January 24, 2017
Manitoba to Introduce Key Performance Indicator to Reduce Red Tape, Increase Accountability
The Manitoba government will introduce a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) as a means of defining, implementing and tracking progress on reducing red tape and regulatory requirements, Finance Minister Cameron Friesen announced today.
“Thousands of regulatory requirements are found across government, each one with its own individual expectations around compliance that must be met by stakeholders and businesses,” said Friesen. “Our government is taking action to ensure Manitoba is the leading province on regulatory accountability by 2020.”
Regulatory requirements are actions that must be taken or information that must be provided in accordance with provincial government legislation, regulation, policy or forms, in order to access services, carry out business, or participate in regulated activities.
In order to reduce red tape, work must first be done to simplify legislation, regulations, policies and forms, the minister noted. A KPI will provide a baseline of these regulatory requirements which will help government set targets to both reduce red tape and monitor success as they move forward, he said.
Manitoba Finance is the first department to have initiated a count of the regulatory requirements within its purview, Friesen said, adding the review found that Manitoba’s taxation system alone has more than 41,000 requirements.
“Reducing red tape is about removing those regulatory requirements that are contradictory, overly complicated, outdated or no longer needed,” said Friesen. “Eliminating barriers that stifle economic growth will help Manitoba business thrive and will enable expansion and growth of the economy.”
Manitoba will use April 1, 2016, as the baseline for a list of the current requirements, and will measure progress against it as changes are made. The province will become the second Canadian province to create a publically available KPI, following the successful British Columbia model for regulatory accountability, the minister noted.
The minister made the announcement following the release of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB’s) provincial red tape report card.
“CFIB’s evaluation of Manitoba’s past performance on regulatory accountability is fair given the cumbersome system inherited by our government,” said Friesen. “We appreciate the acknowledgement that our government’s commitment and early actions are steps in the right direction as we move forward to reduce red tape and unleash our province’s true potential.”
The minister said the new system is expected to be in place later this year.
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