Open for Input
Senate of Canada - Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs (Federal)
The Senate's Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee is conducting several studies at once. They're looking at children's rights and well-being, the impact of artificial intelligence, and budget provisions affecting students and school food...
Why This Matters: Got kids? This committee is hearing from youth advocates about what young Canadians need. They're also looking at how AI might change your life and work. The budget bill they're reviewing includes the national school food program and student financial aid.
Policy & Studies
Education
Health & Safety
Indigenous & Northern
Closed
Department of Families and Affordability (NL)
Newfoundland and Labrador is reviewing its child protection law, the Children, Youth and Families Act. The government wants to hear from you about five key areas: Indigenous child welfare, permanency planning, outcomes for kids in care, youth aging...
Why This Matters: Know a family struggling with child welfare services? This affects them. Foster parents, social workers, and Indigenous communities all have a stake. Youth aging out of care at 18 often face homelessness and poverty. This review could change how the system supports them.
Legislation
Health & Safety
Indigenous & Northern
Justice & Rights
Closed
Environment and Climate Change Canada (Federal)
The government has assessed manganese and its compounds and found they may be harmful to human health and the environment. They're proposing to add these substances to Canada's official toxic substances list, which would allow new regulations to...
Why This Matters: Manganese is everywhere—in steel, batteries, fertilizers, and even drinking water. If you work in manufacturing or live near industrial sites, this could affect air and water quality in your area. The government wants to know if you think the science supports adding these substances to the toxic...
Regulations & Permits
Environment & Climate
Health & Safety
Closed
Statistics Canada (Federal)
Statistics Canada wants to know if you'd share health data from your smartwatch or fitness tracker. Right now, the Canadian Health Measures Survey collects data through in-person visits—blood tests, fitness tests, the works. They're exploring...
Why This Matters: Got a Fitbit or Apple Watch? This affects how your data might be used for public health research. Statistics Canada is looking for less intrusive ways to track population health—and your wearable could be part of that. If you care about privacy and how government uses personal health data, this was...
Policy & Studies
Health & Safety
Technology & Digital
Closed
Health Canada (Federal)
Health Canada is updating its guidelines for trihalomethanes (THMs) in drinking water. THMs form when chlorine used to disinfect water reacts with organic matter. The government wants feedback on the proposed approach and the costs of implementing...
Why This Matters: Drink tap water? These chemicals are in it. THMs form when chlorine disinfects your water supply. Long-term exposure has been linked to health concerns. Updated guidelines could mean cleaner water—or higher water bills if treatment upgrades are needed.
Regulations & Permits
Environment & Climate
Health & Safety
Closed
Health Canada (Federal)
Health Canada asked what nutritional standards should apply to infant formula, baby food, meal replacements, and medical foods. The rules haven't been updated in decades. New regulations based on this feedback are expected in 2026.
Why This Matters: Have a baby? Use meal replacement shakes? Need gluten-free food? This shapes what's actually in those products. The rules for infant formula and special diet foods are being rewritten for the first time in years.
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food
Health & Safety
Closed
Employment and Social Development Canada (Federal)
The federal government asked researchers and school food experts what data gaps exist in Canada's school food programs. This closed consultation helped shape research priorities for the National School Food Policy and Program.
Why This Matters: Got kids in school? This affects what research gets done on school meals across Canada. Better data could mean better-funded lunch programs and healthier food options for students.
Policy & Studies
Education
Health & Safety
Closed
Ministry of the Solicitor General (ON)
When someone dies of non-natural causes in an Ontario prison, the law currently requires a full inquest. The problem? These take 5-7 years to complete. The government wants to replace mandatory inquests with annual reviews led by coroners. Families...
Why This Matters: Know someone who's been incarcerated? Families currently wait 5-7 years for answers when a loved one dies in custody. That's years of uncertainty and re-traumatization. This change could get answers faster—but some worry annual reviews won't have the same public scrutiny as inquests.
