December 19, 2025 | Ottawa, Ontario | Health Canada
Today, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, announces the launch of consultations for two regulatory initiatives, marking progress in Health Canada’s efforts to reduce red tape. These proposals, the Ministerial Reliance Order and regulations for Clinical Trial modernization are expected to reduce barriers to innovation, introduce new ways of conducting clinical trials and provide better access to drugs not available in Canada.
The Ministerial Reliance Order will allow Health Canada to review certain parts of a drug submission more efficiently by leveraging decisions made by other trusted regulators without compromising quality, efficacy, and safety. These changes build on Health Canada’s long history of cooperation with its international counterparts and will support greater and faster access to drugs in Canada.
Health Canada is also proposing a new regulatory framework for clinical trials for drugs that would build on the success of the existing clinical trials framework and further facilitate participant access, support innovation and enhance participant safety. This approach will provide Canadians with access to a wider range of products that could have significant health and economic benefits, including by providing quicker access to new therapies.