B.C. is leading Canada in reducing red tape, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)’s annual Red Tape Report Card, released today.
B.C. scored an “A” on the report card, up from a “B+” last year. In both years, the CFIB gave B.C. the highest grade in the country.
“B.C. has really been a leader in Canada in reducing red tape and holding itself accountable,” Laura Jones, CFIB senior vice-president of research, economics and Western Canada, told Business in Vancouver.
“Ten years ago, [B.C.] set a target to reduce red tape by one third in three years and they exceeded the target and they’ve now cut 42% from where we were 10 years ago,” she said. “They’re the only province in the country that has stayed committed to measuring and reporting counts of regulation.”
Jones added B.C.’s red-tape reduction grade went up this year because of legislation the province passed in November 2011 requiring annual red tape reporting. Prior to that, the reporting was policy but not law.
“Because [B.C.] legislated it, it’s going to be much harder to undo for any future party.” Jones added the CFIB sees many provinces treat red-tape reduction as a “flavour-of-the-month” exercise that’s quickly forgotten.
While Jones commended B.C.’s efforts to cut red tape, she said the battle isn’t over for the province.
“I’ll be looking for B.C. to stay committed to their reforms and we’ll be looking very closely at that first report that comes out to make sure that it’s a high-quality report and that it’s not just a throwaway.”
Jenny Wagler
@JennyWagler_BIV