Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

Conservatives will take blue scissors to red tape

Statement from Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna–Mission, on CFIB’s Red Tape Awareness Week 


During CFIB’s Red Tape Awareness Week, small businesses across British Columbia are looking for real action, not more perfunctory lip service. 

More than 98 percent of businesses in British Columbia are small businesses, creating 55% of all private-sector jobs. When small business struggles, the entire economy feels it. British Columbia has consistently recorded some of the weakest small-business confidence in Canada, and we are facing generationally high youth unemployment. 

That should make red-tape reduction a pressing priority, not something pushed to the back burner. For many entrepreneurs, regulatory burden is as much of a drag on growth as taxes, even sometimes worse, as it consumes time, energy, and attention that could otherwise be spent serving customers and creating jobs and opportunities. 

The NDP pay lip service to ease of doing business while shutting down things that would make a difference. This government has shown an ongoing reluctance to listen to the people doing the hiring, paying the bills, and taking the risks. 

The NDP sidelined the Small Business Roundtable after last convening it in February 2024, despite the Roundtable’s long track record of serious work, including a major 2018 report and other practical recommendations to remove real, fixable barriers. 

After nearly two years of silence, Minister Kahlon formally shut down the Roundtable on December 30, 2025. In a letter, he told members it had been replaced by the Trade and Economic Security Task Force, which he claimed would provide a timely and strong voice with government. That task force was quietly disbanded in August 2025. 

Minister Kahlon’s letter also cites his government’s Ease of Doing Business initiative, which is little more than a glorified Google form. Instead of acting on countless warnings and recommendations, the government has leaned on a generic submission portal that cuts out experienced partners like Chambers of Commerce and business associations that have been doing the hard work on red-tape reduction for decades. 

This was a choice, not an accident. Replacing structured dialogue with a digital suggestion box is not engagement. This is why business associations and structured tables matter: they do the hard work of synthesis, turning scattered and time-constrained feedback into clear, actionable advice government can use. 

“Small businesses don’t need another inbox; they need a seat at the table and a government that listens. We will bring back the Small Business Roundtable, give it teeth, and act on its recommendations so entrepreneurs can spend less time fighting red tape and more time creating jobs.” ~~ Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna–Mission 

Small businesses are not asking for special treatment. They’re asking for respect for their time, genuine engagement, and a government that understands red tape can be just as damaging as higher taxes. Red tape is real. Small businesses deserve a government that takes it seriously, and acts to make it better.  

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BC’s Forestry Decline Is a Policy Failure, Not a Market Reality -- Forestry Critic Calls for Accountability and Urgent Policy Reset

Conservative Party of BC Forestry Critic, and Kamloops - North Thompson MLA,  Ward Stamer As the Truck Loggers Association convention begins today, BC Conservative Forestry Critic Ward Stamer says British Columbia’s forestry crisis is the result of government mismanagement, not market forces, and that an urgent policy reset is needed to restore certainty, sustainability, and accountability. “For generations, forestry supported families and communities across BC,” said Stamer.  “Today, mills are closing, contractors are parking equipment, and families are being forced to leave home, not because the resource is gone, but because policy has failed.” Government data shows timber shipment values dropped by more than half a billion dollars in the past year, with harvest levels falling by roughly 50 per cent in just four years. At the same time, prolonged permitting timelines, unreliable fibre access, outdated forest inventories, and rising costs have made long-term planning impossib...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wildfire waste plan torched -- Forestry critic Stamer calls BC's wildfire salvage rate 'a failure'

Claims that BC is making progress salvaging wildfire-damaged timber are masking deeper problems in the forest sector, the province’s forestry critic says. Last week, BC’s Ministry of Forests said mills in the province processed more than one million cubic metres of wildfire chips in 2024-25, up from 500,000 cubic metres in 2023 and representing about seven per cent of all processed wood. Kamloops-North Thompson BC Conservative MLA Ward Stamer said those claims of progress ignore the reality that only a fraction of burned timber is being used ... CLICK HERE for the full story
Post a Comment
Read more

A message from BC Conservative MLA Ward Stamer, and the Kamloops – North Thompson Riding Association

2025 was a busy first year. As a Caucus, we worked very hard to defeat Bills 14 and 15, legislation which allows the provincial government to move ahead without environmental assessments on renewable projects, and that also allows cabinet to build infrastructure projects without getting approval from local municipal governments. This is not acceptable to your BC Conservative caucus, and we will continue to press this government for open and transparent projects in the future.  Two things we had success in were having the first Private Members bill passed in over 40 years. The first was Jody Toors Prenatal and Post Natal Care bill, and then there was my private members Bill M217 Mandatory Dashcams in commercial vehicles (passed second reading unanimously and is heading to Committee in February). Regrettably, much of the legislation passed by the government was little more than housekeeping bills, or opportunities to strengthen the ability of Cabinet Ministers to bypass the BC legi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more