Winnipeg, September 19, 2017 – Today, the Manitoba government took another major step towards being a North American leader in cutting red tape when it announced its baseline count. The count is the most comprehensive in Canada including government rules found in legislation, regulations, policies, forms, and guidelines. According to Finance Minister Cameron Friesen, Manitoba’s baseline count includes 906,824 regulatory requirements.
“Red tape is a huge hidden tax on everyone. It increases prices, reduces job opportunities, and stresses people out. Manitoba deserves high praise for making that hidden tax more visible today. It’s a very promising step towards making things better not just for those who directly get tangled up in red tape, but all Manitobans who suffer as a result,” said Laura Jones CFIB’s Executive Vice-President and Chief Strategic Officer.
Last spring, the government became the first province in Canada to legislate a cap on the number of government rules. Bill 22 mandates that for every new regulatory requirement created, two existing requirements with double the administrative burden of the new requirement must be removed (two-for-one rule) until March 31, 2021. After March 31, 2021, it will be replaced by a ‘one-for-one’ rule.
“To date, British Columbia has been Canada’s undisputed leader in red tape reduction, but Manitoba has announced a more comprehensive measure and has beat BC in being the first province to legislate a cap. If things continue this way, it will be the Manitoba model that everyone is talking about,” said Jones.
“The government still has a lot of work to do in actually cutting red tape, but they have all the right ingredients,” said Jonathan Alward, CFIB’s Director of Provincial Affairs for Manitoba.
CFIB estimates the annual costs of all regulations on businesses in Canada to be $37 billion annually, with one-third of that ($11 billion) considered unnecessary red tape. In Manitoba, all federal, provincial and municipal regulations cost businesses $1.2 billion annually, $360 million of which is considered red tape.
“Seven out of ten business owners in Manitoba say red tape is limiting their ability to create jobs. The government’s focus on this couldn’t be more timely or more important,” concluded Alward.
CFIB’s ninth annual Red Tape Awareness Week™ will take place between January 22-26, 2018 and will challenge governments to reduce the hidden tax of red tape for the good of all Canadians.
To arrange an interview with Laura Jones, CFIB’s Executive Vice-President and Chief Strategic Officer, please contact at 604-684-5325 or email catlop@cfib.ca.
To arrange an interview with Jonathan Alward, CFIB’s Director of Provincial Affairs for Manitoba on the provincial results, please call 204-982-0817 or email msman@cfib.ca. You can also follow CFIB Manitoba on Twitter @cfibMB.
CFIB is Canada’s largest association of small- and medium-sized businesses with 109,000 members (4,800 in Manitoba) across every sector and region.
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