Moving Forward With the Red Tape Reduction Commission

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 3, 2011) - Today, the Government of Canada announced that it is already taking action on some of the red tape reduction initiatives announced in Budget 2011.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has asked the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism) to chair the Red Tape Reduction Commission. Prime Minister Harper has also asked the Honourable Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for FedNor, to lead the Government's red tape reduction exercise.

Minister Bernier announced that the Commission has already met to review progress to date and to finalize a work plan to deliver, later this summer, an interim report on what was heard during last winter's consultations. This work plan will also help prepare for the release of the Commission's final recommendations in the months ahead.

"Our government is working to reduce the administrative and paperwork burden for Canadian businesses in order to promote productivity and economic growth," Minister Bernier said. "We will continue to cut red tape for small businesses so that they can focus their efforts on growing their businesses and creating jobs."

"The Government has declared 2011 the Year of the Entrepreneur to help increase public awareness of the important role played by small businesses," added Minister Clement. "Small business owners and entrepreneurs play a critical role in sustaining Canada's economic recovery."

Since its establishment, the Commission has been active in identifying regulatory irritants that have a detrimental effect on growth and competitiveness. It will also recommend options for reducing the compliance burden on a long-term basis, while ensuring that the environment and the health of Canadians are not compromised in the process.

The Red Tape Reduction Commission was announced as part of Budget 2010. Budget 2011 also included measures to reduce red tape, including:

• Tasking regulators with examining the effects of their regulations through a small business lens to ensure that regulatory requirements do not have unintended impacts on small businesses and that regulations are administered as fairly and efficiently as possible;
• A new advertising and outreach campaign to point small businesses to the right information about the programs and regulations of relevance to them; and
• Posting consultations on regulations on the Consulting With Canadians Web portal.

For more information about the Red Tape Reduction Commission, please visit www.reduceredtape.gc.ca.

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This news release is available online at: http://www.reduceredtape.gc.ca/.