OTTAWA –  Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Vegreville-Wainwright, said he was very pleased with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s recent announcement of the creation of a Red Tape Reduction Commission. “The Prime Minister has assembled a team of experienced small businesspeople and Members of Parliament to consult with small business owners and entrepreneurs across Canada to identify areas where red tape is hurting small business success in our country” said Benoit. “They will report back to the Prime Minister, both this Spring and in the Fall, on ways the Government can further reduce red tape on Canada’s job creators.”

“Our Conservative Government remains committed to creating jobs and economic growth by supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs, and we know that red tape kills jobs and limits economic growth” explained Benoit. “The Red Tape Reduction Commission will provide recommendations on how government can reduce unnecessary regulations and make the regulatory system more effective, so entrepreneurs can spend more time on their success and less time on their paper burden.”

Benoit pointed out that the Conservative Government has already reduced the paper burden for small businesses by 20 per cent across government departments through the Paper Burden Reduction Initiative with measures such as streamlining regulations, eliminating duplicate requirements, getting rid of overlapping obligations, and reducing how often documents need to be filed. “With the launch of the Red Tape Reduction Commission, our Conservative Government is taking further action to reduce the red tape burden on small businesses.”

Benoit concluded that “the Red Tape Reduction Commission is evidence of our Government’s continued focus on the economy by working to reduce the burdens that prevent small businesses and entrepreneurs from doing what they do best: driving the economy forward.”