Bill C-21

2nd Session, 41st Parliament,

62 Elizabeth II, 2013-2014

house of commons of canada

BILL C-21

An Act to control the administrative burden that regulations impose on businesses

Whereas Canadians and small businesses have expressed concerns about how the increased administrative burden imposed by regulations has affected the cost of doing business;

Whereas on April 1, 2012 the Government of Canada established a rule that each increase in the administrative burden on businesses must be offset with a corresponding decrease, one-for-one, and considers that it is desirable to establish that rule in legislation;

Whereas the one-for-one rule must not compromise public health, public safety or the Canadian economy;

And whereas the Government of Canada recognizes the importance of being transparent with regard to the implementation of the one-for-one rule;

Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

SHORT TITLE

1. This Act may be cited as the Red Tape Reduction Act.

INTERPRETATION

2. The following definitions apply in this Act.

“administrative burden” means anything that is necessary to demonstrate compliance with a regulation, including the collecting, processing, reporting and retaining of information and the completing of forms.

“business” means a person or entity that engages in commercial activities in Canada, other than for a public purpose.

“regulation” means an instrument that is registered as a regulation under section 6 of the Statutory Instruments Act.

APPLICATION

3. This Act applies to regulations made by or with the approval of the Governor in Council, the Treasury Board or a minister of the Crown.

PURPOSE

4. The purpose of this Act is to control the administrative burden that regulations impose on businesses.

RULE

5. (1) If a regulation is made that imposes a new administrative burden on a business, one or more regulations must be amended or repealed to offset the cost of that new burden against the cost of an existing administrative burden on a business.

(2) If a regulation is made — other than one that only amends a regulation — that imposes a new administrative burden on a business, a regulation must be repealed, unless one has already been repealed in accordance with subsection (1).

6. The President of the Treasury Board may establish policies or issue directives respecting the manner in which section 5 is to be applied.

7. The Governor in Council may, for the purpose of section 5, make regulations respecting

(a) the manner of calculating the cost of an administrative burden;

(b) the period within which measures must be taken to comply with that section;

(c) the taking into account of regulations that are amended or repealed before a new administrative burden is imposed;

(d) the application of that section to any regulation made, amended or repealed on or after April 1, 2012; and

(e) the regulations that the Treasury Board may exempt from the application of that section and the categories for which, and the circumstances in which, such an exemption may be granted.

GENERAL

8. (1) No action or other proceeding may be brought against Her Majesty in right of Canada for anything done or omitted to be done, or for anything purported to be done or omitted to be done, under this Act.

(2) No regulation is invalid by reason only of a failure to comply with this Act.

ANNUAL REPORT

9. The President of the Treasury Board must prepare and make public each year a report on the application of section 5 during the 12-month period ending on March 31 of the year in which the report is to be made public.

10. The Governor in Council may make regulations respecting the information to be included in the report and respecting the report’s form.

REVIEW OF ACT

11. Five years after the day on which this Act comes into force, the President of the Treasury Board must cause a review of this Act to be conducted.