Feds Improving on Red Tape Reduction, says Business Lobby Group

TORONTO — The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has given the federal government a grade of B+ on reforming the regulatory weight on Canadian small businesses.

The yearly “Red Tape Report Card” is part of its Red Tape Awareness Week, now in its fourth year. The B+ is an improvement over last year’s B- and 2011’s C+.

The group evaluates federal and provincial governments’ progress on regulatory reformby looking at political efforts to measure the regulatory burden, long-term thinking, and the overall public policy context.

“Across the country, entrepreneurs have told me they’re very happy the federal government is making important and necessary changes to help Canada’s job creators,” said CFIB executive vice president Laura Jones in a press release. “The Prime Minister and his government ‘get’ this issue, and deserve credit for their work that will make Canada more competitive in the long run.”

CFIB was impressed with the federal government’s “one-for-one” rule which means that for every new regulation, another regulation must be cut. The group also noted the government’s decision to appoint an independent panel to evaluate and report on the government’s performance, as well as for requiring departments to set, publish and report on measurable goals for service improvement.

The report also looks at the amount of red tape on a provincial level. This year, British Columbia earned an A earned while Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Yukon went home with a D-. You can read the full list of provincial red tape grades below.

“Hard-working entrepreneurs consistently tell us that excessive, and unnecessary regulation and paperwork is one of the biggest impediments they face,” Jones said. “The Red Tape Report Card is CFIB’s way of praising political leaders who are making a difference for small business, and pointing out which jurisdictions still have a lot of work to do.”

British Columbia:  A

Newfoundland and Labrador: B

Quebec: B

Ontario: B

New Brunswick: B

Saskatchewan: C

Alberta: D+

Nova Scotia: D

Prince Edward Island: D-

Manitoba: D-

Northwest Territories: D-

Yukon: D-


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