Counting Constraints: A Comprehensive Count of Canada's Regulatory Requirements

To quantify the regulatory burden across Canada, CFIB has estimated the number of regulatory requirements (or restrictions) within each jurisdiction’s legislation and regulations ─ two primary sources of rules affecting businesses and citizens.

Jurisdictions that produce their own regulatory count typically use different methods, making comparisons difficult, underscoring the need for a consistent approach. The 2024 data reveal a significant variation in regulatory requirements across jurisdictions, ranging from around 36,000 in Prince Edward Island to nearly 150,000 in Ontario.