Reduce the administrative burden on small business.

What success looks like

Reduced administrative burden and simpler, clearer, and faster online services to help small businesses.

Government's narrative on progress

The new Innovation Canada platform launched in January 2018 is a one-stop-shop for Canada’s innovators and entrepreneurs so they no longer need to spend time figuring out which department to go to or which program best meets their needs. The website is able to quickly match users with the federal and provincial/territorial programs and services to help them innovate, create jobs and grow Canada's economy. Federally, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) continues to drive the use of the Business Number (BN) by all departments as the standard identifier for business clients across the Government of Canada. Nineteen ISED business-facing services use the Business Number, and 18 other departments access business identity information through the real time BN web validation service. The BN is a key component of digital identity for business, and its adoption across the Government of Canada will enable more seamless service delivery, including sign-on once, tell-us-once service integration across governments and personalized digital experience. ISED is updating its Service Strategy to reflect the important work being done to improve service to Canadian businesses through digital transformation. New technologies will enable the department to create a seamless service experience in order to significantly reduce burden. The 2018 Fall Economic Statement announced measures to reduce administrative burden for businesses by modernizing federal regulations and encouraging regulators to consider economic competitiveness when designing and implementing regulations. Specifically, this includes proposals to review existing legislation, introduce an Annual Modernization Bill, create an External Advisory Committee on Regulatory Competitiveness, launch a Centre for Regulatory Innovation, and enact policy changes and regulatory measures that respond to recommendations from the business community. Budget 2019 also proposed measures across the government to minimize regulatory burden. These include plans to begin work announced in the 2018 Fall Economic Statement to introduce the Annual Modernization Bill and to establish the External Advisory Committee on Regulatory Competitiveness. Budget 2019 also announced funding to implement regulatory road maps in three high-growth sectors, as well as funding for the Treasury Board Secretariat to support harmonization of interprovincial and international regulations. The regulatory roadmaps will be implemented in the agri-food and aquaculture, health and bio-sciences, and transportation and infrastructure sectors.

Note: this is the government's own description, not an independent assessment.