Winnipeg, January 23, 2020 – The Government of Manitoba, Quebec’s Minister of Public Security, and Alberta’s Associate Minister of Red Tape Reduction 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™.
“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, Executive Vice-President at CFIB. “This is the kind of transparency and accountability from our governments that Canadians deserve.”
“The Government of Manitoba deserves a sincere congratulations for their regulatory accomplishments. It takes many dedicated staff across government working together and rowing in the same direction to deliver improvements of this magnitude,” added Jonathan Alward, CFIB’s Director, Prairie Region. “We look forward to seeing this work continue to the benefit of businesses, residents, non-profits and local government.”
The 2020 Golden Scissors winners are being recognized for the following accomplishments:
- The Government of Manitoba (represented by Premier Brian Pallister), for their major overhaul of government systems, increasing accountability and transparency for citizens and breaking down silos between government departments.
- 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.
- 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.
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,” concluded 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.
CFIB’s 11th annual Red Tape Awareness Week™ encourages governments across the country to take the initiative and launch their own red tape reduction strategies. Regulations cost small businesses $36.2 billion annually, $10 billion of which is unnecessary red tape, according to CFIB’s research. To learn more visit CFIB.ca/redtape and follow #redtape.
For media inquiries or interviews with Jonathan Alward, CFIB’s Director, Prairie Region, please call 204-982-0817 or email msman@cfib.ca. You can also follow CFIB Manitoba on Twitter @cfibmb.
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 110,000 members (4,800 in Manitoba) 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.
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