MEDIA ADVISORY - Canada's Red Tape Awareness Week™ is January 19-23

TORONTO, Jan. 14, 2015 /CNW/ - The rules and paperwork that governments impose on small businesses cost billions of dollars annually. Now in its sixth year, Canada's Red Tape Awareness Week™ (January 19-23) will reveal whether things are getting better or worse for the entrepreneur.

"Business owners tell us about the hardship that unnecessary government regulations place on running a business, including the impact on their workers and families," says Satinder Chera, vice president at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). "Six years after we started our awareness campaign, we'll see which governments have been walking the walk on freeing entrepreneurs from the burden of red tape."

CFIB will be making the following announcements next week:

Monday, January 19, 2015

• CFIB kicks off the week by announcing the winner of its annual Paperweight Award, citing the most egregious example of government red tape on small businesses. The finalists will be announced on January 15.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

• Report Card Day. When it comes to red tape in Canada, which governments get it, and which still don't? Federal and provincial governments will be graded on red tape accountability.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

• The fourth edition of Canada's Red Tape Report will be released, revealing whether the total cost of regulation on small businesses is going up, or coming down;
• Canadian farmers feel the red tape burden too. We put a special spotlight on how red tape hits home on the farm; and
• CFIB will offer the first of two red tape webinars, on Hiring Right the First Time. Another webinar on dealing with anti-spam rules (CASL) is being offered the following week. This new element of the campaign, giving small business owners practical tips on dealing with red tape, has proven very popular, so business owners are encouraged to register early.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

• Dealing with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is a sore point for many entrepreneurs. The agency has tried to improve customer service. Now business owners get their chance to grade the performance of the CRA; and
• CFIB will host the Hiring Right the First Time webinar in French.

Friday, January 23, 2015

• Red Tape Awareness Week^TM gets a happy ending, as CFIB announces the winner of the 2015 Golden Scissors Award, given to the politician or public servant who has made the biggest impact on freeing entrepreneurs from red tape. The finalists will be announced on January 16.

CFIB is Canada's largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 109,000 members across every sector and region.

SOURCE Canadian Federation of Independent Business

please call Gisele Lumsden at 416-222-8022 or by email at [email protected] or visit www.cfib.ca/rtaw.