This article is written by Jeannine Ritchot, Assistant Deputy Minister, Communications and Portfolio Sector, Natural Resources Canada.

I did not grow up as a young girl on the Canadian prairies dreaming of one day leading the Government of Canada’s efforts in international regulatory cooperation.

Nor did I go to university with the objective to one day Chair the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD)’s Regulatory Policy Committee, which I did in 2019. Yet when I embarked upon a regulatory career in 2010, I knew that I had found my calling.

After all, we are impacted every day in multiple ways by regulation. From the food we eat to the fuel we put in our cars, to the rules that make sure that financial institutions act responsibly with our savings, regulations protect our health, safety, security, social and economic wellbeing.

While a fundamental role of regulation is protection, good regulations should also support a fair and competitive economy. When businesses thrive, citizens thrive. Which is why thoughtful analysis is necessary to design good regulations that balance a number of strategic interests: protecting citizens and the environment, enabling innovation in the marketplace, furthering international trade and fostering economic growth.

Good regulation also cannot be developed in a silo. Meaningful engagement with key partners, such as international counterparts; and stakeholders, such as the businesses and citizens that we regulate, is essential so that regulators have access to data, information and knowledge necessary to design strategic, evidence-based instruments that serve the public interest.

Do you see your counterparts as allies or adversaries?

In order for us to strategically design and manage effective regulation, regulatory cooperation is a must. If you are new to this topic, regulatory cooperation is a process for reducing differences in regulatory approaches — i.e., requiring different information on product labels — between jurisdictions.

Why is this important? Because these differences do not necessarily mean greater protections for citizens. But they do mean increased cost for businesses who want access to multiple markets, which is in turn passed down to consumers. In the era of global supply chains, these differences create barriers to trade and economic growth, which is not in any country’s strategic interests.

While companies want to be successful, they cannot do this if they put products on the market that are harmful. Equally, I began to understand that regulation that creates barriers to the free flow of goods across borders has negative economic consequences; the effects of which are felt by citizens

I must admit that when I embarked on my regulatory career, I did not see the value of working with international partners in designing or implementing regulations. Like many regulators, I keenly felt my responsibility to protect citizens and convinced myself that the Canadian context was so unique as to require a made-in-Canada solution. I also did not always trust stakeholders – especially industry. I assumed that the industry was only interested in profit. This set me up for adversarial and counter-productive conversations that ultimately left me frustrated and stagnated important projects.

As I gained more experience, I began to see more value in working with others. I realised that I often shared similar goals with my stakeholders. While companies want to be successful, they cannot do this if they put products on the market that are harmful. Equally, I began to understand that regulation that creates barriers to the free flow of goods across borders has negative economic consequences; the effects of which are felt by citizens.  Not to mention that my international colleagues often faced similar challenges when regulating, and through dialogue, we could learn from each other's experiences. These realisations allowed me to see meaningful engagement with international partners and stakeholders as a key ingredient in designing positive outcomes for Canadian citizens and businesses.

Creating the opportunity for frank, open, and meaningful exchanges of ideas and data between regulators and stakeholders creates the conditions necessary for strategic analysis and positive change. This has been good for citizens, for businesses and for economies

In the 3.5 years that I led the Government of Canada’s regulatory cooperation efforts, I worked closely with my international counterparts (primarily in the U.S. and E.U.) to reduce differences in the way our respective jurisdictions regulate products. Together, we successfully resolved many irritants. For instance, in 2017, Canada launched a pilot project for U.S. sunscreens to enter into Canada without being quarantined and tested for a second time at the border. It is estimated that this will save the consumer health product industry $100,000 annually per sunscreen product. This pilot was so successful that it was later expanded to E.U. sunscreens.

This is but one example of many that show what is possible when colleagues invest in meaningful dialogue with stakeholders and work together to undertake the strategic analysis necessary to understand the impacts of our regulatory decisions. Through Canada’s formal regulatory cooperation tables with the U.S. and E.U., we brought stakeholders and regulators together for real discussions. Regulators heard first hand from regulated parties about the impact of their differing approaches. Stakeholders provided data and evidence that regulators may never have considered.

Creating the opportunity for frank, open, and meaningful exchanges of ideas and data between regulators and stakeholders create the conditions necessary for strategic analysis and positive change. This has been good for citizens, for businesses and for economies.

3 tips for engaging partners and stakeholders

A little over six months ago, I moved into a new role as Assistant Deputy Minister of Communications and Portfolio Sector at Natural Resources Canada. This is not a regulatory role so I no longer engage as actively with stakeholders and international counterparts as I once did. I do know, however, that understanding the perspectives of stakeholders and key partners is necessary if I am to provide my best strategic advice to my government. No matter what role I move into next, there are valuable lessons about working positively with stakeholders that I will take with me always. I would like to close by sharing these with you.

The first is to always be honest. There are times when you will disagree with a stakeholder or a partner. They may have an ask that you can’t address. That is okay, as long as you are upfront about it. This will save everyone from expending energy on an un-resolvable issue.

The second is not to fall into the trap of assuming that you and a stakeholder — or colleague, for that matter — are on opposite sides of an issue. Setting yourself up as an adversary means that you will be adversaries. Stay open to the possibility that you share a similar goal, even if it isn’t immediately apparent and even if you don’t agree on all of the steps to get you there.

And finally, always be open to a new path forward, even if the idea isn’t your own. As public servants, we have important jobs to make the world a better place for the citizens of our countries. But we do not have a monopoly on good ideas. In working with stakeholders and other external colleagues, we are exposed to information that can help us shape better policy. After all, isn’t that what public service is all about? — Jeannine Ritchot

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