News Release — June 2005

MINISTER OF INDUSTRY ANNOUNCES MEMBERS OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO REDUCE RED TAPE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

OTTAWA, June 13, 2005 — The Honourable David L. Emerson, Minister of Industry, today announced the membership of the Advisory Committee on Paperwork Burden Reduction (ACPBR), a committee created to identify concrete initiatives for reducing the paperwork burden on Canada's entrepreneurs and small businesses.

The Committee is part of the Paperwork Burden Reduction Initiative (PBRI), announced by the Government of Canada and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) in February 2005.

The ACPBR will measure the cumulative impact of regulatory compliance on businesses of different sizes. Co-chaired by Garth Whyte, Executive Vice-President, National Affairs, of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and David Fransen, Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy Sector, Industry Canada, the Committee includes equal representation from the public and private sectors. The Committee is meeting today. The members are:

• Robert (Bob) Armstrong, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Peace Bridge Brokers;
• Jean-Claude Cloutier, Director, Strategic Mandates and Paper Burden Reduction for the Ministère du Conseil exécutif in Québec;
• Patrick Culhane, President and CEO, Canadian Payroll Association;
• Robert Dunlop, acting General Director of the Economic Development and Corporate Finance Branch, federal Department of Finance Canada;
• Lois Fraser, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Management Services, responsible for Service B.C.;
• Glen Gryzko, Chartered Accountant and Partner, Gryzko Harper Chartered Accountants;
• Helen McDonald, acting Chief Information Officer for the Government of Canada and Assistant-Secretary of Policy and Service Transformation, Treasury Board of Canada;
• Jayson Myers, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters;
• Charles Nixon, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister of Insurance, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada;*
• William (Bill) Robblee, President, Greystone Energy Systems Incorporated;
• Greg Simpson, President, Simpson Seeds Incorporated; and
• Barbara J. Slater, Assistant Commissioner, Assessment and Client Services Branch, Canada Revenue Agency.

"By reducing the burden of red tape on small business, this initiative will contribute to a more streamlined business and regulatory environment, paving the way to enhanced competitiveness, investment and trade," said Minister Emerson.

"Paperwork burden is one of the top priorities of Canadian small businesses. CFIB has been involved in numerous past initiatives to reduce red tape and paperwork that went nowhere. We agreed to co-chair this committee because this initiative will measure the compliance burden, benchmark it and continue to measure it over time. We need a process that monitors and fixes the problem on an ongoing basis," added Garth Whyte.

The Advisory Committee will report to Minister Emerson each year. The reports will include the results of analysis undertaken by the Committee, progress made on burden reductions through initiatives, and priorities for future work.

The PBRI includes a major survey by Statistics Canada to measure the impact of regulatory burden on Canadian businesses. The first survey, to be conducted this fall, will provide a benchmark measure of the costs of the paperwork burden on Canadian businesses. The survey will be repeated every three years to track progress in reducing the burden of regulatory compliance on small businesses.

"This initiative underlines the Government of Canada's commitment to helping Canada's small businesses grow and prosper. It will save them time and money, making it easier for them to do business in Canada, and around the world," said Minister Emerson.

The PBRI is among the many initiatives outlined in the Smart Regulation Report on Actions and Plans announced by Treasury Board President Reg Alcock in March 2005. A backgrounder and biographical notes of the ACPBR members are included.

For more information, please contact:

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* Mr. Nixon is no longer able to participate as member of the ACPBR. Committee members thank Mr. Nixon for his contribution.