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 Events

The 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.