Service NL
October 19, 2012

Provincial Government Launches Accountability Framework for Regulatory Reform

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador continues to be a national leader in the area of regulatory reform and has now established an Accountability Framework for Regulatory Reform which will further guide government policy development in the coming years.

“This government remains committed to the progressive improvement of regulatory processes,” said the Honourable Paul Davis, Minister of Service NL. “The new Accountability Framework for Regulatory Reform requires regular reporting by departments and will ensure that regulations are being developed in an efficient manner and are easy to understand.”

The Accountability Framework for Regulatory Reform is currently the only one in practice in Canada. The framework focuses on improving and modernizing regulation and ensures regular reporting on activities across government departments. Training is underway to ensure that government departments recognize the importance of developing programs and policies that are easily accessible and understood by the general public.

In 2005 the Provincial Government launched the Red Tape Reduction Initiative with a goal to reduce regulatory requirements by 25 per cent. This goal was surpassed within a three-year time frame and in 2009 the Provincial Government committed to establishing regulatory reform as a long-term initiative. The objective of no net growth in the number of regulatory requirements continues to be achieved. In total from 2006 to present, approximately 80,000 regulatory requirements have been eliminated.

These achievements are reflected in a recent report published by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. The September 2012 Business Barometer® indicates that business optimism in Newfoundland and Labrador continues to grow and is the highest in the country at 75.0 versus the national average of 62.0. The Business Barometer is determined through a number of factors, including the ease of regulation for business owners.

“Newfoundland and Labrador continues to make strides in regulatory reform, and we are pleased to see the new Accountability Framework for Regulatory Reform which has been established,” said Leanne Hachey, Vice-President, Atlantic with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. “The numbers speak for themselves, and are backed up with concrete programs which departments are undertaking to make dealing with government easier for both business and the public in the province.”

There have been a number of other developments recently which have contributed to the improvement of regulatory processes in the province:

• Amendments to the Consumer Protection and Business Practices Act to provide improved consumer protection by prescribing clear requirements around distance service contracts, which include contracts for cell phones, residential phones, Internet, cable, satellite services and remote surveillance.
  
  
• Changes to the Aquaculture Act which give the department expanded authority to test equipment and gear. These changes will promote sustainable growth in the aquaculture sector and will give the department stronger compliance and enforcement tools while simplifying and streamlining processes.
  
  
• The Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission recently launched a reports and statistics web service. Employers can now go online and generate health and safety reports that are often required for bidding on contracts in both the private and public sectors. Previously, employers who required this information when bidding on job tenders were required to obtain the information by dealing directly with WHSCC staff.

“Our government continues to be recognized as a national leader in the area of regulatory reform and we will continue efforts to strengthen reform practices through the new Accountability Framework for Regulatory Reform,” said Minister Davis. “We will continue to evaluate the ways we do business to make sure that we are delivering the best service possible for the people of this province each and every day.”

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2012 10 19                               1:50 p.m.