“Today we are fulfilling the Government’s commitment to require five percent renewable fuel content in gasoline,” said the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment. “Regulating renewable fuel content in gasoline is just one of several steps the Government is taking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, which account for about a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.”

“Support for renewable fuels is support for farmers, rural communities and our economy,” said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. “This is a vital step in generating new market opportunities for our farmers and maximizing Canada’s high quality resources to produce food and fuel for the world.”

“These regulations will help Canada reach our goal of becoming a clean energy leader,” said Christian Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources. “Our Government supports biofuels and other alternative fuels as part of our commitment to reducing Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent, from 2005 levels, by 2020.”

These regulations are one pillar of the Government’s broader Renewable Fuels Strategy. Canada will implement a requirement for two per cent renewable content in diesel fuel and heating oil, subject to successful demonstration of technical feasibility under the range of Canadian conditions, which would be put in place by an amendment to the Renewable Fuels Regulations.

When fully implemented, the Strategy’s two regulatory requirements combined with provincial regulations will ensure a total volume of renewable fuel that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to four megatonnes in 2012–about the equivalent of taking one million vehicles off the road.

These regulations are a key initiative in support of the Government of Canada’s commitment to reduce Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. In addition, the Government of Canada is working with the U.S. towards common North American standards for regulating greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, and has recently published, draft regulations for vehicle tailpipe emissions under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act that are aligned with those of the U.S. Building on that successful collaboration, we will continue to work together to do the same for heavy-duty vehicles.

Related documents:

Renewable Fuels Strategy is reducing greenhouse gases and creating jobs
[Backgrounder - 2010-09-01]

Final Renewable Fuel Regulations

For more information, please contact:

Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
819-997-1441

Media Relations
Environment Canada
819-934-8008
1-888-908-8008

Meagan Murdoch
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
613-773-1059

Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972

The initiative – the APEC Cross-border Privacy Enforcement Arrangement – was developed to facilitate information sharing and cooperation between authorities responsible for data and consumer protection in the APEC region.

Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Jennifer Stoddart, says the arrangement is an important step forward in addressing new challenges for privacy in a globalized, online world.

“This will help us deal with privacy concerns relating to organizations that operate in multiple jurisdictions and businesses that move personal information across borders for processing. These are increasingly common phenomena in the economy of the 21^st century and we need 21^st century tools to address them,” says Commissioner Stoddart.

Canada’s notice of intent to participate in the initiative was formally accepted this week.

The arrangement establishes a process under which participating authorities may contact each other for help with collecting evidence, sharing information on an organisation or matter being investigated, enforcing actions, and transferring complaints to another jurisdiction.

It also encourages cooperation between privacy enforcement authorities in APEC and their international, non-APEC counterparts as the arrangement has been designed to work seamlessly with other regional and global schemes.

The arrangement was developed by a volunteer group of APEC member economies with input from civil society and business groups. To date, the participants in the arrangement also include the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Australia, Hong Kong’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of New Zealand and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Additional privacy enforcement authorities from APEC member economies are also expected to join.

For more information, please see:

APEC Cross-border Privacy Enforcement Arrangement (CPEA)
http://www.apec.org/apec/apec_groups/committee_on_trade/electronic_commerce/cpea.html

APEC News Release
http://www.apec.org/apec/news___media/media_releases/20100716_ecsg_cpea.html

APEC Fact Sheet
http://www.apec.org/apec/news___media/fact_sheets/201006cpea.html

Related Document:

• Legislative Proposals relating to the Income Tax Act, the Air Travellers Security Charge Act, the Excise Act, 2001, and the Excise Tax Act

The proposals released today include draft legislation to:

• Provide for the sharing of the Canada Child Tax Benefit and the Universal Child Care Benefit in cases of shared custody.
• Allow Registered Retirement Savings Plan proceeds to be transferred to a Registered Disability Savings Plan on a tax-deferred basis.
• Implement disbursement quota reform for registered charities.
• Better target the tax incentives in place for employee stock options.
• Expand the availability of accelerated capital cost allowance for clean energy generation.
• Adjust the capital cost allowance rate for television set-top boxes to better reflect the useful life of these assets.
• Clarify the definition of a principal-business corporation for the purposes of the rules relating to Canadian Renewable and Conservation Expenses.
• Introduce amendments consequential to the introduction in 2011 of new International Financial Reporting Standards by the Accounting Standards Board.
• Provide legislative authority for the Canada Revenue Agency to issue online notices where the taxpayer so requests.
• Implement a new reporting regime for aggressive tax planning, taking into account comments received during post-budget consultations.
• Replace the previous proposals relating to foreign investment entities with several limited enhancements to the current Income Tax Act and better target and simplify previous proposals relating to non-resident trusts, taking into account comments received during post-budget consultations.
• Counter schemes designed to shelter tax otherwise payable by artificially increasing foreign tax credits.
• Ensure that income trust conversions into corporations are subject to the same loss utilization rules that currently apply to similar transactions involving only corporations.
• Limit tax arbitrage opportunities by extending the application of the Specified Leasing Property rules to property that is the subject of a lease to a government or other tax-exempt entity, or to a non-resident.

