Service NL
January 27, 2014            

Reduced Red Tape Supports Strong Communities and a Vibrant Economy

Government Maintains Commitment to Cap Growth of Regulatory Requirements for Businesses and Individuals

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has proclaimed January 27 to 31 as Red Tape Awareness Week. This week recognizes the importance of reducing the regulatory burden on small businesses across Canada.

“Through the Regulatory Reform Initiative, this government is always looking for new ways to alleviate the pressure of regulatory obstacles faced by our business community. The responsible decisions we have made through our Accountability Framework speaks to our commitment to strengthen the business environment by achieving zero net growth in regulatory requirements. Approximately 80,000 requirements have been eliminated since 2006.”
- The Honourable Dan Crummell, Minister of Service NL

The Accountability Framework for Regulatory Reform assists government departments in developing programs and policies that are easily understood and accessible by the general public. The framework outlines the tools that guide the modernization of regulation and ensures regular reporting on activities across departments. It is the only framework of its kind in Canada. On March 31, departments and agencies will be concluding the first year of their three year regulatory improvement plans under the accountability framework.  An assessment of the first year will be completed and an update will be provided at the earliest opportunity.

The Regulatory Reform Initiative promotes measures that are favourable to business such as the development of AgPal – a collaborative effort between Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Department of Natural Resources. AgPal allows farmers, agribusinesses and others involved in the agriculture industry to access programs and services offered by all levels of government and industry online.

The initiative also continues to focus on promoting measures that increase service delivery to individual citizens such as the recent expansion of HEALTHe NL to include the HEALTHe NL Viewer.  This expansion provides authorized health care professionals with a single point of access to view patient information at the place of care.

Through sound fiscal management and responsible decisions, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is strengthening the business environment, encouraging the development of innovative industries and building a vibrant economy.

QUICK FACTS

• The Provincial Government continues to maintain its commitment to reducing red tape for the business community in Newfoundland and Labrador with a number of initiatives.
• The Accountability Framework requires departments to provide regular plans and reports to ensure regulations are necessary, easy to understand and accessible by the average citizen.
• The AgPal database (found at www.nr.gov.nl.ca/nr/agrifoods/ or www.agpal.ca) provides access to 95 programs applicable to Newfoundland and Labrador.
• HEALTHe NL positions Newfoundland and Labrador among the first three provinces to establish an electronic health record that captures health information from multiple sources.

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Media contact:
Vanessa Colman-Sadd
Director of Communications
Service NL
709-729-4860, 682-6593
vanessacolmansadd@gov.nl.ca

2014 01 27                                        11:55 a.m.