for the 2022 and 2023 program years. The amendments are intended to assist producers with rising costs of production (e.g., fertilizer, fuel, etc.) resulting from factors such as inflation, increasing interest rates, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. (see SOR/2022-152 June 21, 2022).
Targeted start for review The legislative review is underway. Should legislative and regulatory amendments be required, it is expected that the target year to start this work would be 2023-24.
Stakeholder Feedback As part of the legislative review, AAFC will be consulting with national producer organizations, APP administrators, lenders, marketing agencies (PPP), and producers. As part of the consultations, AAFC will also consider under-represented groups and youth. As required under the Act, AAFC will also consult with Finance Canada as part of the review. These consultations are currently underway.
Outcomes
  • Reviewed and confirmed
  • Amended
  • Removed
  • Replaced
Not applicable at this time.
For further information Not applicable at this time.
Departmental or agency contact: Justin Sugawara
Director, Financial Guarantee Programs Division
613-291-0744
justin.sugawara@agr.gc.ca

Certificates of Age and Origin for Distilled Spirits Produced or Packaged in Canada Order

Title of the Regulations Certificates of Age and Origin for Distilled Spirits Produced or Packaged in Canada Order
Enabling Act Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Act
Rationale To ensure the regulation is effective in achieving objectives.
Narrative

Review of Certificates of Age and Origin for Distilled Spirits Produced or Packaged in Canada Order. This order facilitates the export of Canadian distilled spirits, which amounts to approximately $785 million annually.

This order fulfills Canada’s international trade commitments as certain trading partners require, as a condition to the importation of distilled spirits from Canada, that the distilled spirits be accompanied by a certificate issued by a duly authorized official of the Government of Canada attesting to the age and origin of the distilled spirits.

The planned approach to the review includes an assessment of the effectiveness of the regulation through discussion with the Canadian spirits industry.
Date of last review or amendment Not applicable
Targeted start for review 2025-2026
Stakeholder Feedback Not applicable at this time
Outcomes
  • Reviewed and confirmed
  • Amended
  • Removed
  • Replaced
Not applicable at this time
For further information Not applicable at this time
Departmental or agency contact: Sylvie Millette LeDuc
Director, Food Industry Division
613-684-7985
sylvie.milletteleduc@agr.gc.ca

Livestock Pedigree Associations Winding-up Regulations

Title of the Regulations Livestock Pedigree Associations Winding-up Regulations
Enabling Act Animal Pedigree Act
Rationale To ensure the regulation is effective in achieving objectives.
Narrative

These regulations pre-date the replacement of the former Live Stock Pedigree Act in 1988 with the Animal Pedigree Act.

The Animal Pedigree Act includes provisions for termination of the corporate powers of an association and its dissolution in accordance with regulations respecting the dissolution of associations under this Act. The planned approach to the review includes an assessment of the effectiveness of the regulation through discussion with stakeholders. The results of the review will inform potential regulatory and/or legislative changes.

Date of last review or amendment Not applicable
Targeted start for review 2023–2024
Stakeholder Feedback Not applicable at this time
Outcomes
  • Reviewed and confirmed
  • Amended
  • Removed
  • Replaced
Not applicable at this time
For further information Not applicable at this time
Departmental or agency contact: Luc Marchand
Director, Animal Industry Division
613-773-2435
luc.marchand@agr.gc.ca

Consult Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Acts and Regulations web page for:

  • a list of Acts and Regulations administered by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada;
  • further information on the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s implementation of government-wide regulatory management initiatives.

For more information

Consult the following for links to the Cabinet Directive on Regulation and supporting policies and guidance, and for information on government-wide regulatory initiatives implemented by departments and agencies across the Government of Canada:

To learn about upcoming or ongoing consultations on proposed federal regulations, visit: