Who will win the 2019 Golden Scissors Awards? | CFIB

CFIB presents past year’s top governments and public servants who reduced excessive red tape; strong finalist from Manitoba

Winnipeg, January 17, 2019 – In advance of the 10th annual Red Tape Awareness Week™, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) unveils this year’s finalists for the Golden Scissors Awards, recognizing the governments and public servants who have done an exceptional job of cutting red tape in their jurisdiction.

“After 10 years of calling out excessive red tape and how it impacts business owners we know how important it is to also recognize and celebrate the progress being made across the country. The nominees for Golden Scissors Awards have shown tremendous leadership in streamlining processes and reducing red tape to allow small businesses to thrive,” said Jordi Morgan, CFIB’s vice-president for Atlantic Canada. “We thank them for the exceptional work they have done and celebrate their accomplishment. It’s not always easy or politically glamorous to cut red tape, but it has to be done.”

“It’s great to see Manitoba have a finalist for the 2019 Golden Scissors Award. The Government of Manitoba has made great strides reducing red tape for small businesses over the last two years,” said Jonathan Alward, CFIB’s Director of Provincial Affairs for Manitoba. “This Manitoba finalist recognizes one of the many common sense solutions the province is taking to reduce red tape to benefit employers and employees.”

The winners and honourable mentions will be announced on Thursday, January 24. The finalists are:

  • Former Treasury Board President Scott Brison, for his commitment to reducing federal red tape on a yearly basis.
  • Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil and Halifax Mayor Mike Savage, for teaming up to create the Joint Project for Regulatory Modernization.
  • Nova Scotia Minister of Business Geoff MacLellan, for reducing the cost and time required to register a new business.
  • PEI Minister of Finance Heath MacDonald, for bringing much-needed common sense to PEI’s liquor laws.
  • Yves Blouin, Director of Regulatory Cooperation, Quebec Ministry of Economy and Innovation, for successfully championing the first sectoral red tape reduction initiative for retail.
  • Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, for using omnibus legislation packages to streamline the process of removing outdated regulations.
  • Ontario Premier Doug Ford, for his major overhaul of harmful labour rule changes through Bill 47, and his leadership on cross-government red tape reduction for small businesses.
  • Manitoba Minister of Growth, Enterprise & Trade Blaine Pedersen, for making it easier for employers and employees to put together flexible work schedules.
  • Ron Dedman, former Vice President, Priority Saskatchewan/SaskBuilds, for reducing the number of templates for bidding on work from over 100 to only eight.
  • Gary Gehring, Saskatchewan Director of Licensing and Standards, Gas & Electrical Licensing Branch, Ministry of Government Relations, for streamlining the regulations that govern the licensing of electricians.
  • Service BC and the BC Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology, for creating a new, easy-to-use guide for people dealing with the loss of a loved one.

Find out more about the finalists and how they’ve helped small business owners at cfib.ca/goldenscissors.

To arrange an interview with Jonathan Alward, Director of Provincial Affairs for Manitoba, please call 1 888-234-2232, 204-982-0817 or email msman@cfib.ca. You can also follow CFIB Manitoba on Twitter @cfibMB.

About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 110,000 members (4,800 in Manitoba) 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.