ARCHIVED - Industry Canada

BizPaL is a unique collaboration of federal, provincial/territorial and municipal governments working together in a new service delivery model to improve access to information on permits and licences needed from all orders of government to start or operate a business.

Integrated into local government websites or portals, BizPaL provides a single point of contact for entrepreneurs, enabling them to quickly learn which permits and licences they will need from municipal, provincial/territorial and federal governments.

Federal funding supports secretariat services, expansion and development of the service and the federal role. None of the participants (provinces/territories/municipalities) receive federal funds for the BizPaL initiative. They provide "in-kind" support in their respective jurisdictions. Provincial participants also contribute funds to a Specified Purpose Account to support basic operating costs in accordance with a cost-sharing formula based on population size.

• Increased awareness of and access to business permits and licences from all orders of government.
• Increased cost savings for businesses by avoiding involuntary non–compliance.
• Support government efforts to reduce the paperwork burden and red tape that face small business owners and operators.

BizPaL represents a shared governance model that involves participants from the federal, provincial/territorial and local/municipal levels of government. Industry Canada manages the expansion and evolution of the BizPaL service and develops relationships among participating jurisdictions.

Although governance is shared through various participant committees, Industry Canada is accountable for the federal resources contributed to the BizPaL initiative. In addition, Industry Canada is responsible for enlisting the participation of federal government departments to BizPaL and managing the National BizPaL Office.

Accelerated expansion of service to all interested provincial/territorial governments and local government participants within those provinces and territories.

Marcie Girouard, Executive Director, Service Delivery and Partnerships

Canada Business Network (CBN)

(Amalgamation of Canada Business Service Centres (CBSC) and Business Gateway (BG))

• Industry Canada
• Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)
• Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD)
• Economic Development Agency of Canada and the Regions of Quebec (CEDQ)

Canada Business was established to improve service to small business and start-up entrepreneurs by providing a comprehensive first stop for information on government services, programs and compliance requirements from federal and provincial/territorial levels of government.

On behalf of the Government of Canada and its partners, Canada Business delivers a host of information products and resources through a variety of channels across Canada (web, in-person, telephone). Through its collaboration with the provinces and territories, information products and resources are supplemented by jurisdictionally relevant content — providing truly client-centred and integrated information services.

• Increased awareness and access to government business-related information, programs and services and facilitated compliance for business
• Increased use of self-service channels
• Reduced complexity in accessing programs and services and compliance requirements for SMEs
• Improved SME business planning and market research

The Canada Business Network is managed on behalf of the federal government by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Economic Development Agency for the Regions of Quebec (QCED), Industry Canada (IC) and Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD).

The lead organizations are responsible for ensuring compliance with all federal policies affecting program delivery in a collaborative environment, particularly policies on topics such as official languages, accessibility, access to information and privacy, federal identity, and alternative service delivery.

SME use of government business-related information, programs and services and facilitated compliance for business

Marcie Girouard, Executive Director, Service Delivery and Partnerships

This is an initiative to reduce paper burden borne by business by 20 percent. Thirteen key regulatory departments and agencies have established an inventory of administrative requirements and information obligations they impose on business that existed as of November 2006. The objective of this baseline count is to establish a benchmark on which the 20-percent reduction will be based.

Partner departments and agencies are reviewing obligations and requirements for which they are responsible and, where appropriate, introduce changes towards the goal of eliminating some 80 000 requirements and obligations by November 2008.

There is no funding attached to this initiative. Funding is dealt with in the context of existing programs and initiatives.

Improving how businesses comply with federal rules and regulations will improve regulatory efficiency and help businesses, particularly small businesses, focus their resources and efforts more on innovating and running a successful enterprise and less on complying with a regulatory or administrative burden.

Through the Small Business Policy Branch, Industry Canada is responsible for:

• leading and coordinating an interdepartmental committee to provide support, discuss best practices and to provide additional support in identifying reduction opportunities;
• developing and maintaining a web-based inventory application for departments and agencies to first record their baseline count of regulatory requirements and subsequently record reductions to their baseline counts; and
• monitoring progress of recorded reductions and providing status reports.

Departments and agencies are responsible for reporting on and implementing necessary actions for reducing, by at least 20 percent, their baseline count of requirements and obligations by November 1, 2008. Departments and agencies are also responsible for implementing complementary initiatives that, although they may not contribute to reducing the count of regulatory requirements, will reduce burden on businesses, especially small businesses.

Some 80 000 requirements stemming from the statues, regulations, policies and forms from the 13 key regulatory departments and agencies will be eliminated by November 2008.

John Connell, Director General, Small Business Policy Branch