Canada: Various changes to the regulations under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (2026)

 

Canada has announced various planned changes to the regulations under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (2026).

Its transport ministry, Transport Canada, is considering updating the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations, the Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations and the Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Seat Safety Regulations to:

• Update the requirements in Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 101 to reflect the prevalent use of digital speedometers in vehicles
• Clarify the code marking requirements in CMVSS 205
• Move the Table in CMVSS 101 into Technical Standards Documents (TSD) 101
• Clarify that the prescribed text is required in both English and French when a Notice is sent to current owners or prescribed persons (unless the person’s official language of choice is known)
• Amend to clarify that in the case that the Minister determines that the non-compliances is inconsequential to safety, a company is not required to post the information online
• Clarify the bilingual language requirements throughout the MVSR and various TSDs

The following Technical Standards Documents (TSD) are affected:

• TSD 101 – Controls, Tell-tales, Indicators and Sources of Illumination
• TSD 105 – Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems
• TSD 110 – Tire Selection and Rims for Vehicles ≤ 4 536 kg GVWR
• TSD 120 – Tire Selection and Rims for Vehicles > 4 536 kg GVWR
• TSD 131 – School Bus Pedestrian Safety Devices
• TSD 135 – Light Vehicle Brake Systems

To find out more about vehicle regulations in Canada, please do not hesitate to contact the Institute for Global Automotive Regulatory Research.