Legislation
Health & Safety
Justice & Rights
Open for Input
Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs (Federal)
A Senate bill proposes creating a national framework to address fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The bill is currently being studied by the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. FASD affects thousands of...
Why This Matters: Know someone affected by FASD? This could change how they access support. FASD is one of the leading causes of developmental disability in Canada, yet services vary wildly by province. Parents often struggle to get diagnoses and find help. A national framework could mean consistent standards across...
Legislation
Health & Safety
Justice & Rights
Closed
Health Canada (Federal)
Health Canada wants to allow caffeine in gummy candies—the same way it's already allowed in chocolate bars and energy gums. The catch? Any product with more than 56 mg of caffeine per serving would need a new warning label telling you not to mix it...
Why This Matters: Grab a caffeinated gummy before your workout? This could make that legal. But if you're a parent, pay attention—these products would need warnings about kids under 14. And if you're someone who already drinks coffee, the new labels would remind you not to double up.
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food
Health & Safety
Closed
Health Canada (Federal)
Some medicines approved for children in other countries aren't available in Canada. Health Canada created a priority list of pediatric drugs to fix this gap. The consultation asked Canadians which medications should be prioritized for approval.
Why This Matters: Got a sick kid? Some child-friendly medications available in the US or Europe simply aren't sold here. Parents sometimes have to get prescriptions compounded or import drugs from abroad. This list could change which treatments your pediatrician can prescribe.
Policy & Studies
Health & Safety
Closed
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (Federal)
The CRTC reviewed how emergency alerts reach Canadians through phones, TVs, and radios. They wanted to know if alerts should come in more languages, including Indigenous ones. They also asked about making alerts accessible for people with...
Why This Matters: Ever get that loud emergency alert on your phone? This consultation shaped how those alerts work. If you're deaf, live in a rural area with spotty coverage, or speak an Indigenous language, this directly affects whether you'll get warned about tornadoes, floods, or Amber Alerts.
Regulations & Permits
Health & Safety
Technology & Digital
Closed
Kelowna, BC
Kelowna gathered feedback from residents about barriers to accessibility in the city. The consultation is now complete, and the results are shaping the city's Accessibility Plan. You can still report accessibility concerns through an online service...
Why This Matters: Use a wheelchair or mobility aid? Have a visual or hearing impairment? Care for someone with a disability? This plan affects how you navigate sidewalks, transit, city buildings, and services. It's about making Kelowna work for everyone.
Community Planning
Health & Safety
Housing & Communities
Transportation
Closed
Ministry of Health (ON)
Ontario wants to let more out-of-province health workers prescribe and dispense monitored drugs while they wait for their Ontario registration. Right now, only doctors and nurse practitioners from other provinces can do this. The proposed change...
Why This Matters: Waiting months to see a specialist? This could help. Ontario faces health worker shortages, and qualified professionals from other provinces often sit idle while their paperwork processes. If you've ever struggled to find a pharmacist, physiotherapist, or other health provider, faster access to...
Regulations & Permits
Economy & Jobs
Health & Safety
Closed
Ministry of the Solicitor General (ON)
Ontario wants to push back the deadline for police officers to complete mental health crisis training. Right now, all officers must finish by April 2026. The new plan? Officers on community patrol would have until October 2026, while desk-based...
Why This Matters: Ever called 911 for someone in a mental health crisis? How police respond can make the difference between de-escalation and tragedy. This training teaches officers to handle these situations safely. Delaying it means some officers won't have these skills for another year or two.
Regulations & Permits
Health & Safety
Justice & Rights
Closed
Ministry of Labour (AB)
Alberta reviewed its rules about what jobs young workers under 18 can do without needing a special permit. The government proposed a new 'light work list' of approved jobs and asked for public feedback. The consultation closed in July 2019 and...
Why This Matters: Have a teenager looking for their first job? These rules decide what work they can legally do. Parents, employers, and young workers all have a stake in getting the balance right between opportunity and safety.
Regulations & Permits
Economy & Jobs
Health & Safety