Acts and regulations

As a federal agency, CFIA is responsible for administering acts and regulations, and for implementing government-wide regulatory initiatives:

Acts and regulations

CFIA is responsible for administering certain federal acts and regulations.

Access these federal acts and regulations at the following link:

Incorporation by reference

CFIA is committed to upholding accessibility, transparency, consistency, reasonableness, and clarity when using incorporation by reference in regulations.

• View Incorporation by reference
• View CFIA Incorporation by Reference Policy
• View Inventory of documents incorporated by reference

Planned or anticipated changes to regulations (Forward Regulatory Plan, Regulatory Stock Review Plan, Regulatory Reviews)

CFIA publishes a public list, with descriptions, of planned or anticipated federal regulatory changes that CFIA intends to bring forward over a 24-month period (Forward Regulatory Plan).

The Forward Regulatory Plan landing page includes a link to CFIA's stock review plan, which is the agency's plan to review its entire regulatory stock over a set period of time. The stock review plan includes:

• a list of the regulations that will undergo a review, prioritized in a way that makes sense to the regulator and stakeholders
• a time frame for the review(s)

CFIA participated in the first and second rounds of the targeted regulatory reviews, which focus on reviewing existing regulations and regulatory practices and identifying novel regulatory approaches in order to support economic growth and innovation.

A suite of initiatives developed as a result of these reviews are outlined in the following Roadmaps:

Timeliness service standards and performance information

CFIA publishes timeliness service standards and performance information for its services, including services for regulated parties to obtain regulatory authorization such as a permit or licence to engage in a regulated activity.
View Service standards for high-volume regulatory authorizations.

How guidance on regulatory requirements is provided

CFIA's Policy for Providing Guidance on Regulatory Requirements:

• outlines the commitments, practices and tools that CFIA applies when providing Canadians and businesses with information and guidance on regulatory obligations to be met
• identifies the conditions under which written responses to questions will be provided

Number of administrative burden requirements in regulations

The Administrative Burden Baseline initiative requires departments and agencies to:

• establish a baseline count of federal regulatory requirements that impose administrative burden on business
• annually update and report publicly on the count of baseline requirements

View the number of administrative burden requirements in regulations administered by CFIA: Administrative Burden Baseline: Update 2023

Other regulatory information

Food safety and the protection of plant and animal resources are central priorities guiding Canada's food safety regulations. However, CFIA also recognizes that we can support innovation and productivity by streamlining regulations and cutting red tape.
View Reducing Red Tape.

CFIA is undertaking a review of its regulations for food safety, plant and animal health to improve their consistency, reduce their complexity and strengthen consumer protection.
View Regulatory modernization.

CFIA is implementing a modern regulatory framework that is safe and responsive and that maintains high standards for health and safety while enabling opportunities for industry to innovate.
View Safe and Responsive Regulatory Framework.

For more information

All of the government's Acts and Regulations can be found on the Justice Laws website.

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:

• Federal regulatory management
• Learn more about regulatory cooperation

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