Provincial Government Continues to Reduce Red Tape

Newfoundland and Labrador remains a national leader in red tape reduction, according to an annual report released by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). Newfoundland and Labrador has been awarded a grade of B, tied in third place behind British Columbia and the Federal Government.

“Newfoundland and Labrador continues to cut red tape across all of our programs and services through our Red Tape Reduction initiative as evident from the approximately 80,000 regulatory requirements which have been eliminated since 2006,” said the Honourable Nick McGrath, Minister of Service NL. “Much progress has been made which demonstrates our commitment and leadership to provide the best possible services to the public. For example, I was pleased to announce the bundled birth service for new parents earlier this month, which combines four separate forms into one.”

There have been a number of initiatives that have contributed to the improvement of regulatory processes in the province.

Last October, the Provincial Government established the new Accountability Framework for Regulatory Reform to ensure government departments recognize the importance of developing programs and policies that are easily understood and accessible by the general public. It accomplishes this by modernizing regulation and ensuring regular reporting on activities across departments. It is the only framework of its kind in Canada.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s commitment to regulatory reform is also demonstrated with the introduction of the new Journeyperson Mentorship Program. This program provides financial incentives to eligible employers to support journeyperson mentors on the job. These mentors assist and train new apprentices, benefitting employers and providing the opportunity for apprentices to obtain the hours of work experience they require to advance their careers. Through this program, government has responded to multiple issues in the apprenticeship/skilled trades area at once, creating a single program which improves circumstances for a wide variety of interest groups. This is a good example of regulation as it reflects wide consultation with those impacted.

In addition, a new online map feature was added to the province’s Early Childhood Learning website in 2012. This feature allows parents and caregivers to view the early learning opportunities and resources available in their communities in an online map format, thereby improving accessibility to these services.

“Newfoundland and Labrador has made regulatory reform a permanent function over the long term,” said Minister McGrath. “Part of this commitment is ensuring departments regularly report on their regulatory processes. Our government’s mandate for regulatory reform remains a high priority.”

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.

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

2013 01 22             11:00 a.m.