Tips and guidelines for commenting online

Comment submissions that meet the rules of engagement will be posted to www.regconsultation.ca after the consultation period closes, in their entirety. We have provided some tips for effective commenting and descriptions of how the information you provide about yourself or your organization will be used.

Tips for submitting effective comments

A comment can express simple support or dissent for a regulatory proposal. However, a constructive, information-rich submission that clearly communicates and supports its claims is more likely to have an impact on regulatory decision making.These tips are meant to help the public and stakeholders submit comments that have an impact and help agency policy makers improve federal regulations.

  • Read and understand the regulatory document you are commenting on.
  • Add your comments into the related section of the regulatory text. Comments unrelated to a particular section of the regulatory text will be harder for policy makers to understand. If you are commenting on a specific word, phrase or sentence, make sure to highlight them in your comment text.
  • Be concise but support your claims with sound reasoning, scientific evidence, and/or how you will be impacted.
  • Address trade-offs and opposing views in your comment and consider including examples of how the proposed regulatory change will impact you in terms of economic effects.
  • A field is provided to identify yourself. Use it to provide credentials and experience that may distinguish your comments from others. If you are commenting in an area in which you have relevant personal or professional experience (i.e., scientist, attorney, fisherman, businessman, etc.) say so.
  • The comment process is not a vote – one well-supported evidence-based comment is often more influential than a thousand form letters
  • Take your time to provide a complete set of comments. You can edit your submission over time, from any browser or computer by creating a tracking link that will be emailed to you. That link will provide access to your auto-saved submission for SOME PERIOD OF TIME.

    Form letters

    Many in the public mistakenly believe that their submitted form letter constitutes a “vote”regarding the issues concerning them. Although public support or opposition may help guide important public policies, agencies make determinations for a proposed action based on sound reasoning and scientific evidence rather than a majority of votes. A single, well-supported comment may carry more weight than a thousand form letters.

    • The Government of Canada may not post to regconsultation.ca all versions of materials that it deems to be a duplicate or near duplicate copies of a submission. Instead, a representative sample may be provided along with a tally of duplicate and near duplicate copies.

    Choosing to hide your name

    Provide your full name. Your name will be posted in public on the RegConsultation.ca website with your submission, unless you check the "Hide my name" box below the name field. Regardless of whether you check the "Hide my name" box, your name will be be visible with your comment to signed-in Government of Canada consultation team members from the department hosting the consultation. SOMETHING HERE ABOUT NAMES AND HOW THEY WILL BE DEALT WITH IN OPEN DATA - THOM?

    • Government of Canada team members will inspect names for fraud. Submitting comments under a false name may cause your comments to be rejected without notice. If you choose to submit as "Anonymous", your comments may be disregarded by the policy makers.

    Confirming your email address

    Confirming your email address reduces spam submissions. When you select the Submit button, the consultation system will send you an email. The email will have a confirmation link. Click the link to go back to your verified submission page. Click the link to confirm that you have provided a verified email address, and then Submit or continue to edit and add your comments. Show me what the email will look like.

    Your email address will not be displayed to the public or shared with your comments in any public dataset. Your email address and any other contact information you choose to provide is protected under Canada's Privacy Act.

    Sharing and Disclosure

    Comments about this regulatory proposal may be submitted online via this regconsultation.ca site, or by mail to the address identified (somewhere). The comments and personal data you submit to a federal department or agency through this site may be seen by various people within the Government of Canada. Any personally identifiable information (e.g., name, address, phone number???) included in the comment form or in an attachment will be provided to the department or agency to which your comment is directed and may be publicly disclosed in a docket or on the Internet (via Regulations.gov, a federal agency website, or a third-party, non-government website with access to publicly-disclosed data on Regulations.gov).

    Site Security

    For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs applications that monitor access to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. If such monitoring reveals evidence of possible abuse or criminal activity, such evidence may be provided to appropriate law enforcement officials. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information on this server are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under Canadian law.

    • Report a problem or mistake on this page
    Date modified: