Red Tape Awareness Week™ returns to challenge excessive and outdated regulation

Toronto, January 15, 2020 – Red Tape Awareness Week™, Canada’s annual call-for-action to reduce harmful and excessive regulation, is back for its 11th year from January 20 to 24, announced the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

CFIB’s annual Red Tape Awareness Week™ has successfully encouraged governments across the country to take initiatives to reduce red tape. Canada’s ground-breaking Red Tape Reduction Act, for example, traces its roots back to the Red Tape Reduction Commission initiated by the federal government during the second Red Tape Awareness Week. Regulations cost small businesses $36.2 billion annually, $10 billion of which is unnecessary red tape, according to CFIB’s research. 

This year’s Red Tape Awareness Week™ lineup includes:

  • Monday, January 20: CFIB announces the 2020 Paperweight Awards, highlighting some of the most ridiculous examples of red tape from across the country. Business owners vote over the week to determine the worst of the pack. 
  • Tuesday, January 21: CFIB releases the federal and provincial government grades in its annual Red Tape Report Card.
  • Wednesday, January 22: CFIB issues its annual Red Tape Challenge to governments. 
  • Thursday, January 23: The Golden Scissors Award winners and honourable mentions are presented to the governments and public servants who have done an exceptional job of cutting unnecessary red tape (nominees will be announced on January 16).
  • Friday, January 24: The Business Owners’ Choice Paperweight Award is named on CFIB’s social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

To support business owners navigating red tape, CFIB has launched a webinar on the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)’s Liaison Officer Service led by a CRA representative. CFIB will also launch a new Occupational Health and Safety toolkit for business owners during Red Tape Awareness Week. 

To learn more visit CFIB.ca/redtape and follow #redtape.

For media inquiries or interviews, please contact:
Milena Stanoeva, CFIB
647-464-2814
public.affairs@cfib.ca 

About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 110,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.