Calgary, January 23, 2020 – Alberta’s Associate Minister of Red Tape Reduction, Grant Hunter, the Government of Manitoba and Quebec’s Minister of Public Security have been awarded the 2020 Golden Scissors by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) as part of the 11th annual Red Tape Awareness Week™.
“In a short time, Associate Minister Grant Hunter has made great strides to reducing the regulatory burden in Alberta,” said Annie Dormuth, CFIB’s Alberta Provincial Affairs Director. “Through the Cut Red Tape website, the government is listening to public feedback and has received 4,500 suggestions. They have implemented changes to address 130 red tape irritants from the website and exploring ways to address another 240. This is the type of leadership CFIB recognizes with the Golden Scissors Award.”
“This year’s Golden Scissors winners show how much governments can accomplish when they listen. Manitoba has modernized the way it does business in a big way, while Alberta is acting swiftly on direct red tape feedback from local small business owners and Albertans. As for Quebec, they were on our list for worst regulation in the country just last year, and they took the criticism to heart and fixed the issue,” said Laura Jones, CFIB’s Executive Vice-President. “This is the kind of transparency and accountability from our governments that Canadians deserve.”
The 2020 Golden Scissors winners are being recognized for the following accomplishments:
- Alberta Associate Minister of Red Tape Reduction Grant Hunter, who directs the province’s list of red tape initiatives and invites citizens and businesses to submit their red tape headaches to the Cut Red Tape website to be reviewed and addressed.
- Quebec’s Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, for eliminating Quebec’s redundant permit requirements for bowling alleys and amusement equipment in response to receiving a Paperweight “Award” in 2019.
- The Government of Manitoba and Premier Brian Pallister, for their major overhaul of government systems, increasing accountability and transparency for citizens and breaking down silos between government departments.
CFIB also awarded two Golden Scissors honourable mentions:
- Ontario Deputy Minister, Small Business and Red Tape Reduction Giles Gherson and the Business Relief Unit, which investigates red tape issues submitted to its “Cutting Red Tape” web portal and works directly with lawmakers to address them.
- Saskatchewan Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison, for creating a “Help Cut Red Tape” web portal that lets business owners fast-track their red tape concerns.
“Cutting red tape isn’t sexy and it often goes unnoticed,” added Jones. “We want to change that and recognize the good work that is being done across the country.”
The full list of the 2020 Golden Scissors honourees and more details on their achievements is available at cfib.ca/GoldenScissors.
For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:
Annie Dormuth, CFIB
Alberta Provincial Affairs Director
403 700-1945
msalb@cfib.ca
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 110,000 members (10,000 in Alberta) 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.
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