The draft legislative proposals also include other previously announced measures identified in Budget 2010, as modified to take into account consultations and deliberations since their release, as well as an income tax amendment relating to the enactment of the Fairness for the Self-Employed Act:

• The Paperwork Burden Reduction Initiative for small excise taxpayers, announced by the Minister of National Revenue on March 31, 2009.
• Measures relating to the income taxation of shareholders of foreign affiliates, previously released in draft form on December 18, 2009.
• Rules to facilitate the implementation of Employee Life and Health Trusts, released in draft form on February 26, 2010.
• The introduction of a personal income tax credit in respect of Employment Insurance premiums paid by self-employed individuals.

References to “Announcement Date” are to be read as references to today’s date. Explanatory notes to the legislative proposals will be posted on the Department of Finance website shortly.

Interested parties are invited to provide comments on the draft legislative proposals by September 27, 2010. Please send your comments to:

Tax Policy Branch
Department of Finance
140 O’Connor Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0G5

____________________________________
For further information, media may contact:

Annette Robertson
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Finance
613-996-7861

Stephanie Rubec
Media Relations
Department of Finance
613-996-8080

To receive e-mail notification of all news releases, please register at www.fin.gc.ca/scripts/register-eng.asp

Chiarelli, Murray Join Cabinet In Key Economic Ministries

The Government of the Northwest Territories emphasizes its commitment to energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gases.

The Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance released its 2009 National Energy Efficiency Report Card on August 19, downgrading the Northwest Territories from a B+ in 2007 to a C. According to the report, the NWT follows the National Building Code of Canada, which fails in its energy efficiency objectives, particularly in northern climates. While no NWT building code exists, NWT building standards are beyond those of the National Building Code.

“GNWT buildings are required to meet energy efficiency requirements of the Federal EcoENERGY program for new buildings,” said Minister of Environment and Natural Resources J. Michael Miltenberger. “This program follows the same requirements as the discontinued Commercial Building Incentive Program (CBIP), and means all buildings must be 25% more energy efficient than a comparable building built to the minimum requirements of the National Building Code.”

The NWT Housing Corporation has developed its own brand, ecobuild80plus, to reflect its commitment to designing, building and retrofitting houses that meet or exceed EnerGuide 80. The corporation is in the process of developing enclosure designs that will exceed these standards.

Approximately half of all residences in the NWT are in the City of Yellowknife, which has energy efficiency standards for residential buildings. Effective January 1, 2011, a minimum score of 80 on the EnerGuide for New Houses rating system will be mandatory. The City of Yellowknife also requires that all commercial, institutional and industrial buildings comply with a minimum energy efficiency building standard that is 25% higher than the minimum requirements of the National Building Code.

“It is unfortunate the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance didn’t take into account the code requirements we do follow for all GNWT buildings, NWT Housing Corporation buildings and buildings in the City of Yellowknife,” said Miltenberger. “We are committed to increasing the energy efficiency of all buildings across the Northwest Territories, and continue to work with other organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the cost of living.”

The GNWT continues to support and maintain a range of energy efficiency programs and initiatives.

The Energy Efficiency Incentive Program is administered by the Arctic Energy Alliance and encourages residents and businesses to purchase energy efficient appliances to reduce their energy consumption and greenhouse gases. With the cancelation of the federal ecoEnergy retrofit program, the GNWT added rebates for residential insulation, doors, windows, and drain water heat recovery systems. This program has been in effect since 2007 and has provided over $1.4 million in rebates to NWT residents.

The Alternative Energy Technologies Program is available to assist Aboriginal and community governments, GNWT departments, boards and agencies, non-profit organizations, commercial businesses, including off-grid camps and lodges, and NWT residents, to install alternative energy systems to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases.

The Energy Conservation Program was developed to help community-funded departments, boards and agencies, and non-profit organizations reduce their use of electrical and heat energy, and water. The program funds upgrades to existing lighting, heating, ventilation, water and electrical systems. These projects increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases.

