WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/N/CAN/375 
22 October 2012  
 (12-5755) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English/ 
 French 
 
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member:  CANADA  
If applicable, name of local governme nt involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  Department of Transport 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :  
Canadian Enquiry Point, 200-270 Albert St reet, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 6N7 
Tel.: +1 613 238 3222, Fax:  +1 613 569 7808, E-mail:  enquirypoint@scc.ca  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:   
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Motor Vehicles 
(ICS: 43.040) 
5. Title, number of pages and langua ge(s) of the notified document:  Proposed Amendment 
to the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (S tandards 121, 206, 223 and 301.2) (7 pages, 
available in English and French)     
6. Description of content:  Standard 223, Rear Impact Guards , as it relates to aerodynamic 
devices  
"Boat tails" are devices installed on the rear of  trailers that reduce aerodynamic drag, thereby 
improving fuel economy. The current definition of "rear extremity" of trailers found in 
Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard  (CMVSS) 223 imposes dimensional limits on 
material that extends beyond the rear of all trailers with re ar impact guards.  
The Department of Transport proposes to  modify the requirements of CMVSS 223, Rear 
Impact Guards , by modifying the definition of “rear extr emity” to allow for a wider variety of 
aerodynamic devices. This definition will crea te a zone behind the trailer where boat tails 
would be permitted. 
Expiration dates for standards 121, Air Brake Systems, 206, Door  Locks and Door Retention 
Components, and 301.2, CNG Fuel System Integrity  
Certain requirements of the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations  (the Regulations) have expired, 
including the antilock brake systems (ABS) external malfunction indicator on air-braked 
trailers, as referenced  in subsection 121(4), Air Brake Systems ; section 206, Door Locks and G/TBT/N/CAN/375 
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  Door Retention Components ; and certain alternative test procedures referenced in section 
301.2, CNG Fuel System Integr ity, of Schedule IV of th e Regulations. These expired 
requirements are still relevant and need to be reinstated. 
This proposed amendment would reinstate the requirement that trailers with Air Brake 
Systems (ABS) be equipped with an external ABS malfunction indicator lamp. This change 
would improve safety on Canadian roads and help inspectors to identify these malfunctions. It 
would also have the benefit of re-establishing harmonization with the United States safety 
standard on the subject of air brake system s, thereby relieving manufacturers of any 
unnecessary burden resulting from dishar monized manufactur ing requirements. 
The proposed amendment would revise the expiration date of section 206, Door Locks and 
Door Retention Components , of Schedule IV of the Regulations, to 1 January 2017, as well as 
remove several requirements that will have expired by the time  these Regulations come into 
effect. 
Section 301.2, CNG Fuel System Integrity , of Schedule IV of the Regul ations serves to reduce 
deaths and injuries occurring from fires that re sult from fuel leakage during and after motor 
vehicle crashes. This se ction makes reference to alternative test procedures that are no longer 
applicable as they have pass ed their expiration date of Fe bruary 28, 2009, but still provide 
relevant and suitable alterna tives. The proposed amendment would have the expiration date 
revised and reinstate the alternative procedur es. This would provide manufacturers with 
testing alternatives that could reduce costs associ ated with the certification of vehicles to the 
respective safety standards. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Protection of human safety  
8. Relevant documents:   Canada Gazette , Part I, 6 October 2012, Pages 2854-2860 (Available 
in English and French)   
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    Normally within 5 to 8 months of publication in 
the Canada Gazette , Part I. 
These Regulations come into force on the day 
on which they are published in the Canada 
Gazette, Part ‡U.  
10. Final date for comments:  20 December 2012  G/TBT/N/CAN/375 
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  11. Text available from:  National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addres ses, if available of the other body:    
The electronic version of the regulator y text can be downloaded at:   
http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2012 /2012-10-06/pdf/g1-14640.pdf#page=54  ( Canada 
Gazette ) 
or  
http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/ p1/2012/2012-10-06/html/reg3-eng.html   (English)  
http://canadagazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/ p1/2012/2012-10-06/html/reg3-fra.html   (French) 
The TSD documents are available in English and French on Transport Canada's Web site: 
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng /acts-regulations/regul ations-crc-c1038.html