Golden Scissors award recognizes Alberta and Nova Scotia for innovative red tape reduction

94 per cent of business owners are looking to their government to reduce red tape and spur economic recovery

TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2022 /CNW/ - The Alberta and Nova Scotia governments have been awarded Golden Scissor awards for regulatory modernization, as part of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)'s 13^th annual Red Tape Awareness Week^TM.

The 2022 Golden Scissors winners are being recognized for the following ground-breaking actions:

• The Alberta government, for passing Bill 49 – the Labour Mobility Act, which makes it easier to recognize out-of-province certifications in more than 100 regulated occupations, including optometrists, dental assistants, pharmacists, firefighters, veterinarians, social workers, accountants, and engineers. Now people in these occupations can start working in the province without having to undergo additional exams, education, or re-certification.
• The Nova Scotia government, for its Reducing Physician Administrative Burden Initiative. The initiative started with a direct survey of doctors to help identify the overall red tape burden and quantify how much was unnecessary (such as duplicate paperwork, and antiquated procedures). It found unnecessary red tape amounts to the equivalent of 1.5 million patient visits. Work to date includes removing barriers to which health zones doctors can work in and simplifying medical intake forms such as social assistance documents.

An honourable mention was awarded to the Quebec government for passing legislation that introduces a red tape reduction bill every year moving forward. The bill ensures there is time on the legislative calendar to address specific red tape irritants.

"Alberta and Nova Scotia have both broken new ground in regulatory modernization. Alberta's labour mobility bill means people have more flexibility where they work and improves access to services. Nova Scotia's freeing up doctors' time adds critical capacity to the health care system. Both measures offer blueprints for other governments and are worthy of the Golden Scissors Award," said Laura Jones, CFIB executive vice-president. "We need more of this innovative regulatory thinking across Canada."

About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada's largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 95,000 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.

SOURCE Canadian Federation of Independent Business

For media enquiries or interviews, please contact: Milena Stanoeva, CFIB, 647-464-2814, [email protected]