The 16th Legislative Assembly has taken bold steps to reduce waste, encourage the development of renewable energy, and implement energy efficiency initiatives and programs. Programs include the Beverage Container Program, the Single-Use Retail Bag Program, the Waste Paper Products Initiative, and numerous renewable energy pilot projects. A priority of this Assembly is to ensure the environment will sustain present and future generations. This commitment is supported by $60 million dedicated to renewable energy projects under the energy priority investment. This includes biomass, geothermal, hydro, wind, residual heat recovery, and other energy projects.

For more information, contact:

Megan Holsapple
Office of the Press Secretary
Premier & Executive Council
(867) 669-2302

The Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport intends to establish a provincial framework to guide the development of air quality objectives. For more information, including the consultation paper on which the ministry is seeking comments, see Proposed Provincial Framework for the Development of Ambient Air Quality Objectives.

Health Canada is currently conducting a consultation on its proposed policy for mandatory reporting requirements under the proposed Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA). The purpose of this consultation document is to provide you with important information related to this proposal and to solicit your input regarding Health Canada’s proposal on how it would implement Clause 14 of the Bill, which sets out duties in the event of a product safety incident.

The proposed CCPSA would replace Part I of the Hazardous Products Act and introduce a new regulatory regime for consumer products. One of the shortcomings identified in the Hazardous Products Act is the absence of any requirement for suppliers to report incidents and defects related to health and safety.

Provisions requiring mandatory reporting of such incidents and product defects are common features of modernized consumer product safety regimes.

The mandatory reporting provision of the proposed CCPSA (Clause 14) would allow for a proactive and efficient means for responding to dangers posed by consumer products. Mandatory reporting would help implement the Government’s second and third pillars of the Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan: targeted oversight and rapid response. Reports of incidents are expected to be a major source of information about potential unreasonable dangers posed by consumer products, and by requiring that they be reported up the supply chain and to Health Canada, the Government can monitor whether the manufacturer or importer has taken appropriate measures where necessary to mitigate the risk of further potential injury or illness.

The consultation document contains draft interpretation and guidance for suppliersⁱ in anticipation of the mandatory reporting requirements described in Clause 14 of the proposed CCPSA. For the most recent version of the Bill, users should consult the text available on the  Parliament of Canada website.

Specifically, the consultation document covers:

1. general interpretation for reporting incidents;
2. specific interpretations for incidents under 14(1)(a) through (d); and
3. reporting – who, what, when, how, including draft incident report form for reporting online.

The content has been based on policy developed for the drafting of the proposed Act and incorporates feedback from consultations with industry and other stakeholders. Where appropriate, this draft policy has been aligned with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (US CPSC) and the Ontario Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) both of whom have mandatory reporting.

How to Get Involved

This consultation is open for comment starting July 19^th, 2010 until October 1^st, 2010.

Some questions related to this regulatory proposal have been developed for your consideration and to promote discussion. These can be found at the end of the document mentioned above. Comments do not need to be restricted to answering the questions. Any comments related to this document will be taken into consideration.

Once you select the link for the consultation document, you will be able to read the background and considerations, and submit your comments via email, by mail or by fax to:

• CCPSA-LCSPC@hc-sc.gc.ca
• Consultation on the Policy for Mandatory Reporting
  Consumer Product Safety Directorate
  Health Canada
  123 Slater Street, 4th floor
  Address Locator: 3504D
  Ottawa, Ontario
  K1A 0K9

Interested parties are encouraged to provide comments and suggestions by October 1^st, 2010.

Additional Information

• Canada Consumer Product Safety Act

Reporting to Canadians

Health Canada will make the results of this consultation available on this website. If you have any questions, contact us at CCPSA-LCSPC@hc-sc.gc.ca.

Public Input Invited on Proposed Changes to Three Yukon Acts Important to Businesses, Societies & Cooperative Associations

Highlights of the proposed changes include updating business naming provisions, creating limited liability partnerships, adding registration procedures for societies incorporated outside of Yukon and clarifying registration procedures for cooperatives incorporated outside of Yukon.

Together with the Securities Transfer Act and proposed changes to the Business Corporations Act, these proposed amendments will provide Yukon with modern legislation that will better serve Yukon citizens and the organizations governed by business-related legislation.

To view the existing acts, plain language guides and the draft legislation, please see below.

1. The Partnership and Business Names Act governs partnerships and regulates the use of business names in Yukon.

Plain Language Guide to the Proposed Changes

Draft Act to Amend the Partnership and Business Names Act

2. The Societies Act governs “not for profit” organizations in Yukon.

Plain Language Guide to the Proposed Changes

Draft Act to Amend the Societies Act

3. The Cooperative Associations Act governs cooperative associations in Yukon.

Plain Language Guide to the Proposed Changes

Draft Act to Amend the Cooperative Associations Act

To submit comments, please contact Fred Pretorius, Director of Corporate Affairs at Community Services by email: corporateaffairs@gov.yk.ca, Fax: 867-393-6251 or phone: 667-5223, or toll free in Yukon at 1-800-661-0408 ext. 5223

Written comments are invited until August 13, 2010

OTTAWA, July 20, 2010 – The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, today announced a review of the Revised Foreign Investment Policy in Book Publishing and Distribution, which will include consultations with individuals and organizations interested in Canadian books.

