Minister of State Ablonczy Reaffirms Government's Commitment to Cutting Red Tape for Business

OTTAWA, January 11, 2010 — Today, the Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), reaffirmed the Government of Canada’s commitment to reducing the paperwork burden for small business.

“During the first Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) Red Tape Awareness Week, from January 11 to 15, Government of Canada remains committed to making it easier to do business in Canada,” said Minister of State Ablonczy. “The less time entrepreneurs spend on red tape, the more they can spend on growing their business and contributing to the economy.”

We are making it easier for businesses to comply with government rules and regulations, while at the same time ensuring Canada continues to have strong, effective policies that protect individuals, the environment and the economy.

Last year, we achieved our goal of reducing red tape by 20 percent. Thirteen federal departments and agencies worked together to streamline regulations, eliminate duplicate requirements, get rid of overlapping obligations and reduce document filing frequency.

For example, the Canada Revenue Agency reduced the frequency of required tax filings and remittances, benefiting small businesses. The smallest businesses are now excluded from having to fill out Statistics Canada business surveys. We have also streamlined the ways businesses interact with government through services such as BizPaL and the Canada Revenue Agency’s My Business Account.

Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, our government also supports small business by increasing access to financing, lowering taxes and providing funding to a number of programs and services that help businesses stay competitive. Now that we have reached our 20-percent reduction goal, we are preparing to announce the next steps toward further reducing red tape for Canadian businesses. We will continue to work in collaboration with other levels of government and the private sector to implement these significant changes.

“Following the CFIB’s 2005 landmark “Rated R” report on red tape, CFIB wishes to recognize the work of the federal government in setting and reaching an initial 20-percent red tape reduction target,” said CFIB president Catherine Swift. “As we begin our first-ever Red Tape Awareness Week and issue a second edition of our research study, we will be working closely with the federal government to make regulatory reform and paperwork burden reduction permanent features in helping Canada’s job creators — small and medium-sized businesses.”

For further information (media only), please contact:

Catherine Godbout
Office of the Honourable Diane Ablonczy
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)
613-947-5856

Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502