A growing lack of public confidence in governmental regulation of business has created a climate in which industry must go beyond obtaining mere regulatory approvals for new projects: a "social licence" must also be acquired from stakeholder groups. This article explores the concept of social licence in the context of current pipeline project proposals. Governments play a significant role in this debate, as social licence is intertwined with the Canadian regulatory scheme. The authors address

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... fferent models of regulatory reform, and explore how recent federal amendments have altered the social licence and regulatory landscape.