“As the digital world creates new opportunities for Canadians to discover and connect with Canadian-authored books, it is critical that we foster innovation, efficiency, and healthy competition in Canada’s book industry,” said Minister Moore. “Our Government demonstrated its commitment to the future of Canadian-authored books in 2009, when we renewed funding over five years to help the Canadian-owned book industry keep pace in a changing environment. The review announced today seeks to ensure that Canada’s foreign investment policy for the book sector reflects new realities and supports our goal of ensuring that readers everywhere have access to a wide range of Canadian-authored books.”

Since the current policy was introduced in 1985 and revised in 1992, a number of developments–including the proliferation of digital technologies, consolidation of ownership, and increased globalization–have altered Canada’s landscape for both the book industry and consumers.

The Competition Policy Review Panel’s final report highlighted the importance of reviewing cultural policies in light of the changing context in which they operate, while recognizing the unique nature of the cultural sector. The policy review announced today is yet another example of this Government’s commitment to deliver on the Panel’s recommendations.

The online consultations, which begin today and close on September 18, 2010, will seek Canadians’ feedback on the impacts of the policy to date and on how best to meet its objectives going forward. Further details about the key themes being considered can be found in a discussion paper posted on the consultation website. For more information on the review and on how to participate in the consultation, visit www.pch.gc.ca/bookconsultation.

For more information (media only), please contact:

Matthew Deacon
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
and Official Languages
819-997-7788
matthew.deacon@pch.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca

Health Canada is currently conducting a consultation on its proposed policy for mandatory reporting requirements under the proposed Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA). The purpose of this consultation document is to provide you with important information related to this proposal and to solicit your input regarding Health Canada’s proposal on how it would implement Clause 14 of the Bill, which sets out duties in the event of a product safety incident.

The proposed CCPSA would replace Part I of the Hazardous Products Act and introduce a new regulatory regime for consumer products. One of the shortcomings identified in the Hazardous Products Act is the absence of any requirement for suppliers to report incidents and defects related to health and safety.

Provisions requiring mandatory reporting of such incidents and product defects are common features of modernized consumer product safety regimes.

The mandatory reporting provision of the proposed CCPSA (Clause 14) would allow for a proactive and efficient means for responding to dangers posed by consumer products. Mandatory reporting would help implement the Government’s second and third pillars of the Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan: targeted oversight and rapid response. Reports of incidents are expected to be a major source of information about potential unreasonable dangers posed by consumer products, and by requiring that they be reported up the supply chain and to Health Canada, the Government can monitor whether the manufacturer or importer has taken appropriate measures where necessary to mitigate the risk of further potential injury or illness.

The consultation document contains draft interpretation and guidance for suppliersⁱ in anticipation of the mandatory reporting requirements described in Clause 14 of the proposed CCPSA. For the most recent version of the Bill, users should consult the text available on the Parliament of Canada website.

Specifically, the consultation document covers:

1. general interpretation for reporting incidents;
2. specific interpretations for incidents under 14(1)(a) through (d); and
3. reporting – who, what, when, how, including draft incident report form for reporting online.

The content has been based on policy developed for the drafting of the proposed Act and incorporates feedback from consultations with industry and other stakeholders. Where appropriate, this draft policy has been aligned with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (US CPSC) and the Ontario Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) both of whom have mandatory reporting.

How to Get Involved

This consultation is open for comment starting July 19^th, 2010 until October 1^st, 2010.

Some questions related to this regulatory proposal have been developed for your consideration and to promote discussion. These can be found at the end of the document mentioned above. Comments do not need to be restricted to answering the questions. Any comments related to this document will be taken into consideration.

Once you select the link for the consultation document, you will be able to read the background and considerations, and submit your comments via email, by mail or by fax to:

• CCPSA-LCSPC@hc-sc.gc.ca
• Consultation on the Policy for Mandatory Reporting
  Consumer Product Safety Directorate
  Health Canada
  123 Slater Street, 4th floor
  Address Locator: 3504D
  Ottawa, Ontario
  K1A 0K9

Interested parties are encouraged to provide comments and suggestions by October 1^st, 2010.

Additional Information

• Canada Consumer Product Safety Act

Reporting to Canadians

Health Canada will make the results of this consultation available on this website. If you have any questions, contact us at CCPSA-LCSPC@hc-sc.gc.ca.