Collaborative Roundtables on Regulatory Efficiency

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) held Collaborative Roundtables on Regulatory Efficiency on April 2, 2026, as part of its participation in the Government of Canada’s Red Tape Review and as part of broader, ongoing regulatory modernization and regulatory framework activities. The objective of the Collaborative Roundtables was to engage interested parties on opportunities to improve regulatory efficiency within the CNSC regulatory framework.

The Collaborative Roundtables were designed to provide transparency on the CNSC’s approach to regulatory efficiency and modernization, invite diverse views on regulatory efficiency challenges and priority areas for improvement, and encourage practical suggestions for improving CNSC regulatory framework efficiency.

Regulatory efficiency was described as the extent to which a regulatory framework achieves its policy objectives while minimizing overall regulatory burden for businesses, people and the government.

It was emphasized that regulatory efficiency does not make regulatory approvals easier or less rigorous, and that reducing administrative burden does not remove safeguards necessary for safety. Rather, the objective is to ensure that regulatory requirements are appropriate, non-duplicative, and aligned with risk and safety significance.

About the engagement

The Collaborative Roundtables were open to the public and conducted in both English and French. Both live sessions attracted strong interest, with over 140 participants attending the English session and over 30 attending the French.

Participants represented a broad range of perspectives, including industry, academia, the health sector, federal and provincial organizations, public-interest and environmental non-governmental organizations, and Indigenous-affiliated organizations.

Participants shared their perspectives through facilitated discussion, polling and written input. Exit polling indicated that participants felt the engagement improved understanding and provided meaningful opportunities to contribute.

What we heard: key themes and observations

Across both roundtables, participants emphasized the importance of risk-informed and proportional regulation. Key themes from participant feedback included the following:

Licensing processes and application clarity

• Many participants emphasized that explaining the intent behind regulatory requirements, and clearly distinguishing requirements from guidance, would improve submissions and reduce rework for both licensees and the regulator.
• When asked where the CNSC could most improve regulatory efficiency, participants frequently identified licensing processes as the primary area for improvement (42% of participants in the English session and 22% in the French session).

Reporting requirements and administrative burden

• Reporting requirements were identified as a significant source of administrative burden. Participants raised concerns about duplication across reporting processes and between organizations, as well as about reporting frequencies that may not align with safety significance.

Transparency and predictability

• Participants expressed strong interest in transparency and predictability within regulatory processes, including improved visibility into regulatory priorities, timelines and decision-making processes.
• Participants supported publishing draft regulatory documents (REGDOCs) alongside proposed regulations during Canada Gazette, Part I, consultations to provide a more complete view of proposed requirements and enable more informed and comprehensive input from interested parties to support cost–benefit analysis.

Digital tools and innovation

• Digital tools and innovation were identified as potential enablers of efficiency, including standardized digital forms, templates and submission processes. However, participants emphasized that systems must be user-centered, reliable and stable, while cautioning that poorly designed or frequently changing systems can increase burden rather than reduce it.

Accessibility, knowledge sharing and user experience

• Participants emphasized accessibility and the importance of improving the navigation and usability of CNSC information, particularly for new licensees, new entrants and members of the public, as well as knowledge sharing and benchmarking.

Consideration of participant feedback

The What We Heard Report (WWHR) provides a factual summary of the input received during the Collaborative Roundtables. Feedback reflects the perspectives of the individuals who chose to participate.

The WWHR also describes how participant feedback informed and reinforced regulatory efficiency initiatives already underway within the CNSC’s existing regulatory framework, as well as areas identified by participants that the CNSC is taking into consideration through established planning and decision-making processes. In response to the feedback, the WWHR outlines key initiatives already underway at the CNSC that align with these themes.

Those key initiatives include:

• enhancing the clarity and usability of licence application guides
• reducing duplication and administrative burden through the review of reporting requirements and a thematic review of regulatory documents by safety and control area
• improving transparency and understanding of the cost–benefit analysis
• strengthening risk-informed prioritization of regulatory framework projects

Progress on these initiatives will be shared through the CNSC’s Red Tape Reduction web page.

Read the full report

The full WWHR, including detailed summaries of participant feedback, polling results and written submissions, is available through the Government of Canada’s Open Government portal.