Archived - Consultations

At annual meetings, the leaders of Canada, the United States and Mexico discuss issues to be accomplished in the following year under the SPP and agree on priority areas requiring concerted efforts. These priorities can change, as they respond to the needs and challenges of each country and those identified in the annual SPP progress reports.

In Canada, federal departments and agencies responsible for delivering SPP initiatives collaborate and consult, as appropriate, with a broad range of interests and stakeholders, including provincial and territorial governments, industry, associations and special interest groups.  Stakeholders are kept informed of SPP initiatives through various means, including meetings, correspondence and the Government of Canada's SPP website.  The level of consultation varies, from formal input on specific SPP-related initiatives or proposals, to informal discussions relating to the broader responsibilities of the department or agency.  Some examples are as follows:

• The energy initiatives of the SPP build upon the ongoing efforts of the energy departments of the United States, Canada and Mexico and are carried out by the North American Energy Working Group (NAEWG).  From time to time, the NAEWG consults with the Energy Council of Canada and other energy industry associations to seek their views on energy sector issues and trilateral concerns.  The NAEWG also collaborates with the respective national regulatory boards, including Canada's National Energy Board.  These bodies share information on regulatory approaches and current events, and provide compatible regulatory approaches while respective of their legislative mandates.
• On February 23, 2007, the North American Competitiveness Council   presented 51 recommendations to the three governments in a document titled Enhancing Competitiveness in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The recommendations, grouped around the themes of border crossing facilitation, standards and regulatory cooperation, and energy integration, aim to strengthen North American competitiveness in global markets while increasing the safety of its citizens.
• Closely tied to the SPP priority on safe food and products, Health Canada launched a public consultation on January 15, 2008, on the Government of Canada's proposed Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan.  The Action Plan, which was announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on December 17, 2007, outlines a series of initiatives designed to modernize and strengthen Canada's safety system for food, health and consumer products.  The consultation on the proposed measures will provide interested Canadians, stakeholders, industry, provinces and territories with an opportunity to learn details of the plan and provide input on how it will be implemented.

In addition, Industry Canada and Public Safety Canada officials have met with representatives of the Canadian Labour Congress, the Food Processors of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, among others.  They have also participated in conference calls with provincial and territorial officials to provide updates on the SPP, and have invited provincial/territorial officials to follow-up with them to discuss particular issues.  In April and May 2007, the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade held a number of meetings on the SPP during which government officials provided testimony and responded to questions from committee members.  In June 2007, the Standing Committee on Health also held a meeting on the SPP.  Transcripts of these meetings can be found at the Parliament of Canada website: www.parl.gc.ca.

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