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Operational procedure: Conducting a meeting with the regulated party

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1. Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspection staff with a standardized procedure for conducting a meeting with the regulated party (MwtRP) as an administrative response to non-compliance.

This document is intended to be used in conjunction with CFIA guidance documents as referenced in Section 3.0.

The procedure outlined below should be used when inspection staff have determined a MwtRP is an appropriate response to a non-compliance observed, as per the Standard regulatory response process.

The MwtRP may not apply to all CFIA programs and inspectors should refer to program-related enforcement strategy or procedures.

2. Authorities

A MwtRP is an administrative enforcement action established under policy that is not enabled by legislation enforced by the CFIA.

3. Reference documents

4. Definitions

Unless specified below, definitions are located in either the:

5. Acronyms

CFIA
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
MwtRP
Meeting with the regulated party
DSDP
Digital Service Delivery Platform

6. Operational Procedure

CFIA inspection staff should follow this procedure when they have made the decision to conduct a MwtRP as referenced in the Standard regulatory response process (SRRP) and commodity specific guidance.

The MwtRP is an administrative enforcement action used to respond to document a contravention of legislation. It is an opportunity for the regulated party and CFIA to review and discuss existing non-compliance and becomes part of the regulated party's compliance history. It is also intended to open dialogue and provide a forum for a discussion on the prevention of non-compliance. This information is documented to support enforcement actions if they are required in the future, as per the SRRP.

A MwtRP may be appropriate in instances where:

The MwtRP is a distinct administrative enforcement action that is different than the legislated meetings that are conducted:

6.1 Preparing and sending a meeting invitation

The inspection manager initiates a MwtRP using the MwtRP invitation letter template in Appendix 1.

Send the MwtRP invitation letter, signed by the inspection manager who made the decision, to the regulated party by email, registered mail, courier or hand deliver. If sent by email, it may be digitally signed.

Follow up with the regulated party by email, telephone or in person, as applicable, to ensure they received and understand the notice.

Note: The MwtRP is an administrative enforcement action established under policy that is not enabled by legislation enforced by the CFIA. As such, a regulated party cannot be compelled to attend such a meeting. If the regulated party declines the meeting invitation, the inspector should document the regulated party's decision and consult the SRRP for further actions that could be taken.

6.2 Documenting the delivery of the MwtRP letter

The letter delivery process and associated interaction with the regulated party must be documented in inspector notes. The notes, along with a copy (photocopy, scanned or digitally signed copy) of the MwtRP letter should be kept on file for future reference. If the MwtRP letter was sent by registered mail or courier, a copy of the delivery notice should be included in the file. A best practice is to file a copy of the original signed correspondence with the following information recorded on the back of it:

If the letter was digitally signed and sent by email, copies of the email and signed letter should be saved in RDIMS.

6.3 Conducting the meeting

The MwtRP is considered more formal than the regular discussions between inspection staff and regulated parties. Topics to be covered at the meeting include (where applicable):

The CFIA is represented at the MwtRP by the inspection manager and/or supervisor as well as the inspector(s) who conducted the inspection(s) leading up to the meeting. CFIA staff should have copies of pertinent inspection reports on hand in the event they may be required to clarify the agency's position.

6.4 Tracking the MwtRP process

Digital Service Delivery Platform (DSDP) users:

Enter the details of the enforcement action in the DSDP. To do this, refer to Standard inspection process section A.5.5.2 Capture regulatory response actions and DSDP Standard operating procedure Managing a non-compliance record (accessible only on the Government of Canada network – RDIMS 9906406). In the Non-compliance response details tab add a new Regulatory response and select the Regulatory response type: Meet with regulated party. The enforcement details are being entered after the decision to meet with the regulated party has been made, therefore select the Response status: Issued. At a minimum, add a copy of the Meeting with the regulated party invitation letter to the Documents sub-grid within the new regulatory response record.

For inspection programs that have yet to be incorporated into DSDP:

Enter the details of the enforcement action using established recording procedures.

Logging this information is required to document a regulated party's compliance history and ensure that non-compliance is documented as part of the compliance and enforcement continuum.

7. Appendices

Appendix 1 – Forms and templates

For general inquiries related to this operational procedure, please follow established communication channels, including submitting an electronic Request for Action Form (e-RAF) (accessible only on the Government of Canada network).

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