Filter Consultations
Showing 148 consultations
Categories (1) ×
Closed

Should Canada Allow Emergency Imports of Infant Formula and Special Diet Foods During Shortages?

Health Canada (Federal)

Health Canada wants to create a permanent backup plan for when infant formula and special diet foods run short. Right now, Canada relies on temporary policies to allow imports of foreign products during shortages. This proposal would make that...

Why This Matters: Have a baby who needs special formula? Know someone with a metabolic disorder who depends on specific foods? Canada's small market and limited suppliers make us vulnerable to shortages. The 2022-2023 infant formula crisis showed what happens when supply chains break down. This rule would help...

Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food Health & Safety
Closed

How Should Antibiotics Used in Farm Animals Be Ranked for Human Health Risk?

Veterinary Drugs Directorate (Federal)

Health Canada asked for feedback on updating how it ranks antibiotics used in farm animals. Why does this matter? Some antibiotics are critical for treating human infections. When they're overused in livestock, bacteria can become resistant—making...

Why This Matters: Ever taken antibiotics for a serious infection? Their effectiveness depends partly on how they're used in agriculture. Overuse in farm animals breeds resistant bacteria that can spread to humans. This ranking system helps decide which antibiotics get restricted in livestock—protecting the drugs you...

Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food Health & Safety
Closed

Should Gene-Edited Pigs Resistant to a Major Virus Be Approved for Canadian Farms?

Environment and Climate Change Canada (Federal)

A company wants to bring gene-edited pigs to Canada that can't catch PRRS, a devastating virus that kills piglets and costs farmers millions. The pigs had a tiny piece of their DNA removed—no foreign genes added—so the virus can't latch on. The...

Why This Matters: Eat pork? This could affect what ends up on your plate. PRRS costs the global pork industry billions annually and there's no effective treatment. If approved, these disease-resistant pigs could mean healthier herds, fewer antibiotics, and potentially more stable pork prices. But some Canadians have...

Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food Environment & Climate Health & Safety
Closed

Should Canada's Seed Regulations Be Modernized?

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Federal)

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency wants to update decades-old seed regulations. The goal? Cut red tape for seed businesses, speed up approvals for new crop varieties, and better protect farmers from low-quality seed. This consultation gathered...

Why This Matters: Farmers depend on quality seed to grow the food Canadians eat. Faster variety approvals could mean better crops reaching fields sooner. Tighter rules on common seed protect farmers from buying duds. If you eat food grown in Canada, this affects your plate.

Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food
Closed

Should Manitoba Change How It Allocates Crown Land to Farmers and Ranchers?

Government of Manitoba (MB)

Manitoba is reviewing how it manages Crown land leased to farmers and ranchers. Right now, over 1,700 leaseholders use this land to graze nearly 90,000 cattle each season. The government wants feedback on who gets leases, how much land one person...

Why This Matters: If you're a Manitoba farmer or rancher, this could change your access to grazing land. New rules might limit how much Crown land you can lease. For Indigenous communities, this review could affect reconciliation efforts around traditional lands.

Policy & Studies Agriculture & Food Natural Resources
Closed

What Should Alberta's Agricultural Policy Priorities Be?

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (AB)

Alberta asked farmers and consumers what the province's agricultural priorities should be. The consultation shaped the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a $406 million federal-provincial program that replaced Growing Forward 2 in 2018. Two rounds...

Why This Matters: Food prices and farm viability affect everyone. This framework shaped how Alberta supports farmers managing drought, market swings, and climate challenges. If you buy Alberta beef, grain, or produce, these policies touched your grocery bill.

Policy & Studies Agriculture & Food Economy & Jobs
Closed

Should Home Bakers and Food Makers Face Fewer Rules in Alberta?

Ministry of Health (AB)

Alberta asked whether people making low-risk foods at home—like baked goods, jams, and pickles—should face fewer regulations when selling them. The goal was to cut red tape for small food entrepreneurs while still protecting public health. This...

Why This Matters: Love your neighbour's homemade jam? Want to sell your famous cookies at the farmers' market? This was about making it easier for home cooks to turn their kitchen creations into small businesses. It also affects what local foods you can buy directly from your community.

Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food Economy & Jobs Health & Safety
Closed

Help Shape Alberta's Farmer-Led Agricultural Research

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (AB)

Alberta wants farmers to drive agricultural research priorities, not just participate in them. The province gathered input on what 'farmer-led research' should mean, what the priorities should be, and how industry can share leadership. This could...

Why This Matters: If you're a farmer, this is about who decides what gets researched—and whether your priorities matter. Even if you're not farming, agricultural research affects food prices and rural jobs. Alberta wants to become a biotech hub, which could mean more investment in your region.

Policy & Studies Agriculture & Food
Closed

Should Caffeinated Drinks Be Allowed to Contain More Juice?

Health Canada (Federal)

Health Canada wants to let energy drinks and other caffeinated beverages contain up to 30% juice, up from the current 25% limit. The caffeine levels would stay the same. These drinks still couldn't call themselves "juice" on the label.

Why This Matters: Ever grab an energy drink thinking it's healthier because it has juice? This rule change could mean more juice in those drinks. The catch: they still can't market themselves as juice products, so you won't be fooled into thinking they're health drinks.

Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food Health & Safety
Closed

Should New Limits for Veterinary Drug Residues in Food Be Approved?

Veterinary Drugs Directorate (Federal)

Health Canada asked whether to update the maximum amounts of veterinary drug residues allowed in meat, milk, and eggs. These limits determine how much medication can remain in food from treated animals while still being safe to eat. The consultation...

Why This Matters: Eat meat, eggs, or dairy? These rules affect what's in your food. When farm animals get sick, they're treated with medications. This consultation was about how much of those drugs can safely remain in the food you buy at the grocery store.

Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food Health & Safety
Closed

Should Canada Update Its Seed Potato Certification Rules?

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Federal)

Canada's seed potato rules haven't kept up with modern technology. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency wants to update Parts II and III of the Seeds Regulations to cut red tape, support the potato industry, and protect farmers and consumers. They're...

Why This Matters: Eat potatoes? This affects how they're grown. Seed potato certification ensures the potatoes you buy are disease-free and high quality. Farmers depend on certified seed to protect their crops. Outdated rules mean higher costs that get passed on to consumers.

Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food
Closed

Should Ontario Extend the Turkey Marketing Levy Until 2028?

Ministry of Agriculture (ON)

Turkey Farmers of Ontario want to keep collecting a federal marketing levy on turkey producers until 2028. The money funds "Think Turkey," a national ad campaign launched in 2020 to get Canadians eating more turkey. The industry says it needs the...

Why This Matters: This one's mostly for turkey farmers and industry insiders. If you raise turkeys in Ontario, you're paying this levy. For everyone else? The campaign might influence turkey prices slightly, but the direct impact on your grocery bill is minimal.

Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food
Closed

Should Alberta Update Its Animal Protection Laws?

Office of the Chief Provincial Veterinarian (AB)

Alberta is reviewing its Animal Protection Act for the first time since 2006. The government gathered input from enforcement agencies, veterinarians, livestock groups, and Indigenous communities to identify what's working and what needs fixing...

Why This Matters: Own a pet, livestock, or care about animal welfare? These rules affect how animals are protected from neglect and abuse in Alberta. The current law hasn't been updated in nearly 20 years. If you've ever reported an animal in distress and wondered why action was slow, this review aims to fix those...

Legislation Agriculture & Food Justice & Rights
Closed

Should Some Low-Risk Pest Control Products Skip Full Registration?

Pest Management Regulatory Agency (Federal)

Health Canada wants to update which pest control products can skip the full registration process. Right now, some low-risk products like certain insect traps or natural repellents are exempt from registration. This pre-consultation asks whether the...

Why This Matters: Use bug spray or mouse traps at home? This affects what products hit store shelves. Changing exemptions could mean more natural pest control options—or fewer, depending on the outcome. Gardeners and farmers who use pest products should pay attention too.

Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food Health & Safety
Closed

Should Canada Change How It Controls Chronic Wasting Disease in Farmed Deer and Elk?

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Federal)

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency wanted feedback on updating its program to control chronic wasting disease (CWD) in farmed deer and elk. CWD is a fatal brain disease spreading to new parts of Canada. The current program from 2019 hasn't stopped...

Why This Matters: Eat venison or elk? This disease can't be cooked out of meat. Hunters and anyone who buys game meat should care about how it's controlled. If you live near deer farms, wild deer in your area could be affected too.

Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food Health & Safety
Closed

Should Farms and Managed Forests Be Exempt from Municipal Stormwater Fees?

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (ON)

Ontario wants to stop municipalities from charging stormwater fees to farms and managed forests that aren't connected to municipal storm sewers. Why? The province says these lands naturally absorb rainwater, so they shouldn't pay fees designed for...

Why This Matters: Own a farm or managed forest in Ontario? You might stop paying stormwater fees—if your land isn't piped into the municipal sewer system. For municipalities, this could mean redesigning fee structures and potentially losing revenue from rural properties.

Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food Finance & Consumer Housing & Communities