Before plunging into what there is of this update, I’m offering a little background information about the Canada-US RCC (Regulatory Cooperation Council) for anyone who may not be familiar with the agency. From my Dec. 3, 2012 posting when I first wrote about the RCC in the context of a recent meeting of their Nanotechnology Working Group,
Here’s some background on the RCC. First announced in February 2011, the RCC had its first ‘stakeholder’ session (attended by approximately 240) in January 2012 in Washington, DC. where a series of initiatives, including nanotechnology, were discussed (from the US International Trade Administration RCC Stakeholder Outreach webpage),
Agriculture and Food, Session A
- Perimeter approach to plant protection
Agriculture and Food, Session B
- Crop protection products
Agriculture and Food, Session C
- Meat/poultry – equivalency
- Meat/poultry – certification requirements
- Meat cut nomenclature
Agriculture and Food, Session D
- Veterinary drugs
- Zoning for foreign animal disease
Agriculture and Food, Session E
- Financial protection to produce sellers
Agriculture and Food, Session F
- Food safety – common approach
- Food safety – testing
Road Transport – Motor Vehicles
- Existing motor vehicle safety standards
- New motor vehicle safety standards
Air Transport
- Unmanned aircraft
Transportation
- Intelligent Transportation Systems
Transportation
- Dangerous goods means of transportation
Marine Transport
- Safety and security framework & arrangement for the St. Lawrence Seaway & Great Lakes System
- Marine transportation security regulations
- Recreational boat manufacturing standards
- Standard for lifejackets
Rail Transport
- Locomotive Emissions
- Rail Safety Standards
Environment
- Emission standards for light-duty vehicles
Personal Care Products & Pharmaceuticals
- Electronic submission gateway
- Over-the-counter products – common monographs
- Good manufacturing practices
Occupational Safety Issues
- Classification & labelling of workplace hazardous chemicals
Nanotechnology
- Nanotechnology
Led jointly by senior officials from Canada and the United States, the purpose of the various technical review sessions was to seek expert advice and technical input from the approximately 240 stakeholders in attendance.
At that time I also included some information about the Nanotechnology Work Plan, which I believe has now been completed. From a December 18, 2013 RCC news update (scroll down to find this),
Engaging with Stakeholders
Ongoing Consultations and Upcoming EventsThe Canada-U.S. RCC Nanotechnology Working Group’s final stakeholder workshop will be held in Washington, D.C. on January 14th, 2014. At this workshop, officials will report on results of completed work and discuss future ongoing engagement between the two countries and stakeholders.
Every project on the work plan had an 18 month timeline so if the stakeholder project is completed than the others are as well.
One final comment, I’m not sure how the RCC defines stakeholders but I mentioned in my June 26, 2013 posting that public comment was invited from stakeholders on a Canadian draft policy principles document. The public comment period ended in July 2013 and confusingly the document on Canada’s nanoportal, RCC Nanotechnology Policy Principles for Decision-Making Concerning Regulation and Oversight of Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials, which would seem to be the final version, is on a webpage that was last revised on May 15, 2013, months before public comment was solicited for a ‘draft’ version.