Toronto, January 31, 2024 – Today, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) released its 14th annual Red Tape Report Card as part of its Red Tape Awareness WeekTM. Top grades this year go to Alberta and Nova Scotia, the only two provinces in 2024 to receive an “A.” Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island received the lowest grades, while New Brunswick earned the title of most improved jurisdiction, increasing their grade from a D to a C.
“CFIB started issuing its Red Tape Report Card over a decade ago to encourage more government accountability. At the time, the grades were low as only a few governments were tracking and reporting the regulatory burden they impose,” said Keyli Loeppky, director of interprovincial affairs at CFIB. “Today's grades are much improved, with most governments taking progress on red tape reduction seriously.”
The 2024 Red Tape Report Card grades:
|
Jurisdiction |
Regulatory (40%) |
Regulatory (40%) |
Political (20%) |
Physician (Bonus 2%) |
Overall score |
|||||
|
Alberta |
8.9 |
A- |
9.2 |
A |
10 |
A |
10 |
9.4 |
A |
|
|
Nova Scotia |
8.8 |
A- |
8.2 |
B |
10 |
A |
10 |
9.0 |
A |
|
|
Ontario |
8.4 |
B+ |
7.8 |
B |
10 |
A |
10 |
8.7 |
A- |
|
|
British Columbia |
8.9 |
A- |
9.0 |
A |
4.5 |
F |
10 |
8.3 |
B+ |
|
|
Quebec |
8.8 |
A- |
6.5 |
C- |
8.5 |
B+ |
10 |
8.0 |
B |
|
|
Saskatchewan |
8.0 |
B |
7.9 |
B |
5.5 |
D |
0 |
7.5 |
B- |
|
|
New Brunswick |
7.9 |
B |
5.9 |
D |
6.5 |
C- |
5 |
6.9 |
C |
|
|
Federal |
6.6 |
C |
6.5 |
C- |
7.5 |
B- |
0 |
6.7 |
C |
|
|
Prince Edward Island |
6.3 |
C- |
6.5 |
C- |
6.5 |
C- |
5 |
6.5 |
C- |
|
|
Newfoundland and Labrador |
3.0 |
F |
4.7 |
F |
5.5 |
D |
10 |
4.4 |
F |
|
|
Manitoba* |
8.8 |
A- |
8.4 |
B+ |
NA |
NA |
10 |
NA |
NA |
|
|
*Due to a change in government in Manitoba in October 2023, CFIB has assigned the province a status of “NA” (Not applicable) in lieu of a grade in the political priority section. As a result, the province is also marked as “NA” for the overall grade in this year’s report card, acknowledging the transition to a new government. CFIB will resume grading Manitoba in all categories in our 2025 report card. |
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The 2024 Red Tape Report Card grades governments in three main areas of regulatory performance. First, the regulatory accountability section considers whether governments are measuring regulation and setting regulatory constraints. Second, the “burden” section includes indicators such as the number of regulatory restrictions in each jurisdiction. Lastly, the political priority category looks at clear indications that red tape reduction and regulatory modernization are priorities of the Premier/Prime Minister and Executive Council/ Cabinet.
Last year CFIB challenged governments to measure and reduce the physician administrative burden, allowing them to prioritize patients over paperwork. In this year’s report card, CFIB awarded governments that took up the challenge with bonus points. Most jurisdictions implemented initiatives to do this, except Saskatchewan and the federal government.
“Red tape reduction is a way for governments to address public policy challenges like healthcare and housing, while making lives easier and more affordable for Canadians and small business owners,” Loeppky concluded. “For over 15 years, CFIB has been holding governments accountable by encouraging them to measure and reduce their regulatory burden. While most governments have the right framework in place, red tape reduction needs to remain a top priority going forward to ensure the impacts are felt on the ground for citizens and business owners, and not just included in an annual report.”
This year’s Red Tape Awareness Week is presented in partnership with Intuit QuickBooks.
To learn more visit: cfib.ca/redtape.
For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:
Dariya Baiguzhiyeva, CFIB
647-464-2814
public.affairs@cfib.ca
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 97,000 members 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. Learn more at cfib.ca.