In their latest newsletter, the NMMA Canada included information about this useful government initiative. The Red Tape Commission (created by a federal budget commitment in 2010 and led by the President of the Treasury Board) — tasked with identifying and addressing irritants to business that stem from federal regulations — released its first recommendations report titled "Cutting Red Tape … Freeing Business to Grow". After consulting with Canadian businesses, the Commission has outlined 90 specific solutions to eliminate or alleviate business irritants.

The main recommendation of the report is for the federal government to adopt a One-for-One Rule (announced in the last Conservative election platform), which means that for every new regulation proposed by the federal government an existing regulation must be eliminated.

However, there are several other recommendations made by the Red Tape Commission in the report which are of particular interest to NMMA members:

•   That the Canada Border Services Agency simplify the process of reporting for the importing community as well as improve knowledge of the pertinent legislative and policy requirements.

•   NMMA recommends that the Canada Border Services Agency expedite its efforts to enhance and harmonize its trusted trader programs with the United States with a view to, in particular, facilitating joint admission of applicants through a single application process.

•   To improve timeliness and simplify processes, NMMA recommended that the Canada Border Services Agency develop a system to allow businesses to submit shipment information electronically as well as provide them with services for the pre-screening of import data for low-risk shipments prior to goods' arrival at the border, with a view to achieving expedited clearance.

For more information contact NMMA Canada at http://www.cmma.ca/cmma/home.cfm