Government of Canada Delivers on Key Commitment in Efforts to Cut Red Tape for Canadian Businesses

Press Release

November 28, 2014 – Ottawa – Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Today, Treasury Board President Tony Clement released the Administrative Burden Baseline (ABB) initiative’s count of regulatory requirements.

As of June 30, 2014, the Government of Canada had a total of 129,860 federal requirements in regulations and related forms that imposed administrative burden on businesses in Canada.

The Government is committed to transparency in the monitoring and reporting of regulatory red tape. The publishing of the ABB count fulfills a commitment made in the Government of Canada’s Red Tape Reduction Action Plan. The ABB and its annual update will be an important tool in enabling regulators to comply with the One-for-One Rule, the cornerstone of the Action Plan.

Quick facts

• The Red Tape Reduction Action Plan, among the most ambitious red tape-cutting initiatives in the world, increases Canadian competitiveness and frees business to innovate, grow, and create jobs. It underscores Canada’s reputation as one of the best places in the world to do business and invest.
• The Administrative Burden Baseline (ABB) initiative requires departments to establish a baseline count of federal requirements in regulations and related forms that impose administrative burden on businesses. Every year, the Government will update and publicly report this count, and departments and agencies will be required to post their counts on their Acts and Regulations Web pages.
• The Red Tape Reduction Action Plan’s One-for-One Rule, which is currently being considered by Parliament as Bill C-21, requires regulators to offset any increases in administrative burden that result from regulatory changes with equal reductions from existing regulations. With the ABB count complete, federal regulators now have an inventory of administrative burden they impose on business, through regulations and related forms.
• Most of the regulations included in the count do not affect all businesses. The regulatory requirements in the count cover the entire spectrum of federally regulated sectors—including transportation, food, health, nuclear safety, labour, and so on. Businesses will be subject to the requirements found in the regulations and related forms that are specific to the sectors in which they operate.

Quotes

“As promised, our Government has published the count of federal regulatory requirements that impose administrative burden on business. Canadians deserve to have clear, credible information regarding the extent to which various federal regulations can affect their businesses, and on how these requirements evolve over time.”

– Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board

“By publishing the number of requirements in federal regulations and related forms every year, the ABB count contributes to the further openness and transparency of the federal regulatory system. Our Government will continue to look for ways to enhance this transparency and further tackle other red tape irritants.”

– Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board

“Reducing red tape frees entrepreneurs to unleash their creativity and support the economy. Without good measurement, red tape reduction will fail. We need to keep working on how to measure this hidden tax, and today’s announcement is a good start.”

– Laura Jones, Executive Vice-President, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Related products

• Administrative Burden Baseline
• Red Tape Reduction Action Plan
• The 2012–2013 Scorecard Report: Implementing the Red Tape Reduction Action Plan

Associated Links

• Government-wide Administrative Burden Baseline counts
• Red Tape Reduction Commission’s Recommendations Report: Cutting Red Tape…Freeing Business to Grow

Media contacts

Heather Domereckyj
Press Secretary
Office of the President of the Treasury Board
613-957-2666

Media Relations
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
613-957-2640

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