Red tape report card: BC, Quebec, and Manitoba head of the class; NWT lags behind

January 23, 2018 – As the centrepiece of Red Tape Awareness Week^TM (Jan. 22-26), the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) today released the 2018 Red Tape Report Card, its annual rating of the federal, provincial and territorial governments on leadership and accountability in cutting red tape for small business. 

This year’s report card reveals solid progress by several governments in the fight against excessive government regulation, needless paperwork, and redundant rules.

“A growing number of jurisdictions across the country are making red tape reduction a priority,” said Laura Jones, CFIB’s Executive Vice-President. “For years, CFIB and others have been working hard to convince governments that reducing excessive regulation has real potential to grow the economy, allowing business owners to focus their resources on innovating, improving productivity and expanding their business.”

The report card grades governments using three criteria: strong leadership, comprehensive measurement, and whether or not the government has made a commitment to control the growth of regulation. 

This year, three provinces received ‘A’ grades —the most since the introduction of the report card in 2011. In British Columbia, successive governments have reduced regulatory requirements by 48 per cent since 2001, while Quebec has reduced its paper burden by approximately 22 per cent since 2004 —saving businesses $303 million each year.

Manitoba, the other jurisdiction to earn an ‘A,’ had the biggest improvement from the previous year—in 2017, that province had a ‘D+’. The big jump is due to the province’s introduction of new initiatives to measure, track, report and reduce red tape, including a two-for-one regulatory reduction law (one-for-one after 2021) and the creation of a Red Tape Reduction Task Force.

“What we are seeing in Manitoba is truly remarkable,” added Jones. “This is a province moving from the back of the pack to head of the class in just one year. Manitoba’s success starts with political leadership. Without that, any red tape reduction stalls before it starts. It’s also got a great way to measure and a good law to manage it going forward.” 

At the bottom of this year’s ratings is Northwest Territories, which, has received the most ‘F’ grades out of any jurisdiction in Canada, for failing to support any comprehensive strategy for measuring, reporting or controlling the regulatory burden. 

“The government of NWT refuses to be accountable for the regulatory burden,” said Amber Ruddy, Director for CFIB. “While taking responsibility for red tape can be challenging, experience shows that it can be done if there is the will. By showing strong leadership and adopting comprehensive measurement, NWT has a clear path to being the improved jurisdiction in next year’s report.”

The full report card is available on the CFIB website.  

For media inquiries or interviews, please contact:
Andy Radia, 647-464-2814, public.affairs@cfib.ca  

About Red Tape Awareness Week™
Now in its ninth year, Red Tape Awareness Week™ (January 22–26) highlights the cost and impact of excessive regulations. The annual campaign continues to influence governments across the country to launch red tape reduction initiatives. To learn more, visit CFIB.ca/redtape and follow #redtape.    

About CFIB
CFIB is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 109,000 members across every sector and region. Learn more at cfib.ca.