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

Current status: Closed

Consultation period: January 30, 2026 to March 31, 2026.

Under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, Transport Canada regulates the safety of motor vehicles and equipment to keep Canadian roads safe.

Companies must certify that all new imported vehicles or motor vehicle equipment, or vehicles or motor vehicle equipment made in one province and sold in another, comply with Canada’s safety regulations and standards. We want your comments on 6 topics we’re considering for changes to the:

  • Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations
  • Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations
  • Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Seat Safety Regulations

The Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations include the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS). Some safety standards incorporate a Technical Standards Document (TSD). A TSD is a document published by the Minister. It copies or changes all or part of a legislation from another country or material from an international organization. These changes may include edits to the original legislation or material.

Bilingual notice requirements

Companies have asked for the required text in notices to owners to be in both official languages in the English and French versions of the regulations. We're proposing updating the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations, Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations, and Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Seat Safety Regulations to add the bilingual text.

Inconsequential non-compliance

The requirements for posting inconsequential non-compliances online are unclear. We’re proposing changes to the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations, Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations, and Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Seat Safety Regulations to make it clear that inconsequential non-compliances don’t need to be posted online.

Digital speedometers

The rules for speedometers and dashboard controls were made before digital speedometers became common. Now, most vehicles have digital displays. We’re proposing to update the requirements to make it clear that vehicles with changing speedometer units are allowed to change if the units are clearly marked. They wouldn’t have to display multiple units at once.

Relocate a table

We’re proposing moving the table from CMVSS 101, Controls, Tell-tales, Indicators and Sources of Illumination, to TSD 101, Controls, Tell-tales, Indicators and Sources of Illumination. We won’t be changing the table content.

Glazing code marking

We’re proposing updating the wording of CMVSS 205, Glazing Materials, to properly reflect how a manufacturer currently gets a code marking. We aren’t planning any other changes to the code marking rules.

Bilingual Technical Standards Documents

We’re proposing updating four (4) English TSDs and five (5) French "Document de normes techniques” to include the full required bilingual label text in both versions. This would make the documents clearer and easier to use.

We’re also proposing updates to:

  • CMVSS 131
  • TSD 222 (French version only)

Reference Documents

Request a copy

Background

TSD 101

TSD 105

TSD 110

TSD 120

TSD 131

TSD 135

DNT 222 (Available in French only)

How to participate

Privacy Statement

Why are we collecting your personal information?

Your personal information is collected for the purpose of gathering stakeholder and public feedback for consideration on potential regulatory amendments to the regulations under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

Privacy notice

The personal information you provide to Transport Canada will be collected by the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulatory Framework sub-program under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, subsection 20(1), and handled according to the Privacy Act.

Will we use or share your personal information for any other reason?

Your feedback will be de-identified and published on the Canada Gazette website if we make regulatory amendments, as required under the Treasury Board Secretariat Cabinet Directive on Regulation.

What happens if you don’t want to provide your personal information?

Participating in this consultation is voluntary. You aren’t required to provide your personal information.

What are your rights?

You have the right to request for access to, and correction of, your personal information. You also have a right to complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you feel your personal information has been handled improperly. For more information about these rights, or about how we handle your personal information, please contact the regulationsclerk-asfb-commisauxreglements@tc.gc.ca.

For more information

The collection of your personal information is described in Info Source. Refer to the personal information bank PSU 938 – Outreach Activities.

Related links

Contact us

Standards and Regulations, Road Safety and Vehicle Regulations (ASFBE)
Transport Canada
Tower C, Place de Ville
330 Sparks St
Ottawa ON K1A 0N5
Toll-free telephone: 1-866-995-9737
Local telephone: 613-990-2309
TTY: 1-888-675-6863
Fax: 613-954-4731
Email: RegulationsClerk-ASFB-Commisauxreglements@tc.gc.ca. Include “Consultation – Various changes under the MVSA (2026)” in the subject line.