On February 3rd, we received an email from Health Canada alerting stakeholders to recent developments affecting cross-border regulatory alignment for hazardous products. The U.S. OSHA extended the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) transition period for hazardous mixtures by four months, moving the compliance deadline from July 19, 2027, to November 19, 2027.
In Canada, the three-year transition period for updating classifications, safety data sheets, and labels under the amended Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR) ended December 14, 2025. Since December 15, 2025, all hazardous products in Canada must fully comply with the amended HPR.
As we reported previously, Health Canada had agreed to focus enforcement efforts on compliance promotion during the US transitional period. As part of red tape reduction efforts, Health Canada is pleased to extend this until the new U.S. deadline but retains the authority to enforce compliance at any time. The update supports ongoing objectives of the Canada–U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council, including harmonized implementation of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) across both countries.
For questions, you can contact Health Canada at whmis-simdut@hc-sc.gc.ca. You can also reach out to your CAC regulatory team at regulatory@cosmeticsalliance.ca.
