Winning the battle against red tape
Episode Stats
Summary
Learn English with Alberta s Minister of Finance, Shep Chaudhuri Khalsa. Minister Khalsa announces Alberta has reduced red tape across government by one-third over the past four years, a milestone that will be recognized by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) in its annual Red Tape Report Card.
Transcript
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As you may know, each year the Canadian Federation of Independent Business typically celebrates
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the end of January as Red Tape Reduction Awareness Week, and awards all Canadian jurisdictions
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with a grade in its Red Tape Report Card based on their efforts to reduce red tape.
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This year for Red Tape Awareness Week, the CFIB has chosen to focus on the importance
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of reducing red tape in the face of the rising cost of living and doing business.
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As the Minister responsible for red tape reduction, I can say that our red tape reduction efforts,
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especially in the last several years, have been strongly focused on saving Albertans and
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Alberta businesses time and money, making our province a more affordable place to live and
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Since 2019, red tape reduction has been a major goal for the Alberta government, and we have
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We understand that complicated regulations, onerous paperwork, and bureaucratic redundancies
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cost Albertans valuable time and money, and that is time and money that doesn't need
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We continue to make positive changes that directly benefit Albertans, and that has played a key
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role in Alberta's economic growth by supporting employment, expanding skills and training, and
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We have removed unnecessary barriers faced by job creators, enhancing Alberta's competitiveness,
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allowing our job creators to do what they do best.
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That is, undertake new investment and increase employment opportunities in Alberta.
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In fact, by modernizing regulations and reducing administrative burden, we have saved Albertans and businesses
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That's $2.7 billion to invest in the success of Alberta's economy.
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Today, as we acknowledge the importance behind Red Tape Awareness Week, I am pleased to announce
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that we have reached our goal to cut red tape across government by one-third.
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We have been working diligently, engaging Albertans, and working closely with industry to identify
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opportunities to streamline rules and processes, as well as simplify regulations.
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We have implemented nearly 700 initiatives to reduce red tape since 2019.
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Forty-one of those were recommendations that came directly from the public, and 200 were
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About 80 initiatives, inspired by industry advice and feedback from Albertans, were implemented
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in 2023 alone, and there's another 40 that are currently underway.
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And since 2019, we've passed seven red tape reduction bills that have been creating meaningful
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legislative changes, making life easier for Albertans.
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But you don't just have to take our word for it.
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Since 2019, the CFIB has been recognizing our hard work, and it's been reflected in our
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Alberta has been a provincial leader in red tape reduction for the past three years, and
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last year we were ranked as number one among the provinces with an overall grade of A-.
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With another year of significant accomplishments under our belt, I look forward to the announcement
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It's not just the provincial government that's making progress, though.
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As we gather here in the heart of downtown St. Albert, I have to commend the City of St.
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Initiatives like exploring regulatory changes to enable housing construction.
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And providing tools like interactive maps and data portals.
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And issuing development permits in less than five days.
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And in case anyone didn't hear that, I'm just going to repeat it, that's development
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And these are just three examples of the way the City of St. Albert makes it easy for Albertans
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Though I'm sure their excellent municipal regulations aren't the only reason the City of St. Albert is
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consistently ranked as Canada's top communities to live.
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Now, looking forward, even with our one-third red tape reduction achievement and hopeful for
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another respectable grade from CFIB, our job is far from finished.
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We've worked hard to make these changes and must continue our efforts to keep complicated
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processes and redundancies from creeping back in.
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We will continue working with the public and industry to find new ways to simplify regulation
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And to maintain the progress we've already made.
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Our goal in red tape reduction has always been to make life easier for Albertans, and that's
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I'd also like to take the opportunity to remind everyone that we're all partners in this
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We were always open to feedback from Albertans.
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If you or someone you know has encountered a process or regulation that seems unnecessarily
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cumbersome, and if you have ideas on how to make it easier, we want to hear from you.
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You can visit the Cutting Red Tape page on alberta.ca forward slash cut red tape.
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Providing feedback is as simple as sending an email.
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Thank you everyone for joining me here today to mark this important week and to celebrate our
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Today we are celebrating a milestone four years in the making.
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We've officially reduced government red tape in Alberta by 33% to make life easier for
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It put a smile on my face every day knowing that we got government out of the way of hard-working
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Now, Albertans can decide if they want to go to the registry in person or access certain
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We worked with First Nations leaders to eliminate the Alberta Indian Tax Exemption Card in favour
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of the Federal Status Card, aligning Alberta with practices in other provinces.
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We now provide financial support to non-profits and social service providers in multi-year
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cycles, which helps them focus on delivering high-quality services and spend less time applying
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Updates to the International Qualification Assessment Service makes it easier and faster
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for new Canadians to receive credit for international certifications, helping qualified people secure
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We simplified approval processes in Alberta's industrial heartland to attract new investment,
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to create jobs and maintain Alberta's position as a leader in sustainable energy and petrochemical
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Since 2019, we've cut more than 200,000 pieces of red tape.
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We've reached our goal of reducing it by one-third, but the hard work continues.
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We're still looking for opportunities to cut red tape.
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If you have an idea, share it with us at alberta.ca forward slash cut red tape.
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Let's continue making Alberta the most efficient government in Canada.