Alberta gets a D+ on red tape report card
Posted Jan 22, 2013 7:39 am.
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Red tape could be a rampant problem when it comes to the hidden regulations business owners face on a daily basis.
It’s hard to tell because the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says Alberta politicians refuse to publicly report and measure their commitment to reducing red tape.
The CFIB has given the province a D+ on its annual report card for failing to have a public record.
“Other governments in Canada have been willing to do that,” says vice president and policy analyst Laura Jones. “So if you look at your neighbour to the west, British Columbia has been measuring the burden for 10 years.”
The group awarded B.C. a grade of A, because that province started out with 380,000 regulations on the books and has slashed that figure by 40 per cent.
“We can quantify what’s happening in B.C., but we can’t in Alberta,” she explains.
Jones acknowledges it’s a challenging task but adds it’s important for governments to understand the importance of being accountable and transparent.
“Once a year we go through this exercise (fiscal budgeting), when the public gets to have some insight as to what the government is spending and how much they’re collecting in tax revenue,” Jones says. “What we’re asking for is the same thing when it comes to the hidden tax of red tape, which we think is an entirely reasonable thing given the impact it has on all its citizens.”
Referring to it as a “hidden tax,” she does admit there’s been some improvement in the Wildrose Province over the past few years.
In 2011, provincial officials were given an F and last year they were awarded a D.
“That improvement does reflect that we are seeing more leadership than we have in the past and we are hopeful that we will see some regular measures going forward and a commitment to that going forward soon,” she says.
Jones says the CFIB isn’t prepared to give Alberta a real bump until they see some actual action.
Alberta’s grade in 2013 of a D+ is only slightly better than the D given to Nova Scotia and the D- awarded to Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, the Yukon and Northwest Territories.
