CAN/556
WTO/TBT
CA Canada
  • 43 - Road vehicle engineering
2018-08-02
2018-06-05

Motor vehicle (ICS: 43.020, 43.080)

Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (National Safety Marks and Importation), (34 pages, available in English and French)

The proposed amendment would reduce trade barriers by amending the requirements related to temporary importation, vehicles imported from Mexico, and vehicles imported from the United States and Mexico for parts. This proposal is aligned with the NAFTA objectives to eliminate trade barriers and facilitate the cross border movement of goods and services between Canada, the United States and Mexico, and delivers on specific commitments to remove barriers to the importation of used motor vehicles from Mexico.

The proposed amendment would also clarify the requirements for vehicles and equipment imported temporarily for a prescribed purpose, and harmonize parts of the Regulations with the amended Act, such as sections 11 and 12 of the Vehicle Regulations and the provisions related to the national safety mark for tires. The amended Vehicle Regulations would require that these vehicles satisfy specific Canadian safety requirements, and overall Transport Canada does not anticipate that the proposal would have a significant impact on the market for motor vehicles in Canada. In addition, the proposed amendment would align Canada with the United States by adding a minimum speed for vehicles to exclude slow-moving vehicles, such as power-assisted bicycles, scooters and electric or low-speed all-terrain vehicles. This would clarify Transport Canada's policy intent that these slow-moving vehicles are excluded from the Vehicle Regulations, as these vehicles travel at low speeds and are used off-road.

In order to eliminate any uncertainty regarding the expression "time [of] the main assembly" (used in the Act) and the expression "date of manufacture" (used in the Vehicle Regulations), it is proposed to define the latter in the Vehicle Regulations. The definition of "restricted-use motorcycle" is also being amended to ensure that these types of vehicles will fall under the defect and recall regime. Finally, Transport Canada would allow tire manufacturers greater flexibility in respect of the TIN format, by keeping existing Canadian TIN configurations as well as allowing those introduced by the United States in its 2015 Final Rule regarding the